Smoking Weed While Trying to Conceive? Marijuana Use Linked to Infertility

Male pot smokers across the globe sighed a breath of relief after learning that smoking the wacky tobacky could possibly lead to higher sperm counts.

But don’t pop the champagne just yet! A newer study conducted by Dr. Jorge Hallak, MD, of the University of Sao Paulo presented a study at the American Urological Association annual meeting that smoking weed, in fact, does the opposite.

So for our male readers out there who smoke marijuana recreationally, if you plan on having children in the future, perhaps you need to put out the reefer and continue reading.

Via GIPHY

Fertility or Infertility? Which Is It?!

How exactly did two polar-opposite results on the study of marijuana use and fertility in men come to being?

Simple: advanced technology.

Dr. Hallak’s long-term research on the subject utilized technology that advanced over the course of the study. The tools provided to him were able to paint a clearer picture regarding sperm count and quality on his team’s test subjects.

Additionally, apart from the control group, the smoker group, and the infertile group, participants of the study were limited to cannabis users and excluded users of products containing cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and more than a hundred other types.

Ultimately, it’s safe to say that Dr. Hallak’s findings hold significantly more weight in modern understandings of how marijuana use can lead to infertility in men.

Surprising Findings

This study, which shook up the urology world so much, also found that the semen quality of the self-reported cannabis user group was equivalent to that of the infertile group.

Yeah… Let that sink in for a moment:

There's no noticeable difference between sperm count and size between those who are smoking weed while trying to conceive, and infertile men. 

But here’s the kicker.

Not only does marijuana use lead to slow swimmers, but it also plays a major role in inflammation, erectile dysfunction, and oxidative stress.

Oxidative Stress?!

You didn’t read that wrong.

Also, this isn’t new information as the medical world has known about it for at least twenty years. Marijuana smoke and oxidative stress go hand in hand.

Consuming THC-laced produces leads to an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which, in turn, causes cell DNA damage, sperm fragility, and motility defects. Mix the three together and you have yourself a classic case of infertility.

And for the ladies out there...

Don’t think you’re safe from oxidative stress-induced infertility. Oxidative stress – either caused by marijuana use or otherwise – can affect your embryo and fertilization rate.

But there’s a silver lining.

Molecular hydrogen supplements have been proven to exhibit anti-oxidative stress effects.

Still, you should refrain from smoking marijuana in order to enjoy the full, life-changing effects of molecular hydrogen.

Does Marijuana Kill Sperm Cells?

A question as old as time.

(Or at least, as old as however long people have been smoking marijuana recreationally for).

Many might believe that marijuana smoke travels down to the testicles and begins opening fire on any sperm cell it comes across, but this is not entirely true.

Some studies have shown that male marijuana users actually have higher sperm counts than their non-smoking counterparts.

But here’s the thing.

Even if the sperm count of marijuana smokers is sky-high, the damage has already been done to the sperm’s cellular structure. Both quality and quantity contribute to successful fertilization, so a high number of slow swimmers does not mean much.

To Sum Up…

It’s time to add infertility onto the list of ill effects of marijuana use.

If you plan on raising a family of your own in the near future, you need to give the drug up.

It may sound hard, but if you don’t, other things may fail to grow hard – if you catch our drift…