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Fertility Supplement Shows Early Promise: Report
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By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A dietary supplement containing a mixture of
herbs, vitamins and amino acids thought to boost fertility may help some
women conceive, a small pilot study suggests.
Researchers found that among 15 women who had been unable to conceive, who
took the supplement every day, four became pregnant by the end of the
three-month study. That compares with none of 15 women with fertility
problems who took inactive pills. A fifth woman in the supplement group who
continued taking the product after the study ended became pregnant two
months later.
Women's fertility problems can have a range of causes, and from the small
study it's difficult to tell which women might benefit from the supplement,
the study's lead author, Dr. Lynn M. Westphal of Stanford University School
of Medicine, told Reuters Health.
However, she speculated that women with irregular menstrual cycles stand the
greatest chance of benefit.
The supplement, sold as FertilityBlend, contains an herb called chasteberry,
which studies in Europe suggest can balance levels of the hormone
progesterone and possibly improve ovulation. Chasteberry has also been shown
to help relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, another indication of its
possible hormonal effects.
Westphal said she thinks the chasteberry component of FertilityBlend is the
most important ingredient. The product also contains a mix of vitamins and
minerals, green tea extract and the amino acid L-arginine, which some
evidence suggests can improve blood flow to the reproductive organs.
The study, reported in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, involved 30
women ages 24 to 46 who had been trying to conceive for 6 months to 3 years.
It received funding from Sunnyvale, California-based Daily Wellness Co.,
which manufactures FertilityBlend. One study co-author is employed by the
company, and another serves on its scientific advisory board.
A fertility specialist not involved in the study said the research is "very
preliminary," and more work is needed to prove the product is effective.
"You wouldn't want to draw any hard conclusions based on this," Dr. William
Phipps, a reproductive endocrinologist at the University of Rochester in New
York, told Reuters Health.
Still, he called the study "well-designed," and said the early results
warrant further research.
Westphal and her colleagues found that after three months of taking three
supplement capsules each day, women in the study showed an increase in
progesterone levels toward the end of the menstrual cycle. Those who took a
placebo showed no such change.
Sufficient progesterone is needed to prepare the uterine lining for the
implantation of the embryo. Of the women who became pregnant in this study,
two initially had abnormally low progesterone levels, Westphal's team notes.
Overall, four of the women gave birth to healthy babies, while one had a
miscarriage.
According to Westphal, the supplement may be appropriate for younger women
who are early on in their attempt to get pregnant. If they do not conceive
after more than six months of trying, she said, they should consider a
fertility evaluation.
Like all dietary supplements sold in the U.S., FertilityBlend did not have
to be proven safe or effective before going on the market.
Based on the pilot study, Westphal and her colleagues are conducting a
larger clinical trial to see if the supplement helps women with low
progesterone levels or menstrual irregularities.
SOURCE: Journal of Reproductive Medicine, April 2004.