Revisiting Germinal Vesicle Transfer as a Treatment for Aneuploidy in Infertile Women with Diminished Ovarian Reserve

The maturation and meiotic competence of human oocyte requires both healthy cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. Germinal vesicle (GV) transfer techniques have represented useful tools for studying the interaction between the nucleus and the cytoplasm in oocyte maturation process in mammals. This report summarizes an update on the recent findings on GV transfer pertaining to improving meiotic resumption and ability of immature oocytes to mature. It also addresses mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy as a challenge in GV transfer technology. Altogether, data to date indicate that GV transfer could improve the quality of human oocytes especially in women with advanced maternal age who usually have high rates of spindle abnormality and chromosomal misalignment. Although experimental, this technique represents a viable therapeutic option for women with diminished ovarian reserve who do not produce mature oocytes or good embryos during IVF treatment.