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- A new study from Duke University found that people who use cannabis, the plant marijuana is derived from, may have lower sperm concentrations than those who do not use cannabis.
- Sperm concentration is one factor that affects to a person's ability to conceive, so a lower concentration could make it more difficult to have a child, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- The study's authors said low sperm concentration from cannabis use might be hereditary, but more research still needs to be done.
Cannabis, the plant that marijuana comes from, can affect the body in a number of ways, including sperm concentration, a new study from Duke University found.
The small study, which looked at the sperm of 37 men who either used or did not use cannabis, concluded that use of the substance can significantly change a person's sperm concentration. The study also looked at how cannabis use affected ejaculation, semen volume, semen pH, and motility, and found that the substance did not create a significant change in these categories.
"What we have found is that the effects of cannabis use on males and their reproductive health are not completely null, in that there's something about cannabis use that affects the genetic profile in sperm," Scott Kollins, a senior author of the study, said in a statement.
Sperm concentration affects a person's ability to conceive, so a lower concentration could make it more difficult to have a child
Sperm concentration, along with other factors like sperm motility and testosterone levels, can affect a person's ability to conceive a child, according to the Mayo Clinic. So the study's findings suggest a person who uses cannabis may have more difficulty conceiving than someone who does not use cannabis.
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This factor is important because if fewer sperm are present in a person's semen, there is a decreased chance that a sperm will reach an egg and fertilize it. According to the Mayo Clinic, a low sperm count or concentration means a person has fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen. To determine a person's sperm count, doctors must look at semen under a microscope on two separate occasions for accuracy purposes, the Mayo Clinic explained.
There's a chance genetic sperm changes from cannabis use could be hereditary, but more research needs to be done
Since sperm concentration can greatly affect a person's reproductive abilities, the study's authors also looked at the potential for this trait to be passed from a cannabis user down to their offspring. Based on previous studies about cigarette smokers' ability to pass on certain traits, they found that there is a chance cannabis users who have genetically changed sperm might cause their children to also have genetically changed sperm.
Read more: The FDA has approved the first ever marijuana-based drug
Since the sample size of the study was relatively small, however, more research must be done to understand how cannabis affects sperm and "to determine the potential for the methylation changes to be transmitted inter- and trans-generationally," the study's authors wrote.
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- Read more:
- 11 things that can decrease your sperm count and quality
- 21 foods you're eating that could be killing your sex drive
- 6 of the most popular strains of marijuana and what they're prescribed for
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