Assisted Hatching
Assisted hatching is a laboratory technique which helps IVF or ICSI-created embryos to hatch, by creating a small hole in the zona pellucida using a drop of a chemical called Acid Tyrode. The embryo can then ‘hatch out’ through the hole when it reaches the appropriate stage of development. The procedure is carried out by an embryologist just before the embryo transfer.
Is assisted hatching suitable for every patient having IVF or ICSI?
Assisted hatching has been used in clinics worldwide for several years and many babies have been born after its application. However, no conclusive laboratory-controlled test results are currently available to support generalised assisted hatching for all patients and so NICE does not recommend it as a standard procedure. But limited evidence suggests that it may improve the chance of pregnancy for the following:
- women with three or more failed embryo transfers
- women over the age of 38
- women with a high baseline FSH level
- women whose embryos have an unusually thick zona pellucida
MFS carefully assesses the possible benefits of assisted hatching for each patient before considering the process as part of any treatment plan. The possible use of the procedure is discussed with the patient in advance of the embryo transfers and consent must be given for an embryologist to use assisted hatching.
Are there any risks of assisted hatching?
Only the embryos that are to be replaced will undergo assisted hatching. There is a very small risk that one or more of the cells within the embryo may be damaged during the procedure, although this may not prevent the continued development of the embryo. There is a tiny risk that the whole embryo may be damaged by the procedure in which case another embryo maybe selected. The experience of the MFS embryologists over the years has shown that the damage rate is almost negligible.
Several follow-up studies have been carried out worldwide and show no increase in the risk of abnormalities on children born from assisted hatching embryos. Any long-term abnormalities are currently unknown.
Costs
Cost of assisted hatching: There is no charge for this procedure as part of IVF and ICSI treatment at MFS
More information
Go to the MFS Patient Treatment Information page and download the following infosheets:
- Assisted Hatching
- Embryo Transfer Policy and eSET
- IVF: In Vitro Fertilisation
- ICSI: Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Retrieval