BACKGROUND In humans, normal healthy children are regularly produced through
fertilization of fresh oocytes with fresh spermatozoa. However, asynchrony between oocytes …

BACKGROUND Mitochondria are multitasking organelles involved in ATP synthesis,
reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, calcium signalling and apoptosis; and …

Apoptosis causes elimination of more than 99% of germ cells from cohort of ovary through
follicular atresia. Less than 1% of germ cells, which are culminated in oocytes further …

Fertilization calcium waves are introduced, and the evidence from which we can infer
general mechanisms of these waves is presented. The two main classes of hypotheses put …

With extended periods of time following ovulation, the metaphase II stage oocyte
experiences deterioration in quality referred to as post-ovulatory oocyte ageing. Post …

Mammalian oocytes are long-lived cells in the human body. They initiate meiosis already in
the embryonic ovary, arrest meiotically for long periods in dictyate stage, and resume …

Mammalian oocytes begin meiosis in the fetal ovary, but only complete it when fertilized in
the adult reproductive tract. This review examines the cell biology of this protracted process …

Despite the success of embryo cyropreservation, routine oocyte freezing has proved elusive
with only around 200 children born since the first reported birth in 1986. The reason for the …

Reviews in Developmental Biology have covered the pathways that generate the all-
important intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signal at fertilization [Miyazaki, S., Shirakawa, H …

The recent tendency to delay pregnancy has increased the incidence of age-related
infertility, as female reproductive competence decreases with aging. Along with aging, a …