A prospective sibling-oocyte study in 29 patients compared 104 immature oocytes. Adding FSH and LH increased nuclear maturation from 30.77% to 51.92%, adjusted OR 3.28, but did not shift mean oocyte diameter toward the range associated with good-quality blastocysts. Fertilisation, pregnancy and live-birth benefit remain unproven.
Key findings
- Maturation was 51.92% with supplementation versus 30.77% in controls (p=0.029). The adjusted odds ratio was 3.28 (95% CI 1.25-8.64), and a GnRH-agonist trigger was independently associated with maturation. Mean-oocyte-diameter distribution toward the presumed optimal range did not differ.
Why this matters globally
If downstream benefit is confirmed, supplementation could recover more usable mature oocytes from an existing stimulation cycle, reducing loss of immature oocytes and improving IVF laboratory efficiency without another retrieval.
Thai researcher contribution
Design, sampling and analysis were conducted by reproductive endocrinology, obstetrics-gynaecology and health-science research teams at the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, making this a predominantly Thai institutional study.
Limitations to consider
Only 29 patients and 52 pairs were studied, with a fairly wide confidence interval. Multiple oocytes per patient require appropriate clustering control. Most importantly, mean oocyte diameter is a surrogate, not direct evidence of fertilisation, blastocyst formation, euploidy, pregnancy or live birth.