Marijuana and Impaired Fertility

"The weight of the evidence is that marijuana does affect sperm counts. [Though the odd use here and there is not likely to cause harm, with] heavy users it will definitely affect the quality of the sperm."
"The weight of the evidence is that marijuana probably has a negative impact not only for sperm counts but sperm function."
"[The male fertility effect is notable because] sperm is a very rapidly turning-over cell."
Dr. Victor Chow, clinical associate professor, University of British Columbia 

"The science of it is not very strong, I have to say, because we don't have that many clinical or experimental studies."
"Even though we may not have the strongest data on this, there's some evidence to support what I am saying [suspend marijuana use to conceive]."
Dr. Armand Zini, associate professor of urology, McGill University

"Regular marijuana smoking more than once per week was associated with a 28 percent ... lower sperm concentration and a 29 percent ... lower total sperm count after adjustment for confounders [such as additional factors like weight, smoking and time between the sample given and last ejaculation]."
"Our findings are of public interest as marijuana use is common and may be contributing to recent reports of poor semen quality."
2015 Danish study

Heavy pot smoking may lower your sperm count says a new study.(Photo: Jim Mone, AP)

There it is, studies that point to regular pot smoking leading sperm to become "more mellow and swimming in circles". Rather than aggressively seeking out their target resulting in conception. Studies have taken place to focus on lowered sperm counts, but Dr. Chow's new study appears to validate that marijuana affects sperm's motility, the manner in which it moves. With marijuana legalization on the near horizon in Canada, experts are focusing more directly on discussing the issues of sperm count and function.

The emerging consensus appears to be that heavy marijuana use can lead to immediately affecting sperm production in view of the fact that males produce new sperm every three months. Dr. Chow is at pains to point out that women too attempting to conceive should be aware that they should treat marijuana in the same cautious manner as they would other drugs, tobacco and alcohol, before and during pregnancy.

As far as Dr. Zini is concerned, in his research on male infertility he is committed to advising heavy marijuana users experiencing problems conceiving to cut back on their marijuana use in view of the growing evidence relating to the direct effect of pot use and lower sperm counts and their deteriorating quality. He is also anxious to see more clinical studies so that the issue can be more fully understood.

Herb.co

In the 2015 study undertaken in Denmark, with over 1,200 young men participating, allowed the researchers to determine that smoking marijuana more frequently than once weekly was definitely associated with lower sperm concentration and count. Clearly, not everyone is impressed with these findings and simply doesn't believe the conclusions. The owners of Cannabis Culture who advocate for marijuana appear to feel that Health Canada should remove lowered sperm count from its list of marijuana side effects.

Past studies often focused on THC, the mood elevating component in marijuana, while the complex cannabinoids in pot must also be brought into account, for the complex nature of the drugs may          aid men struggling with infertility. A specific cannabinoid receptor was tagged as a potential aid in triggering cannabinoid receptors enhancing sperm production, resulting from a 2015 study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

Disparate claims that only add to the confusion about cannabis use and fertility.  By triggering one element another may be impacted, pointing to the need to embark on further research elaborating on the characteristics of cannabis use, focusing on both its benefits and its hindrances to optimum human health.

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