Improvement in sperm quality and reduction of DNA fragmentation with bee pollen supplementation: a case report

Abstract

Background: Infertility is a private, social and economic problem. It is defined as the inability to conceive within one year of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Some natural antioxidants can improve sperm quality and help infertile patients. We report a patient with idiopathic infertility who had been trying to conceive for eight years with no success.<br />Case Presentation: A 32-year-old non-smoker, overweight man, was referred from an urologist due to oligospermia. His infertility was diagnosed as idiopathic. He had been trying to have a child for eight years, had received antioxidant supplements for the first five years. Bee pollen in powder form was prepared and administered to the patient for two months. After intervention, all semen parameters except motility (grade d) increased. The inflammatory markers decreased due to supplementation. There was also an increase in testosterone level and a decrease in FSH, LH and prolactin levels following the eight-week treatment period. Moreover, sperm DNA fragmentation reduced from 32.4% to 12.7%.<br />Conclusion: Bee products have been used as medicinal substances since the ancient times. Bee pollen is rich in flavonoids, some of which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, we have shown that the spouse of a patient with idiopathic infertility can become pregnant after he received supplementation with bee pollen.