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.