Abstract
A case is reported in which a deleted Y chromosome was found in a fetal karyotype during a prenatal diagnosis performed because of maternal age anxiety. Quinacrine fluorescence studies demonstrated the same deleted Y in the child's father. The possibility of a reciprocal translocation in the father with a genetically unbalanced condition in the fetus was a concern. Careful examination of the father's karyotype and the study of other reported cases involving deleted Y chromosomes led to the conclusion that the fetal karyotype was genetically balanced. The prediction of a normal fetal development was confirmed at the child's birth.