Reproductive System & Sexual Disorders: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

The Benefit of Nutraceutical Food Supplementation and Antioxidants for the Treatment of the Infertile Couple and in Assisted Reproduction

Frank H Comhaire and Wim Decleer

Varicocele, male accessory gland infection, immunological infertility, and idiopathic oligozoospermia are the main causes of male infertility. Disturbances of ovulation, pelvic inflammatory disease, and endometriosis are common causes of female reproductive failure. The mechanisms by which these causes interfere with male and female reproduction are inflammation through prostaglandins and cytokines, and oxidative overload damaging the cell membrane, inducing mutagenesis of the DNA, and impairing mitochondrial energy production. A unique nutraceutical food supplement (NFS) has been created that aims at correcting these mechanisms and at reducing the influence of detrimental environmental factors. The efficiency of adding this NFS to causal therapy, or in assisted reproduction is expressed as numbers of couples needed to treat (NNT) to obtain one additional pregnancy. When the NFS is added to the treatment of varicocele the NNT is 3. Treating both partners with the NFS resulted in one additional ongoing pregnancy for every 4 IVF treatments.