In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes in Fertility Treatments

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes represents an alternative assisted reproductive technology in which immature oocytes retrieved from small antral follicles complete nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation in a controlled laboratory environment. By avoiding or minimising gonadotrophin stimulation, IVM reduces the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, shortens treatment timelines and lowers medication costs. Clinical applications have expanded beyond polycystic ovary syndrome to include urgent fertility preservation in oncological settings and to offer options for women who cannot undergo conventional stimulation. Recent innovations focus on refining culture media, mimicking the in vivo microenvironment through co-culture systems and introducing biphasic maturation protocols to enhance synchrony between nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation. While live births following IVM have been reported, overall developmental competence of in vitro-matured oocytes remains inferior to those obtained after standard stimulated cycles. Ongoing research seeks to optimise oocyte quality, improve blastocyst formation rates and ensure long-term safety of IVM-derived embryos.

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In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes in Fertility Treatments publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in in vitro maturation of oocytes in fertility treatments across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

In vitro maturation (IVM): Laboratory culture process in which immature oocytes complete maturation outside the ovarian environment.

Cumulus–oocyte complex (COC): The oocyte together with its surrounding cumulus cells, retrieved as a unit for IVM.

Ovarian support cells (OSCs): Somatic cells derived from stem cells or primary sources that provide paracrine and structural support to oocytes in culture.

Developmental competence: The ability of a matured oocyte to undergo successful fertilisation, embryo cleavage and blastocyst formation.

Biphasic IVM: A two-step maturation protocol involving an initial meiotic-arrest phase followed by a stimulatory phase to promote synchronised cytoplasmic and nuclear maturation.

References

1. Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived ovarian support cell co-culture improves oocyte maturation in vitro after abbreviated gonadotropin stimulation. Human Reproduction (2023).
2. New Insights on In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes for Fertility Preservation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
3. In vitro maturation (IVM) of human immature oocytes: is it still relevant?. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology (2023).
4. The spectrum of in vitro maturation in clinical practice: the current insight. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2023).