Antioxidants no good for conceiving

No link has been found between antioxidant supplements and woman conceiving. Photo / Thinkstock

There is no evidence that antioxidant supplements help to increase a woman's chances of conceiving, a new study has found.

The researchers, who analysed data from 28 trials involving a total of 3548 women attending fertility clinics, found the results showed no significant increase in women becoming pregnant when taking antioxidants compared to those taking placebos or being given standard treatment, including folic acid.

"There is no evidence in this review that suggests taking an antioxidant is beneficial for women who are trying to conceive," said lead researcher Marian Showell from Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of Auckland.

Around a quarter of couples planning a baby are thought to have difficulty conceiving and women undergoing fertility treatment often take dietary supplements including antioxidants, to try to increase their chances of becoming pregnant.

Many antioxidant supplements taken to improve fertility were unregulated and there was limited evidence on their safety and effects, according to the review, published in The Cochrane Library health database.

Fourteen of the trials reported adverse effects such as miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, but women taking antioxidants experienced no more adverse effects compared to those who received placebos or standard treatment.

Overall, the researchers considered the quality of the trials to be low or very low and the number of different antioxidants tested made it difficult to make comparisons.

"We could not assess whether one antioxidant was better than another," said Ms Showell.