ABSTRACT

Aim: To determine the effect of coenzyme Q10 on improvement of total sperm count and sperm motility in infertile men.

Study Design: Quasi experimental Pilot study

Settings: Urology ward, Mayo Hospital Lahore

Methods: 29 married male patients aged 18-40 years who had failure to cause pregnancy after 12 months or more of unprotected sexual intercourse with oligoasthenospermia and normal blood serum FSH, LH, and total testosterone and normal external genitalia were included and randomly divided into Treatment group and Placebo group. Cases were given 200 mg CoQ10 once daily for 3 months and group B were given placebo (Ferrous sulphate 200mg).Semen analysis was done at baseline and then after 3 months of treatment.

Results: 29 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this pilot study after written consent. All of these cases were married and had BMI <30 (non-obese). Age ranged from 20 to 33 years with total sperm count (x10⁶) at baseline was 30.8±26.7 and after 3 months of treatments was 72.3 + 38.4 while sperm motility at baseline was 29.6 + 18.6 and after 3 months of treatment was 50 ± 26 in the treatment group. The significant improvement in the sperm count and motility (> 50% increase) in the treatment group noted in this pilot study was 85.7% and 78.6%.

Conclusion: In our pilot study, sperm count and sperm motility significantly improved after 3 months treatment with CoQ10. Further conclusions can be made when the trial will be complete. This study should be extended further to follow patients till a successful pregnancy and/or live birth.       

Keywords: Coenzyme Q,Infertility, Subfertility, Oligospermia, Trial, Pilot study, Urology, Sperm count, Motility