Oocyte Quality and Female Infertility

Abstract

Female infertility is one of the major reproductive health issue affecting majority of women worldwide. Several factors including environmental, hormonal and physical may affect the physiology of ovary to release quality grade oocyte required for fertilization and early embryonic development. The quality of oocyte is dependent on several factors within the follicular microenvironment and even after ovulation. One of the major factors that affect oocyte quality is the induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis plays a major role to eliminate majority of germ cells from the cohort of ovary during various stages of folliculogenesis. Few numbers of oocytes are selectively recruited to get ovulated during entire reproductive life span in female. Prior to ovulation, these oocytes achieve meiotic competency that may last for several months in rodents to several years in human. Inability to achieve meiotic competency within the follicular microenvironment and spontaneous egg activation (SEA) immediately after ovulation may deteriorate oocyte quality. Thus, induction of apoptosis or meiotic arrest at Metaphase-I stage (M-I) or SEA could reduce female fertility and may cause infertility.