Follicle flushing has been proved to be ineffective in polyfollicular in vitro fertilization. To analyze the effect of flushing in monofollicular in vitro fertilization we aspirated and then flushed the follicles in 164 cycles. Total oocyte yield/aspiration was 44.5% in the aspirate, 20.7% in the 1(st) flush, 10.4% in the 2(nd) flush and 4.3% in the 3(rd) flush. By flushing, the total oocyte...

Objective(s): Failed fertilization after intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is mainly attributed to failed oocyte activation and can be overcome by artificial oocyte activation (AOA). The present study aims to compare in vitro outcomes of ICSI following two different assisted oocyte activation chemical procedures (SrCl2 and Ionomycin) in sibling oocytes of ICSI candidates.Materials and Me...

With fertilization, the paternal and maternal contributions to the zygote are not equal. The oocyte and spermatozoon are equipped with complementary arsenals of cellular structures and molecules necessary for the creation of a developmentally competent embryo. We show that the nucleolus is exclusively of maternal origin. The maternal nucleolus is not necessary for oocyte maturation; however, it...

BACKGROUND Failed fertilization post-ICSI has been mainly attributed to the sperm's inability to induce oocyte activation. Phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) is considered to be one of the factors for the induction of oocyte activation. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the expression of PLCζ in globozoospermic men or those with previously low or failed fertilization in comparison wit...

Recent findings In random-start protocols, the number of total and mature oocytes retrieved, oocyte maturity rate, mature oocyte yield and fertilization rates are similar to those in conventional (early follicular phase start) protocols. Starting ovarian stimulation in the late follicular or luteal phase did not show any superiority against the other. The presence of corpus luteum or luteal pha...

Recent progress in cell micromanipulation has made it possible to achieve fertilization even with highly deficient male gametes, by injecting them directly to oocyte cytoplasm. This technique, known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), has proved efficient in most types of sperm pathology. However, ICSI fails when injected spermatozoa are not capable of supporting the process of oocyte a...

The causes of embryonic arrest during pre-implantation development are poorly understood. Attempts to correlate patterns of oocyte gene expression with successful embryo development have been hampered by the lack of reliable and nondestructive predictors of viability at such an early stage. Here we report that zygote viscoelastic properties can predict blastocyst formation in humans and mice wi...

We have investigated the role of gap junctions in Caenorhabditis elegans oocyte maturation and fertilization. Gap junctions are observed between oocytes and the surrounding ovarian sheath cells in wild-type gonads. The sheath transcription factor CEH-18 is required to negatively regulate oocyte maturation, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, and ovulation. Transmission electron ...

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels secondary to absolute impairment of insulin secretion. Maternal diabetes has been demonstrated to adversely affect pre implantation embryo development and pregnancy outcomes. Emerging evidence has implicated that these effects are associated with compromised oocyte competence. Several developme...

We report the successful outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment in two siblings with familial globozoospermia. After controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and oocyte pick-up, retrieved oocytes were mechanically activated before ICSI and a fertilization rate of 33.3% was achieved in the first case. The second couple underwent ICSI without oocyte activation and a 9.1% fertiliz...