Does marijuana lower male fertility?
A study by Boston investigators, published in Human Reproduction, recently received some media attention when it suggested no adverse effects on semen parameters from exposure to marijuana. Indeed, sperm counts were higher in pot smokers than controls.
In reviewing this paper for HealthDay, a health-related website, Dennis Thomson interviewed some experts, including Norbert Gleicher, MD, CHR’s Medical Director and Chief Scientist. Like the other experts, Dr. Gleicher warned from overinterpreting results of this study, which was not very well controlled for so-called confounding factors, which in pot-smokers can be expected to be substantial.
At CHR we still believe that all pot (and, of course, other drugs) should be avoided during fertility treatments and in pregnancy. They are not worth the potential risks to babies.
This is a part of the February 2019 CHR VOICE.
Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS
Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.
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