Received January 01, 2013
Accepted June 20, 2013

Objective: This study aimed review papers that cover the birefringence of the zona pellucid. Materials and methods: Bibliographic in scientific journals such as Fertility Sterility, Human Reproduction, Reproductive BioMedicine Online, Revista Brasileira de Análises Clínicas, Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, the manual of procedures of the RedLatinoamericana de Reproducción Asistida, among others. The change of date search in the selected articles was ten years (2001-2011). Literature Review: Efforts to identify reliable parameters for the assessment of oocyte quality is a priority for the implementation of the Assisted Human Reproduction techniques. The birefringence of the zona pellucid is being studied to identify the oocyte with the greatest development potential to become an embryo with the greatest chances of development, and the inner layer is the one that can be proposed as a marker of oocyte quality. Discussion: Some oocytes researchers concluded that high birefringence has a greater chance of fertilization and the birefringence of the zona pellucid decreases as the phases of oocyte maturation occur. Conclusion: This review showed a possible potential benefit of polarized light in the evaluation of the birefringence birefringence of the zona pellucida, and therefore may be used as predictor of oocyte quality.