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Assisted hatching ( AH ) is a micromanipulative procedure
that involves the placement of a small opening in the membrane ( zona
pellucida ) that surrounds the dividing human embryo. 
The AH procedure is performed about 18
hours before the embryo/s are transferred back to the uterus when they
are between the four - to - ten cell stage of development. Some investigators
have reported in the scientific literature that performing AH increases
the rate of implantation and possibly the pregnancy rate for certain patients
undergoing in vitro fertilization. Types of patients
who may request / require the AH procedure include:
- patients of advanced maternal age ( > 40 years
),
- patients who have frequently failed to achieve a
pregnancy following IVF,
- patients with embryos who have thick zona pellucidae,
and
- patients with elevated
Day - 3 FSH values.
Risks of the procedure to the patient could include
the following:
- damage to the embryo by the procedure so that all
or some of the cells are destroyed.
- damage to or loss of the embryo
during the transfer procedure, and / or
- potentially a higher incidence of monozygotic (
identical ) twins and / or conjoined ( Siamese ) twins after the AH
procedure. The incidence of this occurring should be extremely low.
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Phone
800-515-6637 or 757-446-7100