Nutritional supplement may boost fertility

Couples struggling to conceive naturally but unable to afford IVF can try a cheaper alternative by taking part in a three-month study using a nutritional supplement which claims to boost fertility.

While couples will have to pay €1,000 to take part, those running the study say they would pay twice as much if they had to cover the cost of diagnostic tests fertility clinics perform in an effort to determine the cause of their infertility.

Pillar Healthcare, the Wexford-based company that produces the supplement, which is called ‘pre-Conceive’, said they were not required to obtain approval from the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) to carry out the study because their product is food-based. Clinical trials in Ireland must be authorised by the IMB and have the approval of an ethics committee.