Assisted hatching

The assisted hatching is a technique used to increase implantation rates, facilitate incubation of embryos after IVF / ICSI.

The embryo surrounded by an outer membrane, which is called transparent zone. To achieve the implantation of an embryo in the endometrium, the embryo should develop up to the blastocyst stage and be hatched completely by the transparent area. In some cases, however, the zona pellucida is thicker or harder than normal, so it prevents the hatching and implantation. In these cases, an embryologist performs an artificial hatching smoothing the zona pellucida of the embryo with laser.

The assisted hatching commonly applied to:

• Couples where a woman’s age is above 38 years old (> 38 years)
• Couples who have experienced repeated failed IVF attempts
• Fetuses with increased thickness or hardening of the zona pellucida.