Assisted hatching is a fertility technique that involves creating a small crack in the zona pellucida, or “shell” of a fertilized embryo. This helps the embryo hatch and attach to the lining of the uterus.Assisted hatching is sometimes used in assisted reproduction for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). It can be useful for frozen embryos or eggs, as the freezing process can harden the membrane.Assisted hatching is believed to help an embryo implant in the uterus, leading to higher pregnancy rates in some patients. However, the HFEA rates assisted hatching as “grey” for increasing the chances of having a baby for most fertility patients.Assisted hatching is an additional procedure that can be performed in patients who are undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Once embryos are created using IVF, the embryo is surrounded by a hard outer layer of cells called the zona pellucida. You can think of this outer layer as the “shell” of the embryo. An embryo must break free of this “shell” in order to implant into the uterus and develop into a pregnancy. Assisted hatching is a procedure where we can help the embryo “hatch” from its “shell” by creating a small crack in the zona pellucida. It is believed that assisted hatching can help an embryo implant in the uterus, leading to higher pregnancy rates in some patients.
