Can Smoking Marijuana Lead to Infertility in Men? Effects on Sperm Health

Marijuana or cannabis can give you a 'high' anytime, but you already know that, isn't it? What you are less likely to know is that marijuana can give all you men out there a low in another important aspect of your life: fertility. Yes, smoking marijuana leads to infertility in men. Read on to know how marijuana paves the way for male infertility.

Smoking Marijuana Reduces the Sperm Count

Low sperm count in men is considered to be one of the major causes of infertility. A regular smoker of marijuana is at a very high risk of having low sperm count as the weed interferes with the sperm production process. According to a recent research, smoking cannabis more than once a week is enough to bring down the sperm count by almost a third. This clearly indicates that smoking cannabis cause infertility.

Use of Marijuana Impacts Sperm Morphology

Sperm morphology refers to the size and shape of sperm. Smoking marijuana may cause sperm abnormality by affecting their quality and shape. The weed can interfere with the way the DNA is packaged within the sperm cells and can lead to changes in their shape and size. Sperm having abnormal morphology lose their ability to swim as much as normal sperm do. This makes it harder for the abnormally shaped sperm to reach an egg and fertilize it.

Smoking Weed Affects Sperm Motility

Sperm motility or the ability of the sperm cells to swim around is another fertility factor that gets affected by marijuana. The sperm cells of a marijuana smoker display an abnormal activity pattern. The sperm cells of a non-smoker swim slowly and conserve energy so as to reach the egg and fertilise it. But those of a marijuana smoker become hyperactive at the beginning and tire out quickly. As such, they become ineffective by the time they reach the egg, risking fertility in the marijuana smokers.