Pregnancies resulting from in vitro matured oocytes collected from women with regular menstrual cycle.
OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate that human immature oocytes retrieved from women with regular menstrual cycles can undergo maturation and fertilization, and that the resulting embryos can establish pregnancies.


METHODS
Immature oocytes (n = 568) were retrieved from women with regular menstrual cycle. The intact immature oocytes (n = 506) were allowed to mature in YS medium supplemented with 70% human follicular fluid (hFF); the matured oocytes were fertilized with husband sperm. Two pronuclei oocytes were cocultured with cumulus cells in YS medium supplemented with 10% hFF until 2 or 3 days after insemination. The cleaved embryos were transferred in uteri.


RESULTS
Follicles were aspirated on Day 9.2 +/- 5.3 of 63 natural cycles from 51 patients (mean age = 34.8 +/- 4.0 years). The average number of retrieved immature oocytes was 9.0. The maturation rate was 74.3% (376/506). The two PN and cleavage rates were 72.6% (273/376) and 89.0% (243/273), respectively. Embryo transfer was achieved in 51 cycles and clinical pregnancy rate was 17.6% (9/51).


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that in vitro matured oocytes can undergo fertilization and the resulting embryos may successfully lead to pregnancies. However, further research is needed to improve IVM technique to achieve success rate comparable to gonadotrophin stimulated cycles.
Yoon
H G
HG
In Vitro Fertilization Laboratory, Maria Infertility Clinic, Seoul, South Korea.
Yoon
S H
SH
Son
W Y
WY
Lee
S W
SW
Park
S P
SP
Im
K S
KS
Lim
J H
JH
D000328:Adult; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female; D008597:Menstrual Cycle; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy