Even the occasional use of recreational drugs by women and men may affect fertility and pregnancy in negative ways. Something to be aware of.
"When Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, its effects on human health were all over the news. ... researcher ... wondered how its consumption might affect female fertility. ... there was almost no information on the subject — though there was plenty of data on marijuana’s effects on pregnancy and male fertility.
Chemicals in cannabis may push eggs to become ready for fertilization. But this may come at a cost: more eggs with the wrong number of chromosomes, ... now report in a study published September 9 in Nature Communications.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana. It binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain. But these receptors are all over our bodies, including in our reproductive organs.
The receptors usually bind endocannabinoids, molecules naturally produced by the body and essential for normal bodily functions like the production of eggs and sperm. Consuming THC can affect cannabinoid receptors in the reproductive system. Many studies report that using cannabis decreases sperm count and motility. Men are usually told to avoid cannabis for at least three months before trying to conceive ..."
From the abstract:
"Cannabis consumption and legalization is increasing globally, raising concerns about its impact on fertility.
In humans, we previously demonstrated that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites reach the ovarian follicle.
An extensive body of literature describes THC’s impact on sperm, however no such studies have determined its effects on the oocyte.
Herein, we investigate the impact of THC on human female fertility through both a clinical and in vitro analysis.
In a case-control study, we show that follicular fluid THC concentration is positively correlated with oocyte maturation and THC-positive patients exhibit significantly lower embryo euploid rates than their matched controls.
In vitro, we observe a similar, but non-significant, increased oocyte maturation rate following THC exposure and altered expression of key genes implicated in extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammation, and chromosome segregation. Furthermore, THC induces oocyte chromosome segregation errors and increases abnormal spindle morphology. Finally, this study highlights potential risks associated with cannabis use for female fertility."
Cannabis impacts female fertility as evidenced by an in vitro investigation and a case-control study (open access)
Fig. 2: Impact of tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on oocyte maturation.
Fig. 4: Impact of tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on oocyte spindle morphology and ploidy status.
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