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Male factor infertility

Coenzyme Q10 improves semen quality and pregnancy rate

Nature Reviews Urology volume 9, page 2 (2012)Cite this article

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Dietary supplementation with coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) improves semen parameters in men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, owing to a role in reducing oxidative stress. Now new data published in International Urology and Nephrology show that this improvement in sperm quality is translated into an increase in pregnancy and live birth rate.

Sperm cells are able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are removed by the cells' antioxidative systems. However, when the creation of ROS overwhelms these systems, the resulting oxidative stress can be a causative factor for male factor infertility. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and glutathione have been tested for efficacy in treating male factor infertility, and previous studies have shown that coQ10, which is an essential carrier in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, improves sperm motility. “CoQ10–or ubiquinone–an isoprenylated benzoquinone that transports electrons from complexes I and II to complex III in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, is essential for the stability of complex III,” explains the study author Mohammad Reza Safarinejad.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Safarinejad, M. R. The effect of coenzyme Q(10) supplementation on partner pregnancy rate in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia: an open-label prospective study. Int. Urol. Nephrol. doi:10.1007/s11255-001-0081-0

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  1. Annette Fenner
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Fenner, A. Coenzyme Q10 improves semen quality and pregnancy rate. Nat Rev Urol 9, 2 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2011.203

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2011.203

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