The use of coenzyme Q10 and DHEA during IUI and IVF cycles in patients with decreased ovarian reserve

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the combination of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) (D+C) with DHEA alone (D) in intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles among patients with decreased ovarian reserve.Methods: We retrospectively extracted data from patients charts treated by DHEA with/without CoQ10 during IUI or IVF between February 2006 and June 2014. Prestimulation parameters included age, BMI, day 3 FSH and antral follicular count (AFC). Ovarian response parameters included total gonadotropins dosage, peak serum estradiol, number of follicles>16mm and fertilization rate. Clinical outcomes included clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates.Results: Three hundred and thirty IUI cycles involved D+C compared with 467 cycles of D; 78 IVF cycles involved D+C and 175 D. In both IUI and IVF, AFC was higher with D+C compared with D (7.45.7 versus 5.94.7, 8.26.3 versus 5.2 +/- 5, respectively, p<0.05). D+C resulted in a more follicles>16mm during IUI cycles (3.3 +/- 2.3 versus 2.9 +/- 2.2, respectively, p=0.01), while lower mean total gonadotropin dosage was administered after D+C supplementation compared with D (3414 +/- 1141 IUs versus 3877 +/- 1143 IUs respectively, p=0.032) in IVF cycles. Pregnancy and delivery rates were similar for both IUI and IVF.Conclusion: D+C significantly increases AFC and improves ovarian responsiveness during IUI and IVF without a difference in clinical outcome.