New Study Looks at Cannabis and Fertility

A recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has revealed that cannabis consumption by both men and women does not negatively impact fertility.

According to a press release, this is the first study to evaluate cannabis and the per-cycle probability of becoming pregnant, otherwise known as fecundity. The study was deemed important because cannabis consumption is widespread, and many claim that it lowers fertility or makes it harder for couples to have babies, either by lowering sperm count or making women less fertile.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Lauren Wise, who is a professor of Epidemiology, believes that now was the perfect time to conduct such a study. “Given the increasing number of states legalizing recreational marijuana across the nation, we thought it was an opportune time to investigate the association between marijuana use and fertility,” she said.

The researchers targeted couples in stable relationships  and of prime age to reproduce. It also specifically looked at healthy people who were not on infertility medication. It found that conception probabilities in couples that consumed cannabis were the same as in couples that did not. However, the study admitted that it still was not as specific as it could be, given that it did not account for how often those studied used cannabis. “Future studies with day-specific data on marijuana use might better be able to distinguish acute from chronic effects of marijuana use, and evaluate whether effects depend on other factors,” the study explained.

Of course, cannabis is known to act as an aphrodisiac, but prospective parents are advised to abstain once they do become pregnant. Once more analysis is done on cannabis and fertility, there will be a better understanding of how those who medicate and consume cannabis can keep imbibing safely, and this study is a strong first step.