Developmental competence of immature oocytes aspirated from antral follicles of ovarian cortexas a method for fertility preservation

Background: Over the last decades, advances in the treatment of women with cancer in reproductive age have markedly increased. In addition, in-vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes collected from excised ovary has been proposed as an attractive option for fertility preservation.The aim was to investigate the developmental competence of immature oocytes retrieved from excised ovarian tissue underwent IVM, as a method for fertility preservation. Materials and Methods: The excised ovarian tissue and biopsies of the ovarian cortex from 26 cancer patients (21- 45 years old), were used. The investigation took place from Dec 2013 to Dec 2014 at Yazd institute for reproductive sciences. Ovaries were obtained directly from collaborating hospitals, and transported to the IVF center on ice. All visible antral follicles on the biopsies were aspirated. The immature oocytes were cultured for 48 h in-house supplemented IVM culture media. Oocyte maturation was assessed by the presence of the first polar body. Results: 61 immature oocytes were aspirated, of which 18 (29.5%) were degenerated and discarded.The remaining 43 (70.5%) healthy oocytes without sign of degeneration underwent IVM technology, of which only 30.2% reached viable metaphase II oocytes. The ovarian tissues of 9(34.6%) women were lacking oocytes at any stage. There was a positive correlation between the recovered number of oocytes and the ovarian volume. Conclusions: Oocytes maturation post IVM from unstimulated ovaries showed a good developmental competence in cancerous patients. Further studies should be performed to advance the oocyte maturation program, such co-culture system, for fertility preservation.