In the course of IVF, sperm and eggs are combined in a lab environment, and the developing embryos are watched over for three to six days. Pregnancy results from the embryo’s natural breaking through of this shell. The embryo must hatch and implant in order for pregnancy to occur, and laser-assisted hatching can play a significant role in attaining these essential processes.

A scientific IVF procedure called laser-assisted hatching can facilitate the embryo’s “hatching,” or breaking through of its outer layer or “shell,” a membrane also known as the zona pellucida. This layer can occasionally become abnormally thick and/or rigid due to the freezing and thawing process, among other things. The easier it is for the embryo to hatch, the better. The embryo’s chances of attaching to or implanting into the uterine wall are improved by how easily it hatches.

Under a microscope, an embryologist performs a method in which a brief, powerful light beam is used to crack open the embryo’s shell. This is often done during an IVF or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI treatment) cycle three days following fertilization when the embryo has started to cleave (divide). It merely takes a few seconds and has no negative effects on the embryo. The embryo is then put back into the woman’s uterus where it can connect to the lining and continue to develop.