Assisted Hatching and Live Births in First-cycle Frozen Embryo Transfers

Overview

Journal Fertil Steril

Specialty Reproductive Medicine

Date 2017 Sep 3

PMID 28863938

Citations 9

Authors

Jennifer F Knudtson

Courtney M Failor

Jonathan A Gelfond

Martin W Goros

Tiencheng Arthur Chang

Robert S Schenken

Randal D Robinson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of assisted hatching (AH) on live-birth rates in a retrospective cohort of patients undergoing first-cycle, autologous frozen embryo transfer (FET).

Design: Longitudinal cohort using cycles reported to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcomes Reporting System between 2004 and 2013.

Setting: Not applicable.

Patient(s): Women who underwent first-cycle, autologous FET with (n = 70,738) and without (n = 80,795) AH reported from 2004 to 2013.

Intervention(s): None.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Live births.

Result(s): Propensity matching was used to account for confounding covariates, and a logistic regression model was constructed to identify the predictors of live-birth rates in relationship to AH. In all first-cycle FETs, there was a slight but statistically significant decrease in the live-birth rate with AH compared with no AH (34.2% vs. 35.4%). In older patients and in the years 2012-2013 AH was associated with decreased live births. Live-birth rates and the number of AH cycles performed before FET vary by the geographic location of clinics.

Conclusion(s): Assisted hatching slightly decreases the live-birth rate in first-cycle, autologous FET. Its use should be carefully considered, especially in patients 38 years old and older. Prospective, clinical studies are needed to improve our knowledge of the impact of AH.

Citing Articles

Gene expression changes in blastocyst hatching affect embryo implantation success in mice.

An L, Zhang L, Wu Y, Teng Y, Liu Z, Ma M Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025; 13:1496298.

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A multicentre double-blinded randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of laser-assisted hatching in patients with repeated implantation failure undergoing IVF or ICSI.

Curfs M, Cohlen B, Slappendel E, Schoot D, Derhaag J, van Golde R Hum Reprod. 2023; 38(10):1952-1960.

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Laser-assisted hatching improves pregnancy outcomes in frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles of cleavage-stage embryos: a large retrospective cohort study with propensity score matching.

Wei C, Xiang S, Liu D, Wang C, Liang X, Wu H J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023; 40(2):417-427.

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Peri-implantation glucocorticoid administration for assisted reproductive technology cycles.

Boomsma C, Kamath M, Keay S, Macklon N Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022; 6:CD005996.

PMID: 35771604 PMC: 9245898. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005996.pub4.

The Current Practice of Assisted Hatching for Embryos in Fertility Centres: a General Survey.

Liu Y, Jones C, Coward K Reprod Sci. 2022; 29(9):2664-2673.

PMID: 35411451 PMC: 9444829. DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-00931-0.

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