assisted hatching

noun

as·​sist·​ed hatching

ə-ˌsis-təd-

: a technique for assisting reproduction in cases of infertility that involves manipulating (as by creating a small opening in) the zona pellucida of a fertilized egg usually a few days after in vitro fertilization to facilitate its implantation in the uterine endometrium

Assisted hatching involves the disruption of the zona pellucida before the embryo transfer to potentially enhance implantation.

—Beth A. Malizia et al., The New England Journal of Medicine