Short answer: Possibly for some steps, but not yet for live birth. In one randomized trial of young women with low ovarian reserve, 60 days of CoQ10 before IVF led to more eggs and more good-quality embryos than no pre-treatment, with no significant change in pregnancy or live birth. A 2020 pooled analysis of 5 trials found higher clinical pregnancy rates (28.8% vs 14.1%) but no difference in live birth or miscarriage.
Coenzyme Q10 is a substance naturally present in the body, with the highest levels in the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas, according to NCCIH. It works as an antioxidant, and oxidative stress has been proposed as one reason some women respond poorly to ovarian stimulation. That is the idea behind trying CoQ10 before IVF. It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement, not approved as a fertility medicine.
Xu and colleagues in Beijing (2018) enrolled 186 women under 35 with poor ovarian reserve, a group the POSEIDON system calls group 3. Half took CoQ10 for 60 days before an IVF/ICSI cycle and half had no pre-treatment. 169 were analyzed (76 and 93); 17 women were dropped for not taking CoQ10 as directed.
| Outcome | What happened with CoQ10 |
|---|---|
| Stimulation medicine needed | Lower gonadotropin doses; higher peak estradiol |
| Eggs retrieved | More (median 4) |
| High-quality embryos | More (median 1); fertilization rate 67.49% |
| Transfer cancelled for poor embryos | 8.33% vs 22.89% |
| Embryos frozen for later | 18.42% vs 4.3% |
| Clinical pregnancy and live birth | Tended higher, not statistically significant |
The control group got no tablet at all, not a placebo, so neither the women nor the clinic were blinded. The authors say more work is needed to know if CoQ10 changes the results that matter most.
Florou and colleagues (2020) combined 5 randomized trials with 449 women having assisted reproduction. Clinical pregnancy was 28.8% with CoQ10 and 14.1% with placebo or no treatment, and the effect held when women with poor ovarian response and with PCOS were looked at separately. Live birth (odds ratio 1.67, with a range from 0.66 to 4.25) and miscarriage did not differ. With only 449 women, the trials were too small to settle live birth either way.
NCCIH says no serious side effects of CoQ10 have been reported, though insomnia or stomach upset may occur. It says CoQ10 may interact with the blood thinner warfarin and with insulin. NCCIH lists male infertility among the uses where research is too limited to draw conclusions.
Anyone in a fertility program can tell the clinic about every supplement being taken. Dose Track keeps CoQ10 next to stimulation medicines like Menopur or Gonal-f, with start dates, for that conversation.
Read more on Dose Track: CoQ10 · CoQ10 vs ubiquinol · Female fertility · Meta-analysis