Blastocyst Culture

Blastocyst culture refers to growing the embryos in the laboratory for two more days at which point they are referred to as blastocyst embryos. Blastocysttransfer simply means that the blastocyst embryos are transferred to the woman's uterus on day 5 in exactly the same way that day 3 embryos.
So blastocyst is considered to have great chance of pregnancy. The 5 or 6 day blastocyst is advanced structure than the 3 day old embryo and the real advantage of transferring blastocysts is the high live birth rate associated with blastocyst transfer.

Assisted Hatching

Assisted hatching is a procedure where we can help the embryo “hatch” from its “shell” by creating a small crack in the zona pellucida. It is believed that assisted hatching can help an embryo implant in the uterus, leading to higher pregnancy rates in some patients.
As the embryo develops, it is surrounded by cells that form a protective coating (zona pellucida). The embryo breaks naturally from this shell as it grows. Occasionally, the doctor may ask the lab to make a small “slit” in the outer covering of the embryo just before it is placed on the woman’s body (assisted hatching). The hope is that assisted hatching may help the embryo to expand, implant itself in the uterine wall and eventually lead to pregnancy

Procedure to performed assisted hatching

Assisted hatching is generally performed on the third day of embryo development. The embryologists use a laser to create a very small hole in the zona pellucida. Assisted hatching can also be done on previously frozen and thawed embryos

Hatching can cause problems with my embryo or my pregnancy

assisted hatching can damage the embryo, making it unusable. The risk for identical twins might be slightly increased when assisted hatching is applied.
Drugs such as antibiotics and steroid hormones are sometimes prescribed around the day of assisted incubation and embryo transfer. Uncommonly, undesirable effects may occur from the use of these drugs.

Benefit from assisted hatching

Assisted hatching might help improve pregnancy chances for certain groups of patients. Assisted hatching may help improve pregnancy chances in women who have failed to get pregnant in previous IVF cycles and those with a poor prognosis (who are not likely to conceive).