Skip to main content

Gamete Maturation

Meaning

Gamete Maturation is the final, crucial developmental process that male and female germ cells—sperm and oocytes—undergo to become fully competent for fertilization. In females, this involves the completion of meiosis and cytoplasmic changes that prepare the oocyte for ovulation and subsequent embryonic development. In males, it refers to the final morphological and functional changes that sperm acquire in the epididymis and reproductive tract, known as capacitation. This process is fundamentally governed by a precise cascade of hormonal signals and growth factors, and its successful completion is a prerequisite for natural and assisted reproduction.