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Supplement Study Raises Hopes For Infertile Couple

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May 7, 2009 3:55 pm US/Mountain

Supplement Study Raises Hopes For Infertile Couple

Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith

Reporting
Dr. Dave Hnida
DENVER (CBS4) ― A nutrition supplement may be helping women get pregnant. One in three couples has trouble conceiving, but some couples are having success with a supplement called Fertility Blend.

"It's important to be skeptical whenever you hear about some magical supplement that claims it's a cure for infertility, but in the world of there are no magic pills…there is a small study that shows this pill may help infertile couples get pregnant," said CBS4 Medical Editor, Dr. Dave Hnida.

The study was done at Stanford University. Researchers followed 93 women who were having trouble getting pregnant - 53 of the women took Fertility Blend and 40 took a placebo. After 6-months, 17 of the women taking the supplement had conceived while just four of the women on the placebo were pregnant. That led researchers to conclude that nutrition supplements could be an alternative or addition to conventional fertility therapies.

Lynette Barnes, 37, is a believer. She was able to conceive after just 3-months on Fertility Blend. She's now blessed with daughter, Hannah, but it was a long road to get there.

"Once you're faced with the reality 'Okay, you may never have a biological child.' It just leaves you with the sense that you're just lost… just leaves you with such a sense of hopelessness," Barnes told CBS4.

She had that feeling of hopelessness after more than 5 years of infertility treatments. Barnes had 2 surgeries, 7 rounds of the infertility treatment Clomid, and two tries at invitro-fertilization.

"That was a really difficult time for me," Barnes added.

The couple was ready to give up when she started taking Fertility Blend. The blend includes L-arginine, an amino acid that is supposed to stimulate the release of human growth hormone, which is needed for pregnancy; the Chasteberry herb which is supposed to help ovulation, and green tea extracts which some have linked to fertility health.

"Can I say that's the reason I got pregnant? I can not. I just know that's the one thing I did different," Barnes said.

"So the two big questions - first, will this product help you get pregnant? The study is too small to say definitely. Secondly and more importantly, is it safe? Researchers say Fertility Blend appears harmless. So the product may be worth a try in couples who are struggling with infertility, but there are no guarantees," Hnida explained.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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