According to research completed by the World Congress of Fertility and Sterility in Munich, women who take melatonin may see an increased chance of pregnancy after IVF treatments. Poor quality eggs are one reason why women have trouble conceiving. Melatonin may improve egg health and thus improve the chances of conception.
Women participating in the study had previously undergone IVF treatment with no luck because of poor egg quality. These women were broken into two groups. The first group, made up of 56 women, was given 3 milligrams of melatonin before undergoing the next IVF treatment. The remaining 59 women in the study were given no melatonin before the IVF treatment.
About 20% of the group given melatonin conceived during the ICF cycle compared to just less than 11% of the control group. Melatonin increased intrafollicular melatonin levels and thus the integrity of eggs. Researchers noted that poor egg quality can be a significant reason why women who undergo infertility treatment do not become pregnant.
It is thought that melatoninreduces oxidative stress and damage of eggs. Researchers plan on proceeding with future studies to find out more about the connection between melatonin, egg quality, and fertility treatments and whether melatonin treatment is a viable option for all women undergoing IVF.
The positive results of this study could be good enough reason to discuss melatonin therapy before IVF with the treating fertility doctor. Melatonin is available over the counter in various milligrams.
Source: Hiroshi Tamura. International Federation of Fertility Studies, AlphaGalileo Foundation. 15 September, 2010.