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Edited by
Stéphane Viville, Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale de Strasbourg and Laboratoire de diagnostic génétique, Strasbourg,Karen D. Sermon, Reproduction and Genetics Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Reproduction in humans is considered to be a relatively inefficient process, as the chance of achieving a spontaneous pregnancy after timed intercourse is only approximately 30%. This is much lower than the 70–90% estimated for other species, such as the rhesus monkey, the captive baboon, or rodents and rabbits. The inefficiency of human reproduction is mainly explained by the high incidence of preclinical losses, an estimated 40–60% of all conceptions. Early pregnancy loss is mainly explained due to the occurrence of chromosome abnormalities, which have been identified in most spontaneous abortion samples investigated.