Oocyte in vitro maturation physiological basis and application to clinical practice

Oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) is an assisted reproductive technology with a long and sometimes checked history. It is a minimally invasive technique involving the deliberate collection of immature oocytes from patients that have received no or minimal ovarian stimulation and the culture of oocytes to maturity in vitro, before standard procedures thereafter. Now, IVM is classified as nonexper-imental and is primarily indicated for patients with a high antral follicle count, especially patients with polycystic ovaries or polycystic ovary syndrome, as well as for fertility preservation in cancer patients. In the recent past, IVM practice has had a confusing array of clinical protocols and has been slow to adapt to new scientific insights; however, recently, significant advances have been made in IVM culture methods based on new knowledge from animal studies, combined with defining a simple patient treatment protocol. These improvements have led to significant recent progress in IVM practice to the extent that IVM is now routinely practiced in a growing number of centers with specialized expertise around the world. (Fertil Steril (R) 2023;119:524-39. (c) 2023 by American Society for Repro-ductive Medicine.)

Automated summary

Oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) is a minimally invasive technique involving the collection and culture of immature oocytes to maturity outside the body. It is now classified as nonexperimental and is primarily indicated for patients with a high antral follicle count and for fertility preservation in cancer patients. Significant advances in IVM culture methods have been made based on animal studies and a simplified patient treatment protocol, leading to its routine practice in specialized centers worldwide.