Ovum quality

[1] Advanced maternal age represents a significant consideration for ovum health, and is currently regarded as the largest risk factor underlying instances of aneuploidy in human populations.

[3] While male gametes (sperm) are continuously produced throughout life, the female ovarian reserve is fully formed during early development.

Oocytes (but not spermatocytes) then undergo a prolonged arrest at the end of diplotene, until meiosis resumes at the beginning of the menstrual cycle.

As a result, homologous chromosomes may align independently on the meiotic spindle, risking aneuploidy that represents a key mechanism of reduced reproductive success.

[5] As the most mitochondria-dense cells in the body, ova depend upon these organelles for early embryonic development, proliferation and their competence for fertilisation.

Therefore, age-related changes to mitochondrial function naturally represent a significant influence on ovum quality and female fertility.

[10] In the IVF procedure a hormone called gonadotropin (GnRH) is given to the female to stimulate the ovaries to release oocytes.

Moreover, obesity leads to decreased pregnancy rates after IVF and a smaller chance of the oocyte implanting to the uterine wall.