During in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the fertilization process of fusion of male and female gametes is carried out externally before inserting the mature oocyte into the female body in cases where male gametes fail to fuse with oocytes naturally. In many cases, it is found that the females are producing only primary oocytes that have not entered the first stage of the oocyte maturation process due to various reasons like chemotherapy, advanced age, etc., which hampers IVF procedures.

This is where in-vitro maturation (IVM) comes into the picture, where the primary oocyte is collected, and the maturation process is carried out externally in the lab. The rate of successfully maturing the oocytes externally depends on the age of the female from whom it is collected, the quality of the primary oocytes collected, and the in-vitro conditions. 

Microfluidics can help advance the in vitro fertilization field by recreating a physiologically relevant environment and allowing precise control of conditions.

An accurate natural oocyte environment for extended periods during the study is required to conduct a deeper study of oocyte maturation and thus improve the efficiency rates of in vitro maturation and fertilization processes.

Microfluidics is a perfect fit for studying oocyte maturation as it gives the user exact control over the oocyte culture environment by controlling the microfluidic channel environment.