• Corpus ID: 31875039

A nutritional supplement for improving fertility in women: a pilot study.

@article{Westphal2004ANS,
  title={A nutritional supplement for improving fertility in women: a pilot study.},
  author={Lynn Marie Westphal and Mary Lake Polan and Aileen Sontag Trant and Stephen B Mooney},
  journal={The Journal of reproductive medicine},
  year={2004},
  volume={49 4},
  pages={
          289-93
        }
}

• L. Westphal, M. Polan, +1 author Stephen B Mooney
• Published 1 April 2004
• Medicine
• The Journal of reproductive medicine

OBJECTIVE
To determine the impact of nutritional supplementation on optimization of reproductive health in women.

STUDY DESIGN
A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study was initiated to determine the effects of FertilityBlend (Daily Wellness Co., Sunnyvale, California), a proprietary nutritional supplement containing chasteberry and green tea extracts, L-arginine, vitamins (including folate) and minerals. Changes in progesterone level, basal body temperature, menstrual cycle, pregnancy rate and side effects were monitored.

RESULTS
Thirty women aged 24-46 years who had tried unsuccessfully to conceive for 6-36 months completed the study. After 3 months, the supplement group (n = 15) demonstrated a trend toward an increase in mean midluteal phase progesterone level (from 8.2 to 12.8 ng/mL, P = .08) and a significant increase in the average number of days in the cycle with basal temperatures >37 degrees C during the luteal phase (6.8-9.7 days, P = .04). The placebo group (n = 15) did not show any notable changes after treatment in any of the parameters studied. After 5 months, 5 of the 15 women in the supplement group were pregnant (33%), and none of the 15 women in the placebo group were (P <.01). No significant side effects were noted.

CONCLUSION
Nutritional supplementation may provide an attractive alternative or complement to conventional fertility therapy.