Study design
miscarriage, loss of gestational sacs before 20 weeks’
MISCARRIAGE
This prospective randomized study enrolled 436 female patients undergoing ICSI
cycles from January/2018 to June/2021, in a private university-affiliated IVF
center. Female patients were randomized in a 1:3 ratio to either Control (n=109)
or Supplementation Group (n=327). All patients received nutritional orientation
before the beginning of the treatment. Participants in the Supplementation Group
were instructed to intake a daily dose of homemade juice, prepared with fresh
beetroot, watermelon and ginger, from the day of embryo transfer until the day
of pregnancy test, while patients in Control Group did not follow the juice
protocol. The impact of juice supplementation on the clinical outcomes of ICSI
was investigated.Clinical pregnancy was defined as the presence of a gestational sac that could be
visualized using ultrasound 4-6 weeks after embryo transfer, and miscarriage was
defined as pregnancy with a total loss of gestational sacs before 20 weeks’
gestation.Written informed consent was obtained, in which patients agreed to share the
outcomes of their own cycles for research purposes, and the study was approved
by the local institutional review board.