Cannabis users produce sperm that are more mobile than others, but of lower quality.
- A spermatozoon is a mobile male reproductive cell (or gamete), involved in sexual reproduction.
- During fertilization, the sperm unites with an oocyte (female gamete) to form an egg cell, which will then develop into an embryo to give a new individual.
According to a new study published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Urology, men who smoke cannabis have more mobile sperm.
Abnormal morphology
To reach this conclusion, the researchers interviewed 409 men attending a Washington state fertility clinic about their cannabis use. A total of 174 of them said they had tried the drug at some point in their lives, and 17% of the cohort smoked cannabis regularly.
Compared to men who had never smoked in their life, cannabis users had more dynamic sperm. However, smokers produced less sperm, and were also twice as likely to have abnormal semen morphology. Interestingly, the presence of deformed sperm was even more common among former cannabis users, which the study authors say indicates “a delayed negative effect of marijuana on sperm morphology.” The researchers thus conclude that in the end, it is better that men wishing to have children do not smoke cannabis.
Conflicting studies
The assessment of the impact of cannabis on sperm quality differs between studies. For example, a search of 1,215 recreational drug users in Denmark found that regular cannabis use was associated with a 30% reduction in sperm count. But another survey of 662 men enrolled in a Massachusetts fertility clinic found instead that cannabis smokers tended to have higher sperm counts.
.
