Chasteberry may enhance fertility

September 6, 2004

Women who have

difficulty conceiving may benefit from taking an herbal supplement—a

much more inexpensive and less invasive way to induce conception than

in vitro fertilization—if the results of a small study are borne out.

Researchers conducted a pilot study involving 30 women ages 24-46 who

had attempted to become pregnant for 6-36 months. Some of the subjects

had been diagnosed with specific disorders that impaired fertility

while others had no explainable causes for being infertile.

While the sample size was small, the trial was randomized and

double-blinded. Subjects were given either a placebo or a supplement

made of chasteberry, L-arginine, green tea, and numerous vitamins and

minerals.

At the beginning of the study, a group of researchers monitored the

women’s progesterone levels, basal body temperatures, and menstrual

cycles at baseline; these parameters were measured again at three

months and six months. After three months, the supplement-treated group

had increased progesterone levels and experienced more days in their

menstrual cycle during which their basal temperatures were lower than

37 degrees C—both indicators of better ovulation. The placebo group

experienced no notable changes in these parameters.

At four months, five of the supplement-treated women became pregnant

while none of the women on placebo had conceived. Later on, four women

had healthy babies and one woman miscarried. The study’s lead

researcher said that she believed that the chasteberry had most likely

been the critical factor in helping the women to become pregnant.

Journal of Reproductive Medicine 49:289-293, 2004

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