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Marijuana smoking may increase sperm count
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Men who had ever smoked marijuana had significantly higher sperm concentrations than men who did not, according to findings recently published in Human Reproduction.
Most prior studies evaluating marijuana’s impact on sperm count were limited by using a cohort of men with a history of drug abuse, according to Feiby Nassan, ScD, MBBCH, MSc, a postdoctoral research fellow within the department of environmental health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and colleagues.
Another previous study concluded that men who smoked marijuana more than once a week had significantly lower sperm counts, but significantly higher serum testosterone concentrations, they added.
In the new study, researchers analyzed 1,143 semen samples collected from 662 men (mean age, 36.3 years; mean BMI, 27.5 kg/m2) over a period of 17 years who were subfertile. Of the men studied, 88% were white, 84% had a university degree and 94% did not currently smoke tobacco. Researchers also analyzed 317 men’s blood samples to measure reproductive hormones.
Nassan and colleagues found that the 365 men who had ever smoked marijuana had significantly higher sperm concentration (62.7 million/mL; 95% CI, 56-70.3 million/mL) than men who had never smoked marijuana. In addition, marijuana smokers, regardless of whether they were current or past smokers, had significantly lower follicle stimulating hormone concentrations than never marijuana smokers (16%; 95% CI, 27 to 4).
“These findings are not consistent with a deleterious effect of marijuana on testicular function,” Nassan and colleagues wrote. “Whether these findings are reflective of the previously described role of the endocannabinoid system in spermatogenesis or a spurious association requires confirmation in further studies.” – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.