Selenium Supplementation and the Effects on Reproductive Outcomes, Biomarkers of Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Placebo-controlled interventional study in women aged 18-40 years with polycystic ovary syndrome meeting Rotterdam criteria and undergoing infertility assessment/treatment in Ardabil, Iran. The active selenium arm included women with PCOS who were maintained on their usual diet and physical activity during the 8-week study period.

The active intervention was oral selenium yeast, 200 μg daily as a tablet for 8 weeks. Participants in the selenium group also received metformin, with placebo used for comparison in the control arm.

Selenium supplementation was associated with better reproductive and selected inflammatory/oxidative stress outcomes in women with PCOS. In the selenium group, pregnancy rate was 18.8% (6/32) versus 3.1% (1/32) in placebo, p = 0.04; alopecia was 40.6% versus 9.4%, p = 0.004; and acne was 46.9% versus 12.5%, p = 0.003. DHEA decreased from 2.01 ± 0.80 to 1.65 ± 0.85, p = 0.02; hs-CRP decreased from 2 184.06 ± 2 693.84 to 1 472.70 ± 1 444.43, p = 0.02; and MDA decreased from 4.95 ± 1.25 to 4.81 ± 1.36, p = 0.01. No significant changes were seen for NO, TAC, GSH, or several other hormonal/oxidative stress markers. The authors concluded selenium may be beneficial for pregnancy outcomes and some clinical and biomarker measures in PCOS.

The intervention period was short at 8 weeks and the active arm sample size was small (32 participants). The study was conducted at a single center in Iran, which may limit generalizability. Several biochemical outcomes were unchanged, and some findings were attenuated after adjustment for age and BMI.