CoQ10 and fertility: what the evidence says

What does the evidence say about CoQ10 while trying to conceive?

1. In a randomized trial of 186 people under 35 with poor ovarian reserve, 60 days of CoQ10 before an IVF and ICSI cycle produced more retrieved oocytes, a higher fertilization rate, and more high quality embryos, while clinical pregnancy and live birth rates trended higher without reaching statistical significance. 1
2. A Cochrane review of antioxidants in subfertile women found only low to very low quality evidence of benefit, and concluded there is limited evidence in support of supplemental oral antioxidants. 2
3. Across 28 trials reporting adverse events, that same review found no evidence of a difference in miscarriage, multiple pregnancy, gastrointestinal disturbance, or ectopic pregnancy between antioxidant and comparison groups, although the evidence was itself low quality. 2
4. No serious side effects of CoQ10 have been reported, with mild insomnia or digestive upset the usual complaints, and it may interact with warfarin and insulin. 3
5. CoQ10 has been studied for male infertility, but NCCIH describes that research as insufficient to draw conclusions from. 3

What to know about CoQ10 while trying to conceive

• Almost all the human research sits in the window before conception, in people preparing for IVF. Once a pregnancy is established, the picture changes: NCCIH does not provide pregnancy safety information for CoQ10, so there is no authority to point to for continuing it. That makes a positive test a natural moment to ask your clinician whether to stop.
• There is no body of evidence supporting CoQ10 use in the second trimester, and no reason implied by the fertility research to keep taking it once conception has happened. If you are still on it, bring the bottle to your next visit so the actual dose and form are on record.
• Same position. NCCIH notes CoQ10 may interact with warfarin and insulin, so if either is part of your care in later pregnancy, that interaction is the specific thing to raise with your provider rather than the supplement in the abstract.