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Scientists in Canada have raised the alarm over negative health impact that marijuana could have on reproductive health, saying evidence has linked it with decreased sperm counts. The researchers at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada, said marijuana use hampered ovulation and reduced the odds of conception. This is coming on the heels of current developments in which marijuana also known as cannabis has become legalised in many states in the United States (US) where it is now being used for the treatment of several diseases.
There had also been suggestions that it could boost sperm count. However, previous studies have shown that cannabis could decrease sperm count. A 2011 study found that men who smoked marijuana more than once a week saw their total sperm count decrease by almost 30 per cent. Similarly, an October 2018 study that looked at semen samples from more than 400 men screened for infertility, found that men who had used cannabis at least once had less volume and a decreased motile count, meaning how sperm can move. In addition, the men were also at an increased risk of sperm that was abnormally shaped, which could affect its ability to reach and penetrate an egg. Although how marijuana affects sperm is not exactly understood, new research has shown cannabis may alter DNA, leading to worse sperm quality.
A normal sperm count ranges from 15 million sperm to more than 200 million sperm per milliliter (mL) ofsemen. Anything less than 15 million sperm per milliliter, or 39 million sperm per ejaculate, is considered low. Apart from the above, smoking cannabis could delay or prevent ovulation.
Ovulation is the release of eggs from the ovaries. In humans, this event occurs when the ovarian follicles rupture and release the secondary oocyte ovarian cells. After ovulation, the egg will be available to be fertilised by sperm. According to a 2007 study in the ‘Journal of Women’s Health,’ which looked at more than 200 women, occasional marijuana use was linked to menstrual cycle delays of up to three-and-a-half days. Another study found that moderate-to-heavy marijuana users were more likely to have anovulatory menstrual cycles, meaning no ovulation occurs.
Researchers believe that cannabis use may disrupt the release of gonadotropins, the hormones that stimulate the ovaries, and thereby affect menstrual cycles. However, Dr. Sara Ilnitsky, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at the Western University in Canada, also said that other lifestyle factors could be having an effect on fertility.
There had also been suggestions that it could boost sperm count. However, previous studies have shown that cannabis could decrease sperm count. A 2011 study found that men who smoked marijuana more than once a week saw their total sperm count decrease by almost 30 per cent. Similarly, an October 2018 study that looked at semen samples from more than 400 men screened for infertility, found that men who had used cannabis at least once had less volume and a decreased motile count, meaning how sperm can move. In addition, the men were also at an increased risk of sperm that was abnormally shaped, which could affect its ability to reach and penetrate an egg. Although how marijuana affects sperm is not exactly understood, new research has shown cannabis may alter DNA, leading to worse sperm quality.
A normal sperm count ranges from 15 million sperm to more than 200 million sperm per milliliter (mL) ofsemen. Anything less than 15 million sperm per milliliter, or 39 million sperm per ejaculate, is considered low. Apart from the above, smoking cannabis could delay or prevent ovulation.
Ovulation is the release of eggs from the ovaries. In humans, this event occurs when the ovarian follicles rupture and release the secondary oocyte ovarian cells. After ovulation, the egg will be available to be fertilised by sperm. According to a 2007 study in the ‘Journal of Women’s Health,’ which looked at more than 200 women, occasional marijuana use was linked to menstrual cycle delays of up to three-and-a-half days. Another study found that moderate-to-heavy marijuana users were more likely to have anovulatory menstrual cycles, meaning no ovulation occurs.
Researchers believe that cannabis use may disrupt the release of gonadotropins, the hormones that stimulate the ovaries, and thereby affect menstrual cycles. However, Dr. Sara Ilnitsky, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at the Western University in Canada, also said that other lifestyle factors could be having an effect on fertility.
