PQQ – also known as pyrroloquinoline quinone – has been touted as a fertility boosting supplement for a couple of years now, but what do we know about this supplement and is there evidence for its effectiveness in fertility enhancement?
Given that I often write about natural fertility enhancing supplements, I suppose I should have put pen to paper when PQQ first hit the market as an egg boosting supplement. I have been telling clients about it for years and have witnessed a spike in its popularity and use so it’s definitely time to provide some insight.
The short story is that PQQ is a powerful antioxidant and seems to be involved in the development of extremely important cellular energy pathways such as mitochondria (the power house of every cell in your body).
However, what evidence do we have for PQQ in fertility? How exactly does it work and how much should you be taking? The above questions and more are answered below.
PQQ Evidence for Improving Egg Quality
One of the reasons I delayed writing about this topic was the lack of research on PQQ specific to improving egg quality. While everyone seems to encourage women to take this supplement (natural fertility enhancement practitioners and western fertility clinics alike), there’s not a large body of evidence supporting its effectiveness. If you were to search through pubmed (the largest body of medical journal abstracts available…and its free!) and put “PQQ fertility” in a search, not much comes up. The one article which does seem to be very positive was performed on mice. So, if you’re a mouse, PQQ should definitely help your fertility.
Thankfully, there is other research which indicates this powerful supplement SHOULD help with egg quality.
What We Do Know About PQQ:
- Enhances memory in animal models
- May protect people against Parkinson’s
- Has a protective effect against Alzheimer’s
- Protects brain cells against oxidative damage from things such as stroke and environmental toxins such as mercury
This is an abridged version of what this supplement can do…many more studies will go into much greater depth than I did but I think you get the picture. PQQ seems to slow down aging and this is why people are so excited about its application for enhancing egg quality in those with low ovarian reserve.
How Much PQQ Should You Take?
Currently, the standard dosage for is 20mg per day. This dosage was extrapolated from the animal studies which have been done. I encourage people to take the BioPQQ as this is the type used in most of the human studies.
Other Fertility Enhancing Options
If you haven’t read Drew’s AMH article, click here and find out other ways you can improve your AMH. Also, be sure to look at Drew’s online fertility consultations as an option if you are too far away to see Drew in his Toronto clinic.
Top PQQ Products on the Market
Jarrow’s QH + PQQ is a great choice as it contains both PQQ and Ubiquinol CoQ10. I typically recommend both of these products to clients looking for fertility enhancement. The CoQ10 is from Kaneka and if you have read my CoQ10 article, you will know that this is an important key when purchasing your CoQ10.
Pick it up for less at www.iherb.com and save your money! Amazing prices and they ship to just about everywhere!
Just looking for PQQ? Try Life Extension’s PQQ caps with BioPQQ. You can find this at www.iherb.com as well.
*All of the above products contain BioPQQ:
