Can anti-oxidants help improve your IVF outcome?

Question

Oxidative stress (OS) is a known factor impacting our fertility. I'm wondering if anti-oxidants help improve your IVF outcome? Do they really help or is it just placebo? #anti-oxidants #fertilitysupplements #IVF

Ariana · Answer

Yes, according to a study of over 2500 people: Melatonin was found to be the most effective, showing significant improvements across all reproductive metrics. Coenzyme Q10 proved highly beneficial, especially for male fertility parameters. Myo-Inositol had great potential for improving oocyte quality and overall fertilization rates. Vitamin E and Vitamin C displayed moderate benefits, especially when combined with other antioxidants. NAC worked well as a supportive supplement that had beneficial effects on oxidative stress markers.

URWV6382 · Answer

The research around antioxidants in IVF is honestly pretty mixed, but there is growing interest in it, especially for people dealing with poor egg quality, sperm DNA fragmentation, or oxidative stress.

Things like CoQ10, melatonin, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium etc. keep coming up in fertility discussions because oxidative stress can damage both eggs and sperm over time.

What I found interesting is that some studies showed improvements in embryo quality or fertilisation rates, but that doesn’t always translate into higher live birth rates. So clinics vary a lot in how strongly they recommend supplements.

Also, “more antioxidants = better” isn’t necessarily true. High doses without guidance can backfire since the body actually needs a balance between oxidation and anti-oxidation processes.

A lot of fertility doctors seem to use antioxidants more as a supportive add-on rather than a guaranteed IVF booster. Lifestyle factors like smoking, sleep, obesity, alcohol, inflammation etc. probably matter just as much as supplements.

ZCJE0513 · Answer

I read this really interesting IVF study looked at women over 39 and found that the fluid surrounding their eggs showed significantly higher levels of oxidative stress. So it's cellular “wear and tear” that can damage mitochondria and affect egg quality.

One group of women in the study was given a combination of antioxidants and micronutrients like CoQ10, vitamins, omega-3s, minerals, etc. for about 3 months before IVF. Compared to the control group, these women showed:

lower oxidative stress around the eggs,
healthier mitochondrial activity in the supporting ovarian cells,
and a follicular environment that appeared biologically “younger.”

However, the study did not prove huge improvements in pregnancy or live birth rates since the sample size was relatively small.

But the right supplements I think can improve mitochondrial decline and oxidative damage caused by ovarian ageing.

My take? Antioxidants don't necessarily cure infertility but they do improve the cellular environment around eggs.

Besides, even if there's the smallest chance of improving your fertility outcomes with some harmless supplements, why not load 'em up?