Human oocytes and embryos are protected by an outer glycoprotein layer which surrounds them completely. This ‘shell’ is known as the Zona Pellucida. The process of hatching involves breakage of the zona pellucida at a particular location and the subsequent emergence of the blastocyst from the shell. Only after hatching can the embryo implant itself into the endometrial layer of the uterus.

Due to various reasons, this zona pellucida can harden or thicken. In such cases, the process of hatching might be incomplete or it might fail completely. This may result in implantation failure making any subsequent pregnancy impossible.

The IVF labs at Ridge IVF are equipped with state of the art Assisted Hatching technology. The procedure involves shooting a selected portion of the zona with controlled laser pulses. The energy contained in these pulses ablates a section of the zona, thereby making it easier for the embryo to hatch and implant. This significantly increases the chances of a successful pregnancy.

The process of Laser Assisted Hatching is quite fast and is extremely safe compared to other assisted hatching technologies on the market such as zona drilling or the use of harmful chemicals to digest a section of the zona. The disturbance to the embryos is minimal. Our experienced team of highly skilled scientists use the latest software to precisely control this sophisticated process and deliver optimal results.

Indications for Assisted Hatching

1. Advanced maternal age (particularly women over 35 years of age).
2. Patients having embryos with thickened zona pellucida (>15 microns thickness)
3. Patients with poor quality embryos.
4. Patients with previously failed IVF cycles.
5. Patients undergoing transfer with frozen-thawed embryos.

References

1. Wan et al. Laser-assisted hatching improves clinical outcomes of vitrified–warmed blastocysts developed from low-grade cleavage-stage embryos: a prospective randomized study. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 2014.
2. Ryu et al. Assisted hatching close to inner cell mass (ICM) increases clinical outcomes of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles in unexplained or refractory repeated implantation failure patients. Fertility and Sterility, 2014.