Center for Human Reproduction Issues Cautions About Supplements in Fertility Practice

    NEW YORK, NY, January 15, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), a leading fertility research and treatment center in New York City, cautions against unsupervised use of nutritional supplements in fertility patients. In view of growing concern over increasing liver damage cases resulting from nutritional supplement use, CHR offers safety tips to fertility patients who may be considering taking nutritional supplements to improve their pregnancy chances.

The New York Times recently reported on the sharp increase in cases of liver damage associated with two categories of nutritional supplements: The first category includes supplements widely used for bodybuilding to quickly increase muscle mass, which usually contain so-called steroid hormones; the other category is herbal supplements, often recommended without scientific support for weight loss or other dubious indications, and often containing ingredients at dosages that have not been tested for safety.

Certain nutritional supplements may have a place in infertility treatments, according to CHR. CHR, indeed, pioneered the use of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) in fertility treatment, which, while a steroid hormone, is considered a food supplement in the U.S. and available over the counter.

CHR also recommends supplementation with CoQ10 for certain infertility problems in women as well as men. In contrast to DHEA, CoQ10 is not a hormone but a so-called antioxidant.

"CHR secured multiple U.S. patents for utilization of DHEA and other androgens in women with poor functional ovarian reserve," noted Norbert Gleicher, MD, the center's Medical Director and Chief Scientist. "These hormones are, as studies demonstrated, very effective in improving pregnancy and delivery chances in women with diminished ovarian reserve, but we strongly urge our patients not to take DHEA or any other nutritional supplements without our knowledge and approval," he continues. "After all, nutritional supplements are usually also chemical compounds and can have side effects, or interact with medications a patient is taking for unrelated indications."

For fertility purposes, CHR cautions patients against self-supplementation, and strongly recommends that infertility patients consult their fertility specialists before initiating any form of supplementation, including Chinese herbs.

About the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR)
The Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), located in New York City, is one of the world's leading clinical and research centers in reproductive medicine and infertility. CHR has special expertise in treatment of women with diminished ovarian reserve,
and pioneered many innovations, which have become mainstays of infertility treatments worldwide. Dr. Gleicher is available for further comments.

http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/

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