Gnosis by Lesaffre has highlighted recent research which indicates women undergoing pregnancy with the help of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), supplemented with Quatrefolic and vitamin B12, have a higher chance of clinical pregnancy and live birth in comparison with those with only folic acid.
ART are widely used procedures for the control and treatment of infertility, however the majority of the procedures remain unsuccessful. Reproductive success is highly influenced by the health of the mother, including nutrition and micronutrient levels, which may play a pivotal role in this initial phase.
According to the study, "5-Methyltetrahydrofolate and Vitamin B12 Supplementation is Associated with Clinical Pregnancy, and Live Birth in Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology", the homocysteine pathway in the preconception period should be evaluated to highlight micronutrient deficiencies and warrants optimal multivitamin supplementation. This is important for Assisted Reproduction, as FA is considered the standard supplementation for preconception care. The retrospective study aimed at investigating the role of a vitamin B complex (5-methyltetrahydrofolate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6) supplement use compared with the role of only FA supplement use, in relation to clinical pregnancy and live birth in infertile women undergoing homologous ART.
In this just-published retrospective study, the researchers investigated the role of supplementation of Quatrefolic (5-MTHF glucosamine salt) plus vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 compared to only folic acid (FA) supplementation concerning pregnancy outcomes (clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss and live birth) in infertile women undergoing homologous ART45.
269 infertile women participated in study: 111 were supplemented daily with Quatrefolic associated with other vitamin B and 158 with only FA. In the vitamin B complex-supplemented women, the mean number of Metaphase II oocytes and the pronuclear stage (2PN) fertilisation rate score were higher than in women supplemented with FA. A higher percentage of women in the vitamin B complex group had a clinical pregnancy and live birth in comparison to the FA group, leading the authors to conclude that women supplemented with Quatrefolic and vitamin B12 have a higher chance of clinical pregnancy and live birth in comparison to those supplemented with only FA and that supplementation with vitamin B complex might be considered in clinical practice, especially in women undergoing ART.
Silvia Pisoni - Global Market Manager of Reproduction and Women’s Health – said: “We are excited to see the increasing volume of publications related to the role of the biologically active form 5-MTHF as a better option than folic acid in fertility problems and pregnancy outcomes. Quatrefolic is proven to be a real solution with beneficial innovated features that match totally to the requirements of physicians and doctors to provide effective solutions and increase consumers’ compliance”.
REFERENCES
1. https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34886014/
2 Servy EJ et al. J Assist Reprod Genet 2018; 35:1431–5.
3 Servy EJ, Ménézo Y. Clin Obstet Gynecol Reprod Med 2017; 3.
4 Clément A et al. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod 2020; 49:101622.
5 Ménézo Y et al. Y. J Assist Reprod Genet 2021.