shot-button
Maharashtra Elections 2024 Maharashtra Elections 2024
Home > Lifestyle News > Health And Fitness News > Article > Marijuana use may not affect fertility say study

Marijuana use may not affect fertility, say study

Updated on: 24 January,2018 12:14 PM IST  |  New York
IANS |

Marijuana use -- by either men or women -- does not lower a couple's chances of becoming parent, finds a study challenging previous theories

Marijuana use may not affect fertility, say study

Marijuana use may not affect fertility, say study


New York: Marijuana use -- by either men or women -- does not lower a couple's chances of becoming parent, finds a study challenging previous theories. While marijuana is one of the most widely used recreational drugs among individuals of reproductive age, it has also long been promoted as an effective treatment for a range of medical conditions, including epilepsy and chronic pain.


Previous studies have also shown that marijuana use has adverse effects on male fertility as it lowers sperm count and quality, and smoking the weed impacts both egg quality and a woman's menstrual cycle.


The new study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, demonstrated that there was no link between fecundability -- the average per-cycle probability of conception -- and marijuana use.

Marijuana has been legalised for recreational purposes in nine states of the US.

"Given the increasing number of states legalising recreational marijuana across the nation, we thought it was an opportune time to investigate the association between marijuana use and fertility," said lead author Lauren Wise, Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).

While animal studies have indicated that the risk for miscarriage increases if marijuana is used early in pregnancy, some associations have been found between marijuana use during pregnancy and future developmental and hyperactivity disorders in children.

For the study, the team had surveyed 4,194 women aged 21 to 45 living in the US or Canada from 2013 through 2017.

After 12 cycles of follow-up, conception probabilities were found to be similar among couples that used marijuana and those that did not.

However, the questions about the effects of marijuana use still remain, as classifying people correctly according to the amount of marijuana used, especially when relying on self-reported data, is challenging, the researchers said.

"Future studies with day-specific data on marijuana use might better be able to distinguish acute from chronic effects of marijuana use, and evaluate whether effects depend on other factors," Wise said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, current affairs from Mumbai, local news, crime news and breaking headlines here

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go

The content/reporting displayed on our website www.mid-day.com is provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, by us from third party, agencies, sources, without any verification from our side. It may contain error, bugs and other limitations. The reader's can rely on the content at their own will. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, data, text, images, video, messages, or any other material whatsoever or for any claims/loss/action that the reader may suffer as a result of relying on the content on our site. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!


Mid-Day Web Stories

Mid-Day Web Stories

This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. OK