Objective: systematic review to determine the role of assisted hatching in the IVF cycles. Materials and methods. We searched the MEDLINE base (2005 to February 2016) and included all articles related to the question. Results. Possible mechanisms and efficiency of assisted hatching in embryo implantation are described below as well as possible factors that influence the efficiency of spontaneous hatching. Conclusions. The included trials provided insufficient data to investigate the role of different types of the assisted hatching in clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate and development of multiple gestations.