Is laser-assisted hatching better than mechanical method for enhancing pregnancy rate in frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles?

Abstract

Is laser-assisted hatching better than mechanical method for enhancing pregnancy rate in frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles? Y. J. Lee1, S. C. Kim1, J. K. Joo1, H. G. Kim1, G. R. Ko2, C. W. Kim3, K. S. Lee1 1Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan 2Infertility Center, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan 3Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon (Korea) Summary Objective: To investigate the effect of laser-assisted hatching (LAH) compared with mechanical-assisted hatching (MAH) for en- hancing clinical outcomes in frozen-thawed blastocysts (FTBs) transfer cycles. Materials and Methods: The culture of all pronucleate embryos to the blastocyst stage and the selection of blastocysts ≥ grade 3BB (Gardner and Schooleraft score), followed by FTBs trans- fer cycles with LAH (n=105) or with MAH (n=101). Clinical outcomes including clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates were investi- gated. Results: There were no significant differences in clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates between LAH and MAH groups in FTBs transfer cycles. Conclusion: LAH does not improve pregnancy outcomes significantly compared to MAH in FTBs transfer cycles. Key words: Laser-assisted hatching; Mechanical-assisted hatching; Frozen-thawed blastocyst.