What is assisted hatching ?

Some studies have suggested that a possible reason for the failure of implantation following IVF treatment may be the inability of the embryo to undergo this hatching process. This may be due to the zona pellucida (the outer wall of the embryo) being thicker or harder than normal. Assisted hatching is a laboratory procedure first developed in 1990. It is designed to assist in the hatching process, where a small hole is drilled into the zona of the embryo. This used to be achieved by localised exposure of the zona to an acidified enzyme solution. Nowadays a precise laser beam is used to make a precision opening of the required size. The procedure does not have any adverse effect on the embryos themselves