Anmol Saini

Within the antral follicle, the oocyte is reliant on metabolic support from its surrounding somatic cells. Metabolism plays a critical role in oocyte developmental competence (oocyte quality). In the last decade, there has been significant progress in understanding the metabolism of the cumulus–oocyte complex (COC) during its final stages of growth and maturation in the follicle.

1 INTRODUCTION Obesity prevalence has tripled in the past 40 years worldwide.1 In Australia alone, two in three men are overweight (body mass index [BMI] >25 kg/m2) or obese (BMI >30 kg/m2).2 Whilst, the detrimental effects of maternal obesity on pregnancy and foetal outcomes are clearly established, recent research indicates that paternal obesity also detrimentally affects fertility3, 4 and basic sperm parameters such as count, motility and morphology.5, 6 Sperm DNA damage is a specialised...