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Bidirectional somatic cell–oocyte signaling is essential to create a changing intrafollicular microenvironment that controls primordial follicle growth into a cohort of growing follicles, from which one antral follicle is selected to ovulate a healthy oocyte. Such intercellular communications allow the oocyte to determine its own fate by influencing the intrafollicular microenvironment, which in turn provides the necessary cellular functions for oocyte developmental competence, which is defined as the ability of the oocyte to complete meiosis and undergo fertilization, embryogenesis, and term development. These coordinated somatic cell–oocyte interactions attempt to balance cellular metabolism with energy requirements during folliculogenesis, including changing energy utilization during meiotic resumption. If these cellular mechanisms are perturbed by metabolic disease and/or maternal aging, molecular damage of the …