Natural Causes for Low Human Fertility

Despite the efforts to improve the conditions of gamete and embryo culture, the success rate of assisted reproductive techniques in humans is limited. This suggests that the reduced embryo potential could not be a result only of suboptimal in vitro conditions, but real features of oogenesis and early embryogenesis are involved. Low developmental potential of embryos is related to high rate of chromosomal abnormalities. The chromosomal segregation errors are based on disturbance of interactions between chromatin, cytoskeleton and other factors involved in the last stages of mammalian oocyte meiosis.