Assisted Hatching

Overview

Assisted hatching is a laboratory process that is occasionally performed in conjunction with IVF therapy. IVF involves combining eggs and sperm in a laboratory (rather than within a woman's body as in spontaneous conception). When a sperm successfully penetrates an egg, it is deemed fertilized. The fertilized eggs are watched for 3 to 6 days as they divide and mature into embryos during IVF.

The best embryo is then transferred into the woman's uterus in the hopes of assisting her in becoming pregnant, or it is frozen for future use. The embryo is enveloped by cells that form a protective shell as it grows (zona pellucida).

As the embryo grows, it spontaneously breaks free from this shell. Occasionally, the doctor may instruct the laboratory to develop a small "crack" in the embryo's outer shell just before it is implanted into the woman's body (assisted hatching). The goal is that aided hatching will allow the embryo to grow, implant into the uterine wall, and eventually result in a pregnancy.