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The Effect of Dietary Supplements on Male Infertility in Terms of Pregnancy, Live Birth, and Sperm Parameters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mette Peters Michaelsen, Michelle Poulsen, Anne Ahrendt Bjerregaard, Maria Borgstrøm, Lotte Kraglund Poulsen, Maria Bach Chortsen, Sahra Gatten Henriksen, Ulrik Schiøler Kesmodel
Nutrients 2025 17(10):1710

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 40431450
PubMed Central
PMC12113742
DOI
10.3390/nu17101710
Funding
North Denmark Region Health Science Research Fund (2023-0054), Department of Clinical Medicine at Aalborg University, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Aalborg University Hospital.
Competing interests
Ulrik Schiøler Kesmodel reported outside-work funding from Gedeon Richter Nordic and Merck, plus honoraria/travel from Merck; the other authors reported no declared conflicts.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of 50 placebo-controlled randomized trials lasting at least 12 weeks
ModelHuman; infertile men receiving dietary supplements
Sample
InterventionMultiple dietary supplements, including CoQ10, compared with placebo.
DurationAt least 12 weeks per eligibility criteria.
EndpointsPregnancy; Live birth; Sperm concentration; Sperm motility; Sperm morphology

What the study showed, in plain terms

This 2025 review examined 50 placebo-controlled randomized trials of supplements for male infertility. Across dietary supplements as a whole, the authors did not find convincing evidence of improved pregnancy or live birth. Some supplement-specific semen outcomes improved, including motility signals in CoQ10 studies, but certainty was generally low or very low.

Key findings

Fifty placebo-controlled randomized trials were included. Dietary supplements as a group did not produce a clear pooled improvement in pregnancy or live birth. Individual supplements showed some sperm-parameter signals, including CoQ10-related motility findings.

What this study can and cannot tell us

This was a broad supplement review rather than a CoQ10-only meta-analysis. Trials varied substantially by ingredient, dose, population, and methods. Most studies had some or high risk of bias, and certainty was low or very low for many clinically important outcomes.

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Evaluation of monotherapy of Coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine or combined therapy on semen parameters in idiopathic male infertility: A placebo-controlled double blind randomized clinical trial
Ahmed Higazy et al. · Arab Journal of Urology · 2025

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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