Assisted hatching

By assisted hatching, we mean the creation of a small hole in the transparent zone of the fetus with the help of a laser, in order to facilitate its implantation in the uterus.
The procedure is carried out before the embryo transfer.

Whether the embryos are transported on the third or on the fifth day, for the implantation to take place and therefore the pregnancy, the embryos must hatch by breaking down the embryo shell (Zona pellucida), so that the cells of the embryos to come directly into contact with the cells that cover the internal uterus.

Some studies have shown that one possible reason for the failure of embryos to implant after IVF may be the inability of embryos to complete this hatching process. It is possible to assist this hatching process in the laboratory by using a laser to drill a small hole in the transparent zone of the fetus. This process is known as assisted hatching.

The technique is usually applied in the following selected cases:
• Couples with a history of recurrent implantation failures
• Couples in advanced maternal age
• Couples in the embryos of which have been observed by our experienced embryological group, thickening of the zone.

Ioannis A. Sklavounos MD MSC DFFP
Obstetrician Surgeon Gynecologist
Specialists & Retrained in Great Britain
T.Senior Clinical Fellow – Liverpool Woman’s Hospital UK

IVF

Fertility & IVF Center in Maroussi

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