Researchers show that sperm counts are higher in marijuana consumers
Previous studies have cautioned that marijuana consumption, due to the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, could be hazardous to the male sperm. However, the research wasn’t able to positively identify whether or not these complications would be passed on to the baby. Now, a new study is showing that cannabis might actually be useful when trying to conceive.
Scientists studied sperm counts from 662 men who had visited a fertility clinic with their partner. In analyzing the data, they discovered that those participants who indicated they consumed marijuana had higher sperm counts than their non-consuming counterparts.
As has become the standard caveat, though, the researchers added, “These unexpected findings highlight how little we know about the reproductive health effects of marijuana, and in fact of the health effects of marijuana in general. Our results need to be interpreted with caution and they highlight the need to further study the health effects of marijuana use.”
According to the study, marijuana consumers showed 62.7 million sperm per milliliter (million/mL), while the non-consumers only had 45.4 million/mL.
While the findings are interesting, they’re not conclusive. It would be wise to not jump the gun and begin consuming in hopes of producing a baby until more research is made available. The scientists added, “An equally plausible interpretation is that our findings could reflect the fact that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to engage in risk-seeking behaviours, including smoking marijuana.”
