Cytoplasmic Granulation of Human Oocytes at the Germinal Vesicle Stage as a Predictor of Their Ability to Spontaneous Maturation in Stimulated Cycles of In Vitro Fertilization

Although in vitro fertilization (IVF) programs usually use mature (metaphase II, MII) oocytes, it is also possible to use diplotene oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage after their in vitro maturation (IVM). Morphological characteristics of native GV oocytes are promising predictors their capacity of spontaneous maturation in stimulated cycles. The purpose of this work was to analyze the patterns of cytoplasmic granulation of GV oocytes that differ in their ability to resume and complete meiotic maturation in vitro. It has been shown that the central granulation pattern negatively correlates with the ability of GV oocytes to spontaneously mature in vitro.