Copper, zinc, and selenium concentrations are significantly lower in women with unexplained infertility; therefore, diets or supplements containing these trace elements may be helpful in their management, a study has said.
In the study, researchers found the concentration of these trace elements was significantly lower in women with unexplained infertility compared with fertile women. Also, the Cu/Zn ratio was lower among the fertile women. It was in the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal.
This study, which was designed to evaluate the serum levels of copper, zinc, and selenium in women with unexplained infertility and compare these with those of fertile women, said that apart from the infertile women having a low mean selenium level, their average selenium level is lower than the lower limit of 50–120 μg/dL, the normal range reported in humans.
In addition, among the cohort of women with infertility, the Cu/Zn ratio in the two groups studied were slightly higher: 1.29 for infertile women and 1.39 for fertile women. The copper/zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) has been frequently used in assessing infertile women, with the normal ratio said to be about 1.0.
The study included 75 women presenting as gynaecological outpatients department of the hospital with infertility for at least one year and with a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, and the control group was 74 non-pregnant women recruited from the family planning unit at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Infertility has been documented to be more prevalent in developing countries, especially secondary infertility, where an estimated one in every four couples is affected, though primary infertility is more common in males in some studies in Nigeria. The term unexplained infertility is used when no identifiable cause is found on evaluation of the infertile couple.
Copper, zinc, and selenium deficiencies have been associated with infertility. These are microelements needed in small quantities for the effective functioning of the body.
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