Monday, October 04, 2010

3mg of melatonin might just make the difference to improve egg quality

I found this article about the possibility of a treatment to improve egg quality and I wanted to research this to get more information for you.

This may just be what you need to get the results you are looking for with your treatment.

Scientists in Japan have noted that oxidative stress appears to effect egg quality in females. I have written about this before and have discussed this same concept published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, from research at the Cleveland Clinic in the USA. Increased antioxidant capacity (decreased oxidative stress) in the follicular fluid is associated with improved pregnancy rates with IVF.

The scientists in Japan have supported this notion with a study using 3mg of melatonin and or 600mg (or approximately 800IU) of Vit E starting on day five of the preceding menstrual cycle before egg collection.

The women who received melatonin and a specific form of Vitamin E or melatonin alone showed improved fertilization rates, decreased oxidative stress and in the follicular fluid and doubled pregnancy rates from 10% to 20%. There unfortunately was no data available on live baby rates in the information I found.

Oxidative stress has been correlated with poor sp**erm health and continues to be correlated with egg health as well so this again supports why we are trying to decrease oxidative stress by using antioxidants for both the female and the male when they come to see us. Melatonin is one of your sleep hormones but is also a strong antioxidant.

In different countries you can find Melatonin either over the counter or by doctors prescription. In Australia you can only get 3mg from a physician. And in other countries I would recommend you ask your doctor about these studies and if they could provide a script if appropriate for you rather than relying on the over the counter brands simply because it is difficult to determine quality from one brand of over the counter supplement from another.

The Vitamin E that was used was alpha tocopherol. 600mg is equal to approximately 800IU which is more than what is in most multivitamins. This amount of this specific Vitamin E should be considered, but should also be reviewed by your health care professional to make sure you are not taking anything that would interfere with other medications being used in your cycle. For example if you take some sort of blood thinner with your cycle then you should review with your health care practitioner whether 800IU of Vitamin E is appropriate for you.

Also be aware that there are different forms of Vitamin E so read the label to make sure alpha (look for the alpha symbol) tocopherol is the Vitamin E you would take if appropriate.

This is a perfect example of how natural and conventional can work together to help you optimize your chances of creating a viable pregnancy.

Contact us at www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com to help us show you what else you can do to improve your situation