Infertility can be caused by a variety of factors, however, more patients hav been dealing with a diagnosis of 'Idiopathic Infertility,' meaning the cause for the issue is unknown. Even after various tests, ultrasounds, genetic screening some patients are left in the dark about why their sperm parameters are much lower than the healthy average.
An underlying cause that continues to get more attention for affecting poor sperm health is elevated oxidative stress. Sperm cells in particular are quite vulnerable to this form of chemical stress as they do not contain any intracellular antioxidants to combat it. And the antioxidants in the seminal fluid can be affected for a number of reasons.
A new clinical trial was published in the scientific journal Andrologia in February 2022. They evaluated 178 patients who had unexplained oligoasthenospermia (low sperm concentration and motility) and the effect of a potent antioxidant on sperm parameters and fertility outcomes. They gave the patients 200 mg of CoQ10 per day for a duration of 6 months.
How does CoQ10 affect Sperm Parameters?
After the 6 month intervention they found that sperm concentration and motility had improved, as well as less damage to the sperm DNA was observed.
Pregnancy rate after treatment with CoQ10:
The pregnancy rate was approximately 24.2% in the treatment follow-up period (which was 18 months). This was still significantly lower when compared to patients that had healthy sperm parameters (motility and concentration) at the start of the trial.
Factors that increased chances of pregnancy:
Patients that had higher sperm concentration, sperm motility, and measured levels of CoQ10 after 6 months of treatment with the antioxidant predicted a higher chance of pregnancy during the study period.
The researchers concluded that treatment with antioxidants, such as CoQ10, may be of clinical benefit for patients dealing with idiopathic/unexplained oligoasthenospermia. However, since the trial size was small, more studies are needed to verify efficacy and optimal dose for patients.
Reference:
Alahmar, A. T., & Naemi, R. (2022). Predictors of pregnancy and time to pregnancy in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia pre‐ and post‐coenzyme Q10 therapy. Andrologia.