Normally embryos are transferred into the uterus three days after your retrieval. At this point, the embryos consist of six to eight cells. After the transfer, the embryo must continue to develop to a blastocyst (about 100+ cells) before implantation can occur; this usually takes several days. Immediately before implantation, the blastocyst must “hatch” from the zona coating which originally enveloped the oocyte (think of this as the egg shell). To assist in the hatching process, the embryologists Ken or Antoinette will micromanipulate the embryos immediately before your embryo transfer. This involves creating an opening in the zona coating with a dilute acid solution under the microscope. This “weak” spot in the zona allows the embryo to hatch out of the egg shell at the appropriate time. There is a small risk of damage to the embryos from this procedure.

 Bellingham IVF only performs assisted hatching on selected patients that have shown difficulty with implantation in the past or those that show signs of a thickened zona, due to the risk of damage to the embryo.