The Exact Way Marijuana Affects Fertility

One thing that I get asked all time, is if marijuana affects fertility. While it’s not the same as smoking cigarettes, its use does impact sperm and egg health, and the culprit is THC.

The deets 

THC, the main psychoactive component in cannabis, disrupts normal hormone activity. It suppresses a hormone called GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) which then lowers the production of sex hormones in both men and women, specifically LH, FSH, prolactin and testosterone. THC gets stored in body fat, which is why it can take up to 2-4 weeks for it to fully leave the body, and why it can have such an impact. 

What does this mean for fertility?  

For the ladies, the hormones FSH and LH play a big role in maintaining regular periods. When a lower amount of these hormones are being made it can cause irregular cycles. This makes it more difficult to predict the fertile window. It can also lead to poorer egg quality and egg development.

For the fellas, the lower testosterone leads to making fewer sperm, having lower sex drive and can even cause erectile dysfunction. Sperm are more likely to be slower, be the wrong size or shape, and most importantly, be less able to fertilize an egg.

It’s fascinating to see these effects first-hand. When performing IUI’s for patients during my practice in Portland, OR we always looked at the sperm under a microscope. Sure enough, sperm from donors that used recreational marijuana swam much slower, some just turning in circles, and we’d often see ones that had two heads or tails! Healthy sperm samples showed super energized, well-formed sperm zooming across the field!  

So that’s why marijuana use is a no, but here’s a yes. 

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