October 14, 2019

expert reaction to conference abstract looking at beetroot, watermelon and ginger juice and pregnancy rate in people undergoing ICSI IVF

A conference abstract, being presented at the ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) scientific congress in Philadelphia, reports a connection between nutritional supplements and success rates of some fertility treatments.

Prof Ying Cheong, Professor of Reproductive Medicine, University of Southampton, said:

“This is an unpublished abstract that hasn’t been peer reviewed – it’s a randomised controlled study of beetroot, watermelon and ginger juice cocktail in women undergoing ICSI treatment.  The researchers report to have found no miscarriages, and an increased implantation and clinical pregnancy rate in the group who took the cocktail.  Whilst the cocktail proposed seems a rather scrummy concoction, I fear this study may have reported something too good to be true.  The lack of any miscarriages in the study group would suggest that something is amiss, as unless a treatment can alter genetics, which this cocktail is not likely to, one would always expect a background level of miscarriage rate.”

Abstract title: ‘Beetroot, watermelon and ginger juice supplementation may increase the clinical outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles’ by Gabriela Halpern et al.

This is a conference abstract from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine scientific congress in Philadelphia, and is under embargo until 05:01 UK time on Monday 14 October 2019.

There is no paper as this is not published work.

Declared interests

Prof Ying Cheong: “No conflicts.”