WEED AND SPERM

Smoking weed affects your sperm and it’s not exactly for the better, but please don’t shoot the messenger here…

I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but several studies have suggested that cannabis does in fact affect the overall health of sperm.

A 2015 Danish study of over 2,000 males aged 18-28 found that those who smoked cannabis more than once a week had 28 percent lower sperm concentration and 29 percent lower total sperm count.

Those who used cannabis more than once a week alongside other recreational substances had a 52 percent lower sperm concentration and 55 percent lower total sperm count.

But WHY is this happening?

Well, a group of researchers observing 15 male patients who were undergoing germ cell tumor removal from their testicles took samples of healthy tissue surrounding the tumors and found the endocannabinoid system was active in the testicles!

Meaning endocannabinoids - like anandamide - or phytocannabinoids like THC + CBD- are synthesizing and breaking down within the testicles

So what’s it doing to sperm? Scientists aren’t positive yet, but the idea is that too much cannabis can “overload” the endocannabinoid system in the testes and effect human testicular function.

This has been a major discovery, as the endocannabinoid system has been shown to play a major role in the physiology of the nervous system and shown to influence metabolism in male bodys-- but its impact on reproductive organs had not been thoroughly elucidated.

Now it’s pretty clear that the endocannabinoid system is an important component of male gonads -- similarly to the female reproductive system!

All of this is not to say that cannabis use will decrease fertility -- moreover that cannabis does in fact have a definitive effect on sperm. And if you’re looking to make a baby, consuming cannabis regularly may have an impact on your results.