What is assisted hatching?
Assisted hatching is a laboratory procedure designed to facilitate implantation or attachment of the dividing embryos to the wall of the uterus. In order for implantation and pregnancy to occur, the embryo must “hatch” out of the zona pellucida (the egg’s outermost membrane). In some patients, failure to establish a pregnancy after IVF may be related to the inability of the embryos to get out of the zona. On the day of transfer, a small opening is created in the zona pellucida under microscopic control, thus aiding the hatching process.
Some women have egg shells (zona pellucida) which are hard and which may prevent the developing embryo from hatching and implanting in the uterus. In order to assist in hatching, an opening is made in the shell of the egg. This can be done either mechanically, optically (laser) or chemically (acid). In ICSI cases, the egg shell has already been weakened by the insertion of the sperm injecting pipette. In theory, this would allow hatching to occur more easily.
A. Assisted hatching is a laboratory procedure designed to facilitate implantation or attachment of the dividing embryos to the wall of the uterus. In order for implantation and pregnancy to occur, the embryo must “hatch” out of the zona pellucida (the egg’s outermost membrane). In some patients, failure to establish a pregnancy after IVF may be related to the inability of the embryos to get out of the zona. On the day of transfer, a small opening is created in the zona pellucida under microscopic control, thus aiding the hatching process.
A. Assisted hatching [AZH] is a form of embryo micro manipulation that involves the creation of an opening in the outer covering called zona pellucid of the embryo. The procedure helps a normal, growing embryo hatch from the covering and implant in the uterus. This procedure increases the implantation rate. This thinning of zona can be done by three different ways chemical hatching, mechanical hatching and the latest is with diode laser technique.
Assisted hatching (AH) may help couples who have had many attempts at assisted reproductive procedures without success. It is a technique which helps the embryo implant in the endometrium. Embryo implantation is one of the greatest barriers to success in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycles. When embryos are replaced into the woman’s uterus, they are covered by an outer coating called the Zona Pellucida. Once the embryo is in the uterus, this “shell” must dissolve in order for the embryo to be able to “hatch”, a necessary step for implantation. In certain situations, this step is less likely to naturally occur: in women 38 years and older, women with elevated serum FSH levels, and women who have failed to achieve a pregnancy in a prior IVF cycle) and in patients with AH, a microscopic glass tube is used to make a small defect in the zona using a very small amount of acid solution to dissolve the outer coating of the embryo. Nowadays this hole is created with the use of a laser beam.Babi
