Image by Matthew Henry
Assisted hatching is a laboratory procedure that is sometimes performed along with in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.
The hope is that assisted hatching might help the embryo expand, implant into the uterine wall, and finally lead to a pregnancy.
During assisted hatching, the outer shell of the embryo is artificially weakened by making a small hole in the zona pellucida.
Assisted hatching may help improve pregnancy chances in women who have failed to get pregnant in previous IVF cycles and those with a poor prognosis (who are not likely to conceive).
If you had PGT performed on your embryos, they were hatched before being biopsied. However, they may be hatched again with the laser after the embryo is thawed.
