A 2026 expert consensus from the Global Andrology Forum reviews how antioxidants are used in male infertility, showing which practices are supported by expert agreement and where evidence is still lacking.
Sperm Quality
A 2025 review found that men with infertility are more likely to have certain health conditions, but the reasons aren’t clear and the overall risks are still low, suggesting that fertility testing can be a good chance to check on general health.
A 2025 study showed that supplement use is widespread among IVF patients, with mixed impressions, limited evidence, and frequent confusion that leads many people to seek guidance from online communities rather than from clinical recommendations.
A 2025 review found that sperm DNA fragmentation testing provides useful insight into male infertility and may help in select cases, but inconsistent evidence, lack of test standardization, and variable results limit its routine use in fertility care.
A 2025 study showed that male obesity was linked to slightly slower embryo development, poorer ICM quality, and a higher miscarriage risk in donor egg IVF cycles, suggesting that paternal weight can subtly influence embryo health and pregnancy outcomes.
A 2025 randomized trial found that men who took the combined antioxidant supplement Impryl for six months had no improvement in semen quality or pregnancy rates, and in some cases slightly worse outcomes, suggesting that routine antioxidant use may do more harm than good for some male infertility patients.
In a 2025 study, the sperm selection device Zymot modestly improved blastocyst development compared with conventional sperm processing method (density gradient centrifugation) in donor egg cycles using frozen sperm, though fertilization rates were similar.
A large 2025 study of donor egg cycles found that poor fertilization in IVF is uncommon, but when it does occur it’s usually caused by sperm rather than the egg. Most cases of low fertilization were sperm-related, while only a minority were linked to eggs or other factors.
While multiple studies have shown the benefit of antioxidant supplements in improving male fertility, what effect excessive supplementation has isn’t clear. This post combines a new study with older studies that show high levels of supplements can harm male fertility. However, these studies all have their limitations, and better quality research is needed to draw conclusions.
A 2024 study explored the male and female factors that are associated with embryo euploid rates, finding that male characteristics had a minor influence.
A 2024 randomized controlled trial (RCT) found that Zymot-selected sperm didn’t improve embryo euploidy rates, but increased fertilization rates. An important limitation of this study is that it was done in the general IVF population and not in individuals with high sperm DNA fragmentation.
Researchers in a 2023 study evaluated 34 common male fertility sperm supplement brands for safety and efficacy. They found that the majority exceeded the recommended daily allowance, with two that exceeded the tolerable upper intake level. Less than half had supporting studies for their use, with the overall quality of evidence being ranked as poor.
Researchers in a 2022 study compared perinatal outcomes after IVF using donor sperm and found a reduction in preterm births, low birth weights and congenital anomalies compared to babies conceived using partner sperm.
Researchers in a 2022 study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on infertile men who used antioxidant supplements, and found a benefit in pregnancy and semen parameter outcomes.
Researchers in a 2022 study examined the influence of paternal factors, such as semen parameters, paternal BMI and age, on aneuploidy.
Researchers in a 2021 study found that intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with lower sperm concentration and total sperm count.
Researchers in a 2021 study found that older women showed worsened IVF outcomes using sperm with high DNA fragmentation, possibly due to compromised DNA repair activity in the older egg.
Researchers in a 2020 study report on the results of the MOXI trial that tested the effectiveness of a sperm supplement cocktail (containing vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium, and more) and found no benefit.
Researchers in a 2020 study found that sperm from males in couples with recurrent pregnancy loss were more likely to be aneuploid, potentially leading to the diagnosis.