Types of infertility treatment - Assisted Hatching

The Private Healthcare UK guide to infertility treatment contains articles on infertility and IVF treatment which are aimed at improving your knowledge of treatments for infertility, their benefits and potential risks.

The guide is sponsored by The London Women's Clinic, leading fertility specialists who have been involved in fertility management since 1984.

The London Women's Clinic (LWC) delivers a full range of diagnostic and treatment programmes for fertility disorders  and operate one of the most successful IVF programmes in the world.

The LWC in Harley Street is rated in the top three amongst all UK licensed centres for women aged up to 35 and the HFEA has published the centre specific IVF success rates for the period 1st January – 30th June 2007 showing verified results of 55.7% success.

For more information about The London Women’s Clinic:

The London Women's Clinic London, Harley Street.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7487 5050 E-mail: info@londonwomensclinic.com

In this section

What is assisted hatching?

The most common reason for an IVF or ICSI cycle to fail is because embryos fail to implant.  Before an embryo can implant into the lining of the uterus it must ‘hatch’ out of this shell.  This usually occurs five or six days following fertilisation. 

There are many reasons why successful implantation does not occur.  One of these reasons may be due to the fact that the embryo is unable to ‘hatch’ because the zona pellucida is too thick, or too hard. 

Who could benefit from assisted hatching?

The patients who could benefit from assisted hatching include all patients whose embryos have thickened zonae or hardened zonae.  Patients who may fall into this category include:

•  Women with a high baseline FSH level.  Oocytes from these women are more likely to have thicker or harder zonae.

•  Women who, regardless of age, have had two or more embryo transfers but no implantation.

• Patients whose embryos have a zona pellucida that appears to be thicker than average, as determined by an embryologist during an IVF or ICSI cycle.

•  Women who are undergoing FER (frozen embryo replacement cycles).

In this guide

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