Food supplements and fertility

February 12, 2012

It is generally known that factors such as body weight, stress, nicotine, caffeine and drugs have an impact on sperm quality. The quality of the diet also has an impact on sperm quality, egg cell quality, pregnancy rate, abortion rate and miscarriage rate. The latter, for example, is significantly reduced with the addition of folic acid. In various studies it has been shown that regular intake of folic acid can significantly reduce the risk of so-called neural tube defects in the fetus.

Whether the additional intake of dietary supplements (NEM) has a positive impact on factors such as pregnancy and abortion rates was demonstrated in a recent pilot study.

58 women who were classified as having a healthy diet based on their dietary habits, medium to good socio-economic status, were divided into 2 groups.

Women in the first group took a NEM specifically designed to address the pre-conception needs of women; women in the second group only took folic acid.

The NEM (Pregnacare Conception) contains various B vitamins, vitamins A, C, D, E and K, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, etc. (To my knowledge, the only dietary supplement in Germany that is similar to it is Orthomol Natal).

In all the women, there were cases of anovulatory cycles, which made stimulation therapy necessary.

Women with additional limitations such as endometriosis, problems with the fallopian tubes, smokers, and women whose male partners had spermogramming limitations were excluded.

The intake of the funds began 4 weeks before the first treatment

Results

• No significant differences were found in the various female hormones, the small blood count, liver values, etc. in either group.
• The cumulative pregnancy rate (SRR) after 3 cycles was 69% in the NEM group, compared to 40.7% in the other group.
• The „ongoing pregnancy rate“ in the NEM group was 60%, in the folic acid group 25%.
• Abortion rates and the rate of ectopic pregnancies were similar in both groups.
• The women in the NEM group required fewer cycles on average than the women in the folic acid group.

It can therefore be concluded from this pilot study that women with fertility issues who supplement their diet with special nutritional supplements have a higher chance of conceiving a child than women who only take folic acid.

SourceRina Agrawal, Elisabeth Burt and others, University College London, The Royal Free Hospital Medical School and others, RBM Online, Vol. 24, No.1, January 2012