Cannabis and Fertility; What's the Link?

We have some interesting news out of the scientific community today. The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health published the findings from a recent study on cannabis use and fertility and the results are not what you may have heard before.

It has often been reported that cannabis use is associated with diminished sperm counts. The University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences did a study led by Lani J. Burkman, PhD, director of andrology that found that stoned sperm often fail to complete the journey to fertilize an egg. "They're too fast, too early. Each individual sperm can maintain this swimming only so long, only several hours. Then it poops out. If it has run out of hyperactivation before it gets close to the egg, it will not fertilize. These sperm are going to burn out." Burkman says. 

Conflicting Findings

This more recent study looked at data from 4000 women and 1000 men, 12-14% of whom identified as cannabis users. The researchers found that there was no discernible difference between those who consumed cannabis and those who did not in terms of success rates for conceiving. Interestingly; men who reported to smoke pot more than once a week actually exhibited a 24% increase in the probability of conceiving children.