Assisted Hatching in Chennai
Assisted hatching is a medical procedure that results in the embryo breaking free from its outer shell so that it can get implanted in the uterus for conceiving. This procedure involves using laser to artificially rupture the embryos outer shell also known as zona pellucida during in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Assisted hatching can slightly improve chances of embryo implantation in women with poor prognosis and previously failed IVF attempts. Usually, the embryo reaches a stage of development known as the blastocyst stage in natural pregnancy when the zona pellucida begins to weaken. The thinning process is spurred on by repeated contracting and expanding of the blastocyst, which alters the elasticity of the zona. When the zona begins to weaken, it results in the embryo to hatch.
Embryos that are unable to hatch will not be able to implant. Multiple studies have observed that natural hatchings in human blastocysts tend to occur close to the inner cell mass. The assisted hatching process involves the process where embryologists use micro manippulation technique under a microscope to create a small hole in the zona pellucida to increase the likelihood of implantation for our IVF patients.
Who should seek assisted hatching with IVF
Assisted hatching results in improving the chances of clinical pregnancy particularly for couples with poor prognosis. Assisted hatching is sometimes is recommended for patients in the following cases-
- Embryos having irregular or thick zona pellucida that may hinder the embryo from breaking out to attach to the uterine lining.
- Where the ovarian reserve is quite limited that is observed during the infertility treatment, in other words the woman’s ovary has fewer embryos than normal and the chances of achieving a pregnancy are low.
- The patient had previous implantation failures and as such the chances of achieving pregnancy may be increased through assisted hatching.
- Woman patient whose age is above 38 years
Types of IVF Assisted Hatching Methods
As of now, there exist three methods for IVF Assisted Hatching methods or techniques such as
- Laser Assisted Hatching
- Acid Tyrode’s Solution
- Partial Zone Dissection (PZD)
Assisted hatching is performed immediately before the embryo transfer. Although the goal of each technique is to weaken or perforate the zona pellucida, the differences in methodology are significant.
Success rates for IVF with Assisted Hatching
Clinical studies had shown that assisted hatching increases the chances of IVF success especially those couples with multiple failed IVF cycles.
It is important to talk to embryologists/fertility doctors at KIC-Chennai to know more about the risks and benefits of assisted hatching.