Chapter 17 - Current status and future trends of the clinical practice of human oocyte in vitro maturation

Summary

This chapter examines the process of in vitro maturation (IVM), its efficacy and safety, and explores why it is not more routinely used to treat infertility and what is required to make it a more viable clinical option. The treatment of infertility is based on in vitro fertilization (IVF) as the technology of choice. IVM is an alternative approach for generating mature oocytes that eliminates or significantly reduces the need for hormonal stimulation of the ovary. The benefit of IVM is that the procedure removes the need to administer large multiple doses of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) normally used in conventional IVF treatment to women. Current IVM conditions compromise subsequent embryo development rates following fertilization. It is concluded that IVM, despite the reduced efficiencies of implantation potential and increased early miscarriage, should be viewed as having no risk of an adverse outcome to mother and child compared with conventional IVF.