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What We Know About Marijuana’s Effect on Sperm

What We Know About Marijuana's Effect on Sperm

Health

What We Know About Marijuana’s Effect on Sperm

Our understanding of what cannabis does to the human body is rapidly changing, and this is specially true when it comes to what science knows about marijuana and sperm.

One of the classic bits of “folk wisdom” about marijuana is that guys should be careful smoking pot because it could lower sperm counts.

But is this claim really true, or is it mostly pop science?

Recent scientific studies are helping us learn more about what marijuana does to sperm—and you might be surprised by what scientists are discovering.

In one study, scientists looked at data from 1,215 Danish men between the ages of 18 and 28. The researchers also interviewed the men about their drug use.

They found that 45% of the men had smoked marijuana within the previous three months.

Those who smoked more than once per week had sperm counts that were 28% lower than those who didn’t. And those who combined marijuana with other drugs had counts that were 52% lower.

There have also been studies suggesting that THC could disrupt the actual fertility of sperm. Some researchers have even said that when a woman uses cannabis, the THC in her system could negatively affect the fertility of any sperm that enters her body.

But there is also some new research being done that could dramatically change the perception of how marijuana affects sperm.

A brand new study suggests that marijuana could actually be used to help make men more fertile.

The study found that one of the mechanisms that controls and regulates the production of sperm is a cannabinoid receptor called CB2.

To study how this receptor impacts sperm production, scientists looked at three groups of mice. One group was given a CB2 activator. Another was given a CB2 inhibitor. And the third was given a saline solution.

The mice that were given the CB2 activator had an acceleration in sperm production. The mice that were given the CB2 inhibitor had a decrease in production, and nothing really changed for the mice with the saline solution.

After analyzing this data, researchers said that it could be possible to treat male infertility by activating the CB2 cannabinoid receptor.

And since cannabis contains the cannabinoid chemicals that “communicate” with the body’s cannabinoid system, this could be a brand new frontier in what’s possible with medical marijuana.

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