Q10 is a natural antioxidant present in every cell of the human body.
The role of Q10 in fertility
What is coenzyme Q10 ? Peut-elle m’aider à tomber pregnant ? Nous nous penchons sur la recherche pour aider à comprendre son rôle dans la fertility et vous donnez quelques conseils
What is coenzyme Q10?
Coenzyme Q10 (Q10) est devenu de plus en plus populaire dans la communauté médicale de l’infertility. Le Q10, également connu sous le nom d’ubiquinone, est un antioxydant naturel présent dans toutes les cellules du corps humain. C’est un composant utilisé par nos cellules pour le processus de production d’énergie dans les mitochondries. La fonction principale de la mitochondrie est de produire de l’énergie pour l’activité cellulaire – la “centrale électrique de la cellule” vous rappelle peut-être vos cours de biologie. Plus les besoins énergétiques d’une cellule sont élevés, plus sa teneur en Q10 est importante. Cela signifie que les organes dont les cellules ont des besoins énergétiques élevés ont plus de mitochondries et, par conséquent, des niveaux de Q10 plus élevés.
L’ovocyte (l’œuf de l’ovaire) est la plus grande cellule des organismes multicellulaires et on trouve plus de mitochondries par œuf que dans tout autre organite cellulaire. Par conséquent, les ovules ont besoin de beaucoup de mitochondries pour produire l’énergie nécessaire à la division cellulaire pendant la maturation de l’ovule, la fertilization et le développement d’un embryon. After fertilization, the mitochondria of the sperm rapidly die off, so that the mitochondria of an embryo come entirely from the egg. Consequently, the quality of the mitochondria in an egg determines the quality of the embryo.
Why is Q10 important?
Nous savons qu’avec l’âge, la qualité et la quantité d’ovocytes produits par les ovaires diminuent (on parle de réserve ovarienne réduite). Les taux de pregnancy diminuent et les anomalies génétiques augmentent. Les erreurs dans le nombre de chromosomes entraînent des fausses couches et des maladies génétiques à la naissance, comme le syndrome de Down. Ce phénomène s’accentue après 35 ans chez la plupart des femmes en raison d’une augmentation du nombre d’anomalies chromosomiques. Celles-ci entraînent alors un taux plus élevé de fausses couches et d’anomalies génétiques chez le fœtus.
There are two predominant theories about the age-related decline in egg quality. The first is fairly straightforward: essentially, the better quality eggs are used in the younger reproductive years, leaving the poorer quality eggs for later. The second is that the ageing process itself can have a detrimental effect on the eggs that lie dormant in the ovary. One of the main ways in which this happens is through an increase in the number of mutations and deletions in mitochondrial DNA over time.
What does the research say about Q10?
Given these theories, infertility research has focused quite a bit on how to improve egg quality and increase the number of eggs. Since we know that Q10 is an integral part of the energy stored in all cells, it makes sense that supplementation could potentially help women with reduced ovarian reserve to improve mitochondrial activity and energy production in the ovaries.
As we know that Q10 is an integral part of the energy stored in all cells, it makes sense that supplementation could help women with reduced ovarian reserve to improve mitochondrial activity and energy production in the ovaries.
Much of the research in this area is still ongoing. Several studies have been carried out on both mice and women. Studies on mice have shown that older mice given Q10 had results more similar to those of younger mice - i.e. they had a higher number of eggs, more eggs were ovulated after ovarian stimulation and the embryos showed fewer chromosomal abnormalities.
Une étude récente de 2018 a révélé que le prétraitement de jeunes femmes ayant une faible réserve ovarienne avec du Q10 avant un cycle de fécondation in vitro (FIV) améliorait la réponse ovarienne à la stimulation.
These results are promising, and much more research is still being carried out to investigate this question.
Another benefit of Q10 for men is that it has been shown to improve semen analysis parameters, including sperm count, motility and morphology.
Our conclusion
As we've explained, Q10 can improve the quality and fertility of eggs and improve sperm analysis parameters in men. It can therefore be beneficial for the fertility of both men and women. That's why we've added it to our +fertimen and +fertiwomen supplements..
Q10 and pregnancy
For most women, Q10 will have no additional benefit during pregnancy.
Although there is no risk in continuing Q10 supplementation during pregnancy, it is no longer necessary for most women. However, one study showed that taking 200 mg of Q10 from 20 weeks of pregnancy reduced the risk of pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy). If you are at risk of pre-eclampsia, please discuss taking Q10 and other ways of reducing your risk with your doctor. Otherwise, there is insufficient evidence to support the continuation of Q10 throughout pregnancy. As a result, it's best for most women to take it before pregnancy, then stop as soon as they discover they're pregnant. This is why our pregnancy food supplement, +mum does not contain it. If you are at risk of pre-eclampsia, talk to your doctor and he or she will decide whether Q10 supplementation is necessary.