Male mice given bhang (cannabis extract) daily for 36 days showed reduced sperm count, motility, and testosterone levels, with changes in testicular cannabinoid receptor expression.
Read this if you are interested in how cannabis may affect male fertility.
Sperm count, motility, and testosterone all declined after 36 days of cannabis
What the researchers found
Adult male mice received oral bhang (cannabis extract) at 3 or 6 mg/kg daily for 36 consecutive days. The chronic exposure produced multiple reproductive impairments.
Sperm count, viability, and motility all declined significantly. Circulating testosterone levels dropped due to reduced activity of a key steroidogenic enzyme (3-beta-HSD) in the testes.
The study also confirmed that CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and the endocannabinoid-degrading enzyme FAAH were present in mouse testes. Bhang exposure significantly altered the levels of these proteins.
Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed bhang directly affected testicular function by reducing luteinizing hormone receptor expression, suggesting effects beyond just hormonal disruption from the brain.
Why it matters
The study demonstrated that cannabis can directly affect testicular function through the endocannabinoid system, not just indirectly through hormonal disruption, expanding understanding of how cannabis affects male fertility.
The numbers in context
Bhang doses: 3 or 6 mg/kg/day for 36 days. Significant reductions in sperm count, viability, motility, and testosterone. Significant changes in CB1, CB2, and FAAH protein levels in testes.
How the study worked
Controlled animal study in adult male Parkes strain mice. Bhang administered orally at 3 or 6 mg/kg/day for 36 days. Sperm parameters, testosterone levels, enzyme activity, and protein expression measured by immunohistochemistry. In vitro testicular tissue exposure also performed.
What this study cannot tell us
Mouse model with oral bhang administration that may differ from human cannabis consumption patterns. Doses and duration may not be directly comparable to human use. Fertility outcomes (actual mating success) were not tested.
How to read the evidence
Controlled animal study with dose-response design and mechanistic investigation, but limited to mouse models.
When this study was published
Published in 2011. Research on cannabis and male reproductive health has continued.
The bigger picture
The presence of cannabinoid receptors in testicular tissue and their alteration by chronic cannabis exposure suggested a direct pathway through which cannabis could affect male reproductive health.
Questions still open
- Are these reproductive effects reversible after cannabis cessation? Do similar changes in testicular cannabinoid receptors occur in human cannabis users?
Common questions
Can cannabis affect male fertility?
Does cannabis lower testosterone?
Read the original research
Effects of chronic bhang (cannabis) administration on the reproductive system of male mice.
Birth defects research. Part B, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, 92(3), 195-205
Citation
Banerjee, Arnab; Singh, Ajit; Srivastava, Puneet; Turner, Helen; Krishna, Amitabh. (2011). Effects of chronic bhang (cannabis) administration on the reproductive system of male mice.. Birth defects research. Part B, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, 92(3), 195-205. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdrb.20295
Explore the wider topic
- How to Talk to Your Teenager About Weed (Without Losing Them)
- My Kid's Friends Smoke Weed: A Parent's Guide
- I Smoke Weed But Don't Want My Kids To: Navigating the Hypocrisy
- Quitting Weed as a Parent: Why It Is the Hardest and Most Important Quit
- Quitting Weed as a Teen or Young Adult
- My Kid Is Smoking Weed: A Parent's Guide