Benefit of micronutrient supplementation on female fertility.
Reports of randomized trials are rare. Most studies are focused on multivitamin supplementations. For some micronutrients, a positive impact on fertility could be shown. This article reviews the available clinical studies as well as the pathophysiological background of possible effects and summarizes the potential benefits of selected micronutrients on female fertility.
Apart from lowering the malformation risk by periconceptional supplementation of folic acid, substitution with different micronutrients, particularly folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, iodine, selenium, iron, and DHA might have a positive impact on infertility treatment. The multivitamin formulation should take the pathophysiology, clinical studies, and upper limits into account.
aClinic for Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg
bMedical Clinic, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany
Correspondence to Prof. Dr Kai J. Buhling, MD, Department for Gynecological Endocrinology, Clinic for Gynecology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49 40 7410 23801; fax: +49 40 7410 47283; e-mail: k.buehling@uke.de
