We know that the use of marijuana during pregnancy seriously affects the health of the fetus, but also before pregnancy we should avoid using this drug if we are trying to stay in condition. Marijuana use reduces both male and female fertility.
In the case of women, the frequent use of this drug in the long term could significantly increase the chances of infertilid due to menstrual problems. Marijuana use could stop ovulation, according to the results of a series of studies. It is estimated that the psychoactive substance THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) contained in marijuana would suppress the function of the hypothalamus, inhibiting normal hormonal functioning.
In the case of men, marijuana can cause:
- Adverse effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems, especially the decrease in sperm quality.
- Testosterone reduction
- Sexual impotence
According to several studies, marijuana smokers significantly reduce the amount of sperm: approximately half of sperm can be obtained per semen volume than men who do not smoke it.
A recent study conducted by Yuriy Kirichok of the University of California, San Francisco and published in the "Cell" magazine seems to have found the explanation of the mechanism by which marijuana has been linked to male infertility: its active component would accelerate the mechanism of sperm movement, which occurs physiologically once inside the female genital tract.
But the sperm must remain immobile during their passage through the reproductive tract so as not to wear out and reduce their chances of reaching the egg. So that cannabinoids, molecules present in marijuana, would wear down the mechanism of sperm metabolism and reduce their stored energy long before being deposited in the vagina, thereby reducing their chances of reaching the egg.
This study sheds a little more light on the male causes of infertility in relation to marijuana. In any case, to increase the chances of conceiving, both partners should refrain from practicing bad healthy habits, including drug use such as marijuana that reduces fertility in both women and men.
