Laser Technology-A better way to assist hatching?
Patients who have experienced repeated failure of IVF or ICSI cycles may be helped in future cycles by assisted hatching techniques. Barbara Ray describes a technique that is available in the Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Bristol.

The frustration experienced by couples after repeated failure of their embryos to implant following IVF or ICSI treatment usually leaves a feeling of 'what else can we possibly do to achieve a pregnancy'? Recent evidence suggests that the use of laser technology may be of some assistance to couples in this circumstance. The technique is called ‘assisted hatching’.

Assisted hatching of the outer coat of embryos, properly known as the zona pellucida, prior to replacement of the embryos in the uterus has been used for some time to facilitate implantation. Although the zona pellucida is a vital part of the egg and the embryo at early stages of development, it thins and eventually breaks down at later stages in order to allow the inner cells of the embryo to implant in the uterus.

It is possible that the reduced implantation rate experienced by older women, women with repeated implantation failure, and women whose eggs have thicker than average zonae, may in part be caused by a failure of the zona to break down and allow implantation. Laser technology is used to facilitate this process. Previous techniques for assisted hatching have involved either the use of an acid solution to make a small hole in the zona, or physical abrasion, although these techniques carry the possible risk of damage to the embryo. Because of its accuracy and reliability, the new laser technique is much safer to use.

The Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Bristol is one of the few clinics in the United Kingdom to use a laser system for assisted hatching. The results in our clinic since introducing this technique have been encouraging, showing increased pregnancy rates in older patients and those with repeated implantation failure consistent with published studies.

See demonstration of this technique ...
 

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