A few months ago, an American study showed that the consumption of cannabis did not decrease fertility. A new study by harvard university (United States) shows that it would even tend to increase it. This study, published in Human reproductionsuggests that men who have used marijuana at some point in their life have significantly higher sperm concentrations compared to men who have never smoked it.
A study of nearly 700 men
“This unexpected discovery shows how little we know about the effects of marijuana on reproductive health.” underlines Pr Jorge Chavarro, main author of the study. “However our results must be interpreted with caution” he warns.
For this study, the researchers collected, between 2000 and 2017, 1,143 semen samples from 662 men with an average age of 36 years. They also asked them if they had ever smoked more than two joints or an equivalent amount of marijuana in their life or if they still smoked it. 44% said they had smoked marijuana in the past and 11% said they were current smokers.
62.7 million sperm per ml of semen
Analysis of semen samples showed that men who had smoked marijuana had average semen concentrations of 62.7 million sperm per milliliter while men who had never smoked had average concentrations of 45, 4 million sperm per milliliter.
The study also found that among marijuana smokers, increased use was associated with testosterone levels higher.
According to Dr. Faiby Assan, main author of the study, two interpretations of the results are possible: “the first being that low levels of marijuana use could benefit the sperm productiondue to its effect on the endocannabinoid system, which is known to play a role in fertility “ she explains. “The second being that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including smoke marijuana. “
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