P-197 Current status and hotspots of in vitro oocyte maturation: a bibliometric study of the past two decades
Authors: Chen Y  R , Feng C , Lv P  P , Jiang Y  Y , Yin W  W , Jin Y  R , Jin M 
Published: July 2024

Study question

What is the current research status and hotspot of in vitro maturation? And how could we improve the efficiency of IVM technique?

Summary answer

Five hotspots in IVM field were found, including culturing system, supplementation, cooperation in the ovarian follicle, gene expression, and cryopreservation of oocytes.

What is known already

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes is a promising technique among assisted reproductive technologies. Because ovarian stimulation is minimal or absent in an IVM cycle, IVM technique reduces the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and captures the reproductive potential of immature oocytes. However, the developmental competence of IVM oocytes is generally lower than the oocytes matured in vivo. A recent study showed the cumulative live birth rate in IVM is still inferior to standard IVF. The protocol for IVM still needs to be improved in some details.

Study design, size, duration

The articles and reviews related to IVM in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) were retrieved on January 16th, 2023. Three bibliometric tools including VOSviewer 1.6.18, CiteSpace 6.1.R6, and Bibliometrix R package 4.1.0 were used to generate network maps and explore frontier knowledge and trends.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The data was retrieved and downloaded from WoSCC using the search formula: TS = (“in vitro maturation” OR “IVM”) AND TS = (follic* OR oocyte*) NOT TS=“ivermectin”. The timespan was set from 2003 to 2022. The language was limited to English, and publication types to article or review. VOSviewer detected indicators, including country, institution, journal, and author. CiteSpace analyzed reference co-citation and identified emerging keywords. Bibliometrix explored trending topics in IVM field.

Main results and the role of chance

A total of 5133 publications about IVM were retrieved from WoSCC, including 4706 articles and 427 reviews. The number of publications in IVM has increased steadily. China and University of Adelaide were the most prolific country and institution in IVM. Theriogenology was the most published and cited journal. Thompson, Jeremy G was the most productive author in the field of IVM, and Eppig, JJ’s papers were cited most. Furthermore, five hotspots were summarized and introduced, including culturing system, supplementation, cooperation in the ovarian follicle, gene expression, and cryopreservation of oocytes.

This study comprehensively and visually analyzed the hotspots and frontiers of IVM in the past two decades. In our conclusion, further study could concentrate on: (1) the mechanism of oocytes matured in vivo and in vitro, especially in energy metabolism and intercellular communications; (2) establishment of IVM culture system, including standardized biphasic IVM culturing system and standardized supplementation; (3) the genetic differences between oocytes matured in vivo and in vitro; (4) the mechanism of cryopreservation-inflicted damage and the solution.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Due to the limitations of the software, the data we used for bibliometric analysis was only retrieved from WoSCC. Also, while bibliometric analysis can help us understand a field visually, it cannot completely replace system retrieval.

Wider implications of the findings

In this review, we explored and analyzed the field of IVM from 2003 to 2022 comprehensively and visually. Possible trends and hotspots in future were predicted, which may pave the way for future study directions and developments.

Trial registration number

not applicable