The use of Co Q10 to improve the outcome of Vancouver infertility treatment in older patients

The use of Co Q10 to improve the outcome of Vancouver infertility treatment in older patients



We wanted to share this paper published in the prestigious journal of Fertility Sterility 2010;93:272–5. Ó2010.  They hypothesize that dietary supplementation of mitochondrial nutrients, in particular Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10) may improve the availability of mitochondrial energy production for the maturing oocyte and developing embryo, thereby reducing the rate of chromosomal nondisjunction and improving implantation in older infertile patients
 

We have been recommending Co Q10 since 2007 for our Vancouver fertility patients along with acupuncture and herbs.  There are many natural options available to couples with either male and/or female fertility.  Ask your Acubalance practitioner what is the ideal dosage of Co Q10 for you.

"…….One study has looked into the effect of CoQ10 as a supplement for the in vitro culture of bovine embryos and found a significantly higher rate of early embryo cleavage, blastocyst formation rate, hatching rate, percentage of expanding blastocysts, and a larger size of the inner cell mass (ICM). In addition, there was an in- creased ATP content in the group of embryos cultured with CoQ10. All of those parameters suggest better quality embryos."

"……In conclusion, we have presented evidence for mitochondrial involvement in age-related changes in the oocyte. In light of the prior literature and our preliminary animal data, we believe that supplementing the diets of older women with mitochondrial nutrients may result in an improvement of oocyte and embryo quality, and subsequently, better pregnancy outcome. By in- creasing energy for chromosomal disjunction, this intervention may be able to reduce the risk of trisomy and other types of chromosomal aneuploidies related to oocyte aging. In addition, increased mitochondrial energy production may improve embryo cleavage and reduce cytoplasmic fragmentation. Mitochondrial nutrients are naturally occurring vitamins that have been used successfully to treat conditions associated with diminished energy production from mitochondria, and appear to be very safe in the doses studied. We believe that a clinical trial looking at the role of CoQ10 supplementation as a way to improve oocyte and embryo quality is worthwhile and hence we have initiated a randomized placebo-controlled study to test the validity of this hypothesis in older women undergoing fertility treatments."

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