Reproduction Abstracts

In contrast to the testis, the ovary is an internal organ which contains a finite supply of primordial follicles, enclosed by ovarian somatic cells. Development of ovulatory follicles from this primordial pool capable of releasing a developmentally competent oocyte is an extremely complex developmental process which involves interactions between an array of local factors, the pituitary gonadotrophins and other endocrine factors. Elucidation of these local and endocrine mechani...

Introduction: Reproductive ageing is associated with a reduced ovarian reserve and suppression of oocyte developmental competence (quality) as evidenced by increased meiotic segregation errors, epigenetic alterations and reduced fertilisation rates. Metabolic indicators of oocyte quality such as oocyte amino acid profile (AAP) and mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) copy number may provide insights into the mechanism of declining oocyte quality with age. This study investigated the effec...