Sperm penetration in vitro of human oocytes matured in a chemically defined medium

Human oocytes were obtained randomly from the ovaries excised from 28 patients at different stages of the menstrual cycle. When 114 oocytes were cultured for 40-40.5 h in a chemically defined medium 80 showed degeneration. When 16 of the remaining 64 oocytes were examined for their maturation, germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) had occurred in 11 oocytes. Another 48 oocytes were inseminated by ejaculated spermatozoa which were washed twice and preincubated for 3 h. When examined 10 h later, 19 (39.6%) were penetrated with an enlarged sperm head or male pronucleus(ei) and its corresponding sperm tail(s).