Tier 2 — strong

Does coenzyme Q10 supplementation improve fertility outcomes in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

Panagiota Florou, Panagiotis Anagnostis, Patroklos Theocharis, Michail Chourdakis, Dimitrios G Goulis
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 2020 37(10):2377-2387

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 32767206
PubMed Central
PMC7550497
DOI
10.1007/s10815-020-01906-3
Funding
No dedicated funding statement was identified in the accessible article record.
Competing interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials; PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane and Scopus searched from inception through March 2020.
ModelWomen with infertility undergoing assisted reproductive technology, including poor ovarian response and PCOS populations.
Sample5 RCTs; 449 women: 215 CoQ10 and 234 placebo/no-treatment controls.
InterventionOral CoQ10 versus placebo or no treatment; doses and pretreatment durations varied substantially across trials.
DurationVaried across included trials; pretreatment ranged from weeks to months before ART.
EndpointsClinical pregnancy rate; Live birth rate; Miscarriage rate

What the study showed, in plain terms

This meta-analysis pooled five randomized trials involving 449 women undergoing assisted reproduction and focused on clinical pregnancy, live birth and miscarriage.

Clinical pregnancy occurred in 28.8% of women receiving CoQ10 versus 14.1% of controls: OR 2.44 (95% CI 1.30–4.59; p=0.006; I²=32%). The signal remained when poor-ovarian-response and PCOS populations were considered separately.

Live birth was not significantly different (OR 1.67, 95% CI 0.66–4.25; p=0.28; I²=34%), and miscarriage was also not significantly different (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.13–2.81; p=0.52; I²=0%). The evidence therefore supports a possible clinical-pregnancy benefit but does not establish that CoQ10 increases live birth.

Key findings

  • Clinical pregnancy: 28.8% CoQ10 vs 14.1% control; OR 2.44 (95% CI 1.30–4.59), p=0.006, I²=32%.
  • Live birth: OR 1.67 (95% CI 0.66–4.25), p=0.28, I²=34% — not statistically significant.
  • Miscarriage: OR 0.61 (95% CI 0.13–2.81), p=0.52, I²=0% — not statistically significant.
  • The live-birth confidence interval was wide, reflecting substantial uncertainty despite a favorable point estimate.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Only five small RCTs and 449 women were available.
  • Populations, CoQ10 doses, pretreatment durations and comparator conditions varied.
  • The statistically significant endpoint was clinical pregnancy; live-birth evidence remained inconclusive and should not be replaced by the pregnancy-rate result.
  • The pooled result does not establish benefit for spontaneous conception outside ART.

Citation network

Articles citing this research paper

6 articles

Biohack Blueprint analyses that reference this study in their evidence base.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology