Therapeutic Roles and Safety Profiles of Non-Vitamin Antioxidant Supplements in Female Infertility: A Narrative Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of mechanisms, clinical outcomes, and safety without systematic search methodology or meta-analysis
PubMed 42534602 · doi:10.18502/jfrh.v20i1.22015
What was done
This narrative review synthesized the antioxidant mechanisms, therapeutic impacts on female infertility outcomes, adverse effects, warnings, and dosage ranges for five non-vitamin supplements: carnitines, inositols, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), coenzyme Q10, and melatonin.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Descriptively, it reports: - Carnitines improve obesity outcomes in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), with rare cases of increased seizure risk with levocarnitine. - Coenzyme Q10 increases live birth rate in PCOS or poor ovarian responders, with minimal side effects at higher doses. - PUFAs impact follicular development and embryo quality, but high doses may increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL). - Inositols address insulin resistance in PCOS to reduce gonadotropin use while improving follicle count and oocyte quality; hypoglycemia is reported, especially alongside other hypoglycemic agents. - Melatonin increases clinical pregnancy rates and improves oocyte/embryo quality, with dizziness, drowsiness, and headache reported at higher doses.
Why it matters
Antioxidant supplements are frequently viewed as universally safe despite limited awareness of their specific adverse effect profiles. This review synthesizes these safety concerns alongside efficacy to promote cautious, individualized clinical prescribing.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic literature search, formal risk-of-bias assessment, or quantitative meta-analysis. The abstract provides no specific patient numbers, study designs, dosage thresholds, or statistical estimates for any reported outcome.
Cited by
- supports Published scientific literature suggests that coenzyme Q10 and L-carnitine improve oocyte quality.