In vitro maturation of immature oocytes and IVF/ICSI in PCOS patients

In vitro maturation (IVM) programme has developed a culture technique for supporting the growth and maturation of immature oocytes since late of 1980s and has become important in ART methods. The establishment of an IVM programme can yield many advantages. Patients suffering from congenital or postnatal reproductive disorders, such as premature ovarian failure (POF) or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), can achieve pregnancies by transfer of viable embryos derived from IVM and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) systems. However, the pregnancy rate of IVM-IVF programme for PCO patients was still low. This disadvantage was caused by poor maturation of human immature oocytes and no synchronisation with implantation windows. Recently, application of FSH/hCG priming or optimal maturation medium for proper cytoplasmic maturation improves the success rate of IVM procedures. Indeed, increasing oocyte viability by employing optimised IVM system would also reduce ethical concerns about the disposal of retrieved oocytes with low developmental competence, and concerns about the abuse of the manipulation of human embryos.