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Follicular Development and Oocyte Growth

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Development of In Vitro Maturation for Human Oocytes

Abstract

Recruitment of the follicular cohort occurs in response to a transient elevation in circulating FSH. The follicles develop through primordial, primary, secondary, antral, and pre-ovulatory stages before ovulation. After pubertal onset, a small number of the antral follicles can be rescued by gonadotropins to continue growth, and normally only one antral follicle is further developed each month in preparation for ovulation. Although traditional thinking proposes a single wave of cyclic follicular recruitment and growth, recently it has been suggested that multiple waves of follicle development may occur in the human ovary. Follicles in diameter of about 2–5 mm are present throughout the menstrual cycle. The oocytes retrieved from both follicular and luteal phases under 12 mm in diameter may be healthy unless the size of oocytes were smaller than 120 μm. It is a common belief that the oocyte growth is already finalized at the antral stage, significantly before follicle development is completed. Oocyte maturation refers to the oocyte completion of the second meiosis from GV stage to M-II stage following LH surge in vivo. In natural cycles, although the existence of dominant follicle does not affect the oocyte development competence that retrieved from the subordinate follicles, the oocytes obtained from the smaller size of follicles have lower developmental capacity than those retrieved from larger follicles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical School, Tongji University, No 1239, Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Han Li

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Ri-Cheng Chian Msc, PhD

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  1. Han Li
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  1. McGill University, Longueuil, Québec, Canada

    Ri-Cheng Chian

  2. St. George's Hospital, London, United Kingdom

    Geeta Nargund

  3. Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA

    Jack Y. J. Huang

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Li, H., Chian, RC. (2017). Follicular Development and Oocyte Growth. In: Chian, RC., Nargund, G., Huang, J. (eds) Development of In Vitro Maturation for Human Oocytes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53454-1_2

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