The Concept
Human eggs and embryos present a shell, called “zona pellucida” (ZP) that protects the embryo during the development. The hatching of the embryo from the ZP during the blastocyst stage is a necessary process for the subsequent implantation into the uterus.
Difficulties of the blastocyst to hatch out of the zona pellucida may lead to implantation failure making impossible to get a pregnancy. These biomechanical problems can be due to an increase in the thickness of the zona pellucida which, in turn, is usually associated with patient age.
Assisted Hatching (AH) is an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique where a hole or a thinning is made in the ZP of cleavage embryos (embryos on day 2 or 3 of development) with the aim of facilitating the escape of the blastocyst (day 5 or 6 of development) from its outer coat and hence the implantation into the uterus. Though this process does not improve the quality of the embryo, it may significantly increase the chances of pregnancy in selected patient groups undergoing IVF.
Our laboratories offer AH by using the latest technology available based on the energy released by laser pulses that can dissolve the zona pellucida of the embryo. This technique is safe and quick minimizing the disturbance of the embryo during the procedure.
Laser AH represents the safest technology available in the market for this procedure since prevents the exposure of the embryos to potentially harmful chemicals or mechanical injuries and decrease drastically the time of the procedure minimizing the embryo culture conditions.