Coenzyme Q10 May Help Treat Male Infertility

Physicians may want to add CoenzymeQ10 to their treatment of infertile men who have a condition known as idiopathic asthenozoospermia—the loss or reduction of sperm motility in semen.

The pilot study, which appeared in the January 2004 Fertility and Sterility, examined the effects of Coenzyme Q10 on 22 men, age 25 to 39, with idiopathic asthenozoospermia. In the six-month study, the subjects consumed 200 mg of CoQ10 twice daily. After treatment, CoQ10 levels significantly increased in seminal plasma. In addition, CoenymeQ10 levels in sperm cells significantly increased. Furthermore, phosphatidylcholine levels rose significantly in both seminal plasma and sperm cells. Sperm forward motility also increased after Coenzyme Q10 treatment, from 9 percent at baseline to 16 percent after treatment. Other improvements in the male’s sperm also were noted after treatment. Six months after the CoenzymeQ10 treatment stopped, sperm forward motility was significantly reduced from 16 percent back to 9.5 percent.

Three of the women whose male partners participated in the study became pregnant within three months after the CoQ10 administration ended. The study’s authors concluded that Coenzyme Q10 can improve a condition that leads to male infertility. “The exogenous administration of CoQ10 may play a positive role in the treatment of asthenozoospermia,” the researchers wrote. “This is probably the result of its role in mitochondrial bioenergetics and its antioxidant properties.”

Source

Balercia G, Mosca F, Mantero F, Boscaro M, Mancini A, Ricciardo-Lamonica G, Littarru G. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation in infertile men with idiopathic asthenozoospermia: an open, uncontrolled pilot study. Fertil Steril. 2004 Jan;81(1):93-8.

Key concepts: coenzyme Q10, coq10, male infertility, asthenozoospermia