Probabilistic assessment of the degree of antigen sharing in couples with impaired reproductive performance

Increased histocompatibility antigen sharing has been reported in couples experiencing recurrent infertility problems. Mathematical expressions describing the probability distribution of the number of antigens shared by randomly mating couples are derived for a single locus, two linked loci, and multiple independent systems. These theoretical frequencies are applied in concert with conventional statistical procedures to evaluate hypotheses concerning antigen distributions. Extensions for simultaneous consideration of other genetic systems are discussed.