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.
Supplements are frequently discussed when it comes to IVF. But the evidence behind most supplements is weak, and doctors don’t always give clear guidance, leading to many patients relying on online communities.
A study by Tomlinson et al. (2025) examined how IVF patients talk about supplements on Reddit (the r/IVF subreddit). The goal wasn’t to test whether supplements work, but to understand what people are taking, what effects they’re seeing, and what questions keep coming up.
To do this, researchers searched for posts using the keyword “supplement” and analyzed 369 relevant posts from April to June 2024. They only analyzed what the author of the post wrote (the caption) and not the comments.
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Supplement use is very common, with both positive and negative impressions
About 76% of posters said they were taking supplements, and more than half were using multiple products at once. CoQ10 was mentioned most frequently (32%), followed by vitamin D (22%), omega 3 (16%), DHEA (9%), and myo inositol (9%).
| Supplement | % of Posts Mentioning It |
|---|---|
| CoQ10 | 32.2% |
| Vitamin D | 22.5% |
| Omega-3 | 16.0% |
| DHEA | 9.2% |
| Myo-inositol | 9.2% |
| Vitamin E | 7.3% |
| Vitamin C | 6.8% |
| Acai | 6.8% |
| “It Starts With the Egg” | 6.8% |
| NAD+ | 6.8% |
| Melatonin | 6.0% |
| Aspirin | 5.4% |
| N-acetylcysteine (NAC) | 4.6% |
| Probiotics | 3.5% |
| L-arginine | 3.3% |
| Magnesium | 2.7% |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.7% |
| Alpha-lipoic acid | 1.9% |
| Iron | 1.9% |
| Beet root | 1.6% |
| Pineapple core / bromelain | 1.4% |
| Pomegranate juice | 1.4% |
Positive and negative impressions were almost equally represented. 7% reported perceived benefits such as more embryos, better sperm parameters, or pregnancies. About 10% reported negative impressions, including no improvement, irregular cycles (often with DHEA), abnormal labs, cost concerns, and side effects like night sweats.
16% of posts were explicitly seeking advice on what to take, when to start or stop, or which brands to trust. Among posters who mentioned a diagnosis, DOR was most common (13%), followed by male factor (12.5%), PCOS (9%), advanced maternal age (7.9%), and endometriosis or adenomyosis (6.8%).
Evidence on common supplements mentioned by patients
The authors of the study also provided a brief summary of research for some of the commonly mentioned supplements. I’ll also add some research that I’ve covered here on Remembryo to fill it out.
CoQ10. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) show increases in retrieved oocytes, fertilization rates, and high-quality embryos. An RCT in men showed better semen parameters. A 2020 meta-analysis combined the results of RCTs on supplements, finding no difference in live birth rates but increased pregnancy rates with CoQ10. A 2024 meta-analysis combined the results of 20 studies, showing that supplements improved IVF outcomes in women with ovarian aging, especially CoQ10.
Acai. Has shown anti-aging effects on oocytes in mice and is being studied in an ongoing human RCT. No completed human trials showing benefits for IVF outcomes.
Low dose aspirin / L-arginine / beetroot juice / Brazil nuts. Often taken to support blood flow and endometrial thickness, with only limited evidence behind them. It’s possible that using several of these together can increase bleeding risk, so they need to be used carefully.
Prednisone / antihistamines. Some patients use them hoping to reduce inflammation or improve receptivity. Some studies show that antihistamines may interfere with implantation or increase subchorionic hematomas. A 2022 meta-analysis combined 5 studies on corticosteroids (like prednisone) and found no difference in live birth rate.
Probiotics. Interest is rising due to the reproductive microbiome. Evidence is still preliminary, and effects on implantation or IVF outcomes are not established.
Myo-inositol. Supported for PCOS due to insulin-sensitizing effects (but not for non-PCOS).
DHEA. Levels decrease with age. Some studies suggest potential benefit for DOR. A 2025 meta-analysis combined the results of 16 studies on DHEA for IVF patients, finding no improvement in live birth rates, but improvements in clinical pregnancies, endometrial thickness and the number of eggs retrieved.
Vitamin D. Deficiency is linked with fertility issues, especially in PCOS, and supplementation in these individuals is reasonable.
Multiple supplements taken together. More than half of posters reported taking several supplements at once. The study notes that stacking products can create unpredictable interactions, stronger anticoagulant effects (eg. vitamin E + aspirin + selenium), and harder-to-trace adverse events. Because supplements are weakly regulated, safety issues may go unnoticed unless labs or symptoms worsen.
Conclusions
This study found that supplement use is very common in IVF patients, with three quarters of Reddit posters taking at least one product and more than half using several at the same time, most often CoQ10, vitamin D, omega 3, DHEA, or myo-inositol.
Impressions were mixed. A small group felt supplements helped, while a similar number reported side effects or no benefit at all.
Many posters were looking for clearer guidance and were unsure how to use supplements safely. Some felt their doctors did not provide enough information or gave conflicting advice.
Research on supplements is inconsistent mostly because the industry is weakly regulated, leading to wide differences in quality, ingredient content, and the dose available in each product. There is also little research on using multiple supplements together, so the risks are unclear.
Because evidence and recommendations are limited, many IVF patients rely on community advice instead of clinical guidance. The authors highlight that stronger research and clearer guidelines are needed given how commonly supplements are used.
Want to read more about supplements and IVF?
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This post discusses the use of supplements to improve egg quality for IVF success, exploring the supporting evidence for a range of supplements like N-acetyl-cysteine, Melatonin, L-arginine, Myo-inositol, CoQ10, L-carnitine, DHEA, folic acid/folate, and vitamins E, C, D, and B. Read more.
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. Read more.
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. Read more.
Related studies
These are additional studies that haven’t been covered on Remembryo. They may be helpful if you’re exploring this topic further. This section is available for paid subscribers.
Reference
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About Embryoman
Embryoman (Sean Lauber) is a former embryologist and the founder of Remembryo, an IVF research and fertility education website. After working in an IVF lab in the US, he returned to Canada and now focuses on making fertility research more accessible. He holds a Master’s in Immunology and launched Remembryo in 2018 to help patients and professionals make sense of IVF research. Sean shares weekly study updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit regularly. He also answers questions on Reddit or in his private Facebook group.
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