Assisted hatching involves thinning or making an opening in the shell (zona pellucida), which surrounds the embryo (fertilised egg). This treatment is done in order to help the embryos hatch out of the shell and improve their likelihood of implanting in the uterus.
Assisted hatching requires embryos to survive and divide to day three of development when they have reached between the six to eight cell stage.
Results of this treatment suggest it is more likely to make a difference in:
-
Older women or those in whom the outer shell of the eggs appears to be thicker and
-
Couples who have not had implantation despite good quality embryos being transferred more than once.