Assisted hatching is a useful new technique designed to aid in the IVF (in vitro fertilization) process. This process helps women who otherwise have certain fertility problems to become pregnant. IVF is the process of fertilizing the egg with sperm outside of the womb, then transplanting the fertilized egg to the woman's body for continued growth and development. Assisted hatching helps the process along one step further by aiding the embryo in hatching out of its protective layer and attaching to the uterine wall. Read on for information about the success rates of this procedure and whom it is appropriate for.
Success Rates of Assisted Hatching
Assisted hatching is a highly successful procedure, provided that it's performed on women who fit the ideal requirements. When performed correctly and with the right woman, the procedure can result in successful pregnancies roughly half of the time. The exact study that calculated the success rate named it at 49 percent.
Who Should Consider Assisted Hatching?
Assisted hatching is best used for women who are over the age of 37. As a woman's body becomes older, it becomes more and more difficult for the embryo that she's carrying to successfully hatch on its own and implant in the uterus. Thus, older women are better assisted by this process. Success rates as shown above are for women between the ages of 35 and 39; the rates of pregnancy drop considerably for women older than 40 years old.
Other factors that may help to contribute to the decision to pursue an assisted hatching procedure include thick zona pellicuda for the embryo (the zona pellicuda is the protective layering that the embryo must "hatch" from before it can attach to the uterine wall), failed IVF procedures in the past and more. Speak with a fertility doctor if you meet any one or more of these requirements.
Risks of Assisted Hatching
One interesting effect of assisted hatching is that it dramatically increases the odds of having identical twin children. This is not a risk, per se, but it may be a consideration for some couples, so it's good to be aware of the increased possibility of this otherwise rare occurrence.
There are other risks associated with the procedure, some of which effect the mother and some of which target the embryo. The embryo maybe damaged or deformed by the procedure, while the mother may experience increases in blood pressure, nausea, infection and more. In some cases, conjoined twins are the result of assisted hatching as well.
Assisted hatching is a relatively new procedure. As such, it tends to be quite expensive. It is also difficult and time consuming to perform, meaning that it may be difficult to find a doctor. Still, if you fall into the category of women for whom the operation may be a success, you'll find that assisted hatching can significantly help improve the odds that you'll become pregnant.
