"I was gonna fertilize an egg, but then I got high..."
(Earth Times) UCSF researchers have identified an elusive molecular regulator that controls the ability of human sperm to reach and fertilize the egg, a finding that has implications on both treating male infertility and preventing pregnancy.
The new findings shed light on a number of previous conundrums, including how sperm cells that are quiescent in the male reproductive system get activated in the female reproductive tract and why marijuana and zinc affect sperm motility and male fertility, the researchers say.
The molecule in question, known as Hv1, operates as a pore in the outer membrane of the sperm cell that extrudes protons from the cell. Hv1 also was known to be inhibited by zinc.
Hv1 also is activated by endocannabinoid anandamide – a substance released by neurons and also the egg membrane. [Researchers] said this could explain the confusing results that have been found in exposing sperm to cannabinoids, such as those contained in marijuana.
Marijuana use has long been associated with male infertility, but some studies have shown increased sperm activity in this exposure. [Researchers] proposed that marijuana may mimic the endocannabinoid anandamide that is released by an egg cell, activating the Hv1 proton channel and causing the sperms to mobilize and burn out prematurely, while still in the male reproductive tract.
At NORML we are always going to bring you honest information about cannabis use, even if it is bad. If you’re trying to have a child, gentlemen, maybe it’s time to lay off the weed for a while. The research on marijuana and male fertility are mixed and we all know plenty of people who smoke lots of marijuana and manage to have children (Willie Nelson has had nine kids, for instance.) But if you’re really wanting the best odds on fathering a child, you probably shouldn’t smoke a lot of pot.
However, no matter what the real harms of marijuana may be, in a nation that accepts the health risks of tobacco and alcohol, there is no rational reason to ban adult cannabis use. As a legal substance we could get even more in-depth research on cannabis and better learn the real benefits and harms of marijuana.
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It just goes to show how a little bit of science can be used by the ESTABLISHMENT to pursue an agenda.
The bottom line, based on this very limited and weakly designed piece of research is that borderline fertile males who have fertility problems and smoke MJ may gain a grain of improvement by holding off on the MJ.
There are very few studies on the topic and most of them are poorly designed, some of them are obviously rigged for a certain result.
Anyone who smokes twice a day for 5 years probably has more than fertility issues. I’d like to see them test all the other compounds in smoke to determine how they affect fertility. I’m sure the benzene would have a much stronger effect than THC.
All the mainstream dishonesty makes me want to go smoke a joint.
I’ve been using weed successfully as birth control ever since my wife got her tubes tied, before that…not so much. as attested to by a family so large that you probably know one of them.
BTW- I don’t mean to get contentious or derail the subject. I just feel very passionate about this subject, and not even on a religious level.
To me, the nuts and bolts of my reasoning behind being pro-choice (or anti-abortion, or hate mongering bastard, depending on who you talk to I guess, ROFL)… Is that when we stop valuing human life in ANY WAY, we de-value human life of all forms. Whether it’s a fetus or an Iraqi. Whatever. Ya know. When solving a problem that was created by making a bad decision can ethically, morally and legally include destroying a human life.. Then that becomes a non-taboo issue. Destroying human life is an easy decision, when killing babies is so easy.
I am not saying “ban all abortions”. I am just saying that I don’t agree with, and I am opposed to killing a human life because of an un-planned pregnancy.
There are times when the mother and the baby are in jeopardy of death. I understand those situations.
And I can kind of sympathize with women who have been raped who want to destroy a human life. But the other side of me says “but even though the mother didn’t do anything wrong to get pregnant… Neither did the baby”.
I don’t want you to think Im a raving right wing lunatic, or Sara Palins special friend or something. Because those nutters scare me and I don’t want to be linked up with them.
But I do feel very strongly about respecting human life as much as we can. It allows our society to be o.k. with compassion for human life. When we devalue human life, I believe we as a society get desensitized to killing other humans…
Just a thought. And sorry again for all of the conversation about this non-pot topic.
Much love bro!
“You mean “terminating pregnancies and killing fetuses via abortion.” Babies have birthdays, Social Security Numbers, birth certificates, special jars of food, and tiny little clothes. If fetuses are “babies”, then we are all nine months older than our driver’s licenses say we are.”
They are human life, and no Im not just talking about human fetuses or whatever. Im also talking about babies that can live without being hooked up to the machines. These “partial birth abortions” where the baby can be full term, yet not born and still be destroyed.
http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/rollovers/animationpbaa.gif
But if we want to get into philosophies and ethics, and all that….Destroying human life shouldn’t be an option for birth control. There are plenty of other effective methods of birth control. In fact, each of our kids were planned. We had them at the exact times in our lives that we wanted them, and when we didn’t want kids after our first child for awhile, we used an IUD, works with something like 99.8% effectiveness. When we decided to have our second baby 3 years after the first one, we went to the OBGyn and had the IUD removed (the entire process was cheaper than an abortion)… Within 4 weeks Kimi suspected that she was prego. Indeed she was.
We prevented a conception with the IUD, and we invited conception effectively after having it removed.
Since most abortions are due to unplanned pregnancy. I say education is in order. Teaching simple things like “RESPONSIBILITY”..
Anyway. Enough of that subject, that can get deep.
“Sorry, but calling fetuses “babies” distorts the discussion from the facts of the matter, much like calling cannabis a “drug”. I’m not dismissing your apparently anti-abortion stance; plenty of reasonable people disagree on the issue and have honest moral reasons for disagreement.”
Again. Yes, I am opposed to abortion. But I am not just referring to “fetuses”. I am referring to human life in general. But these “partial birth abortions” really make me ill.
Anyway.
“Again, though I am rabidly pro-choice, I’m not demeaning your argument. I just cannot be consistent if I’m regularly calling out the hyperbole and mischaracterizations given by the prohibitionists to inflame and distort the issue of marijuana prohibition but not calling out propagandizing language in other issues.”
Well Im not offended. But I don’t agree with your assertion that all abortions are on “fetuses”. Many occur on late term babies as well.
Smoked pot for years before we had our first… and we had 4 more after that, plus a few miscarriages along the way… yep, it sure affected my sperm.
You mean “terminating pregnancies and killing fetuses via abortion.” Babies have birthdays, Social Security Numbers, birth certificates, special jars of food, and tiny little clothes. If fetuses are “babies”, then we are all nine months older than our driver’s licenses say we are.
Sorry, but calling fetuses “babies” distorts the discussion from the facts of the matter, much like calling cannabis a “drug”. I’m not dismissing your apparently anti-abortion stance; plenty of reasonable people disagree on the issue and have honest moral reasons for disagreement. However fetuses are no more “babies” than caterpillars are “butterflies”. Termination of a pregnancy results in the killing of a blastocyst, zygote, or fetus, depending on the time of the procedure, and you and many others may consider it morally repugnant, but it is nowhere on the level of abomination as the actual slaughter of real live diaper-wearing babies.
Again, though I am rabidly pro-choice, I’m not demeaning your argument. I just cannot be consistent if I’m regularly calling out the hyperbole and mischaracterizations given by the prohibitionists to inflame and distort the issue of marijuana prohibition but not calling out propagandizing language in other issues.
I know too many potheads with planned and unplanned childern to believe a report about sperm and pot. I have also heard, from a fertility docotor that cell phones, in your pocket can reduce sperm counts.
Since i already have two wonderful daughters, who are healthy, I will contiune to smoke and carry a cell phone in my pocket. And use birth control.
Our first child took over 1.5 years of trying to conceive her. I was stone cold sober then.
We planned our second child, got the birth control removed, and within 30 days we were pregnant.
We are trying for #3, we’ll see about that one. I smoke more herb now than I ever have in history.
Should be interesting.
But if cannabis safely reduces the population. I don’t think that is entirely a bad thing. I would rather people use non-lethal birth control, than slaughtering innocent babies via abortion.
And I have three kids (two of them fathered after testicular cancer) how?
What bugs me are the words ‘proposed’ and ‘may’ in the last paragraph. To what level what this observed? 20%, 50%, all sperm? Does a blunt act as a bug zapper in my crotch? And what about the ‘Marijuana use has long been associated with male infertility’ statement. I seem to be as fertile as the Nile after the rainy season. I can walk past my wife and she’s knocked up 5 minutes later. Would really like to hear Dr Earleywine’s interpretation of the data and other peer reviews before this is given a green light to scare guys with.
My God if we were to enact a prohibition on everything that can effect fertility I sure as hell wouldn’t be using this laptop that’s for sure..
I have waaaayyy too many “nieces” and “nephews” among my close circle to think that this factor ALONE can be enough to prevent pregnancy.
I have no kids, but thats only because I practice birth control (condoms, pill etc).
I don’t doubt the study’s honesty, but I do think that there is more to it than just that one factor.
ps i’m in my late twenties to give you a demographic and nearly all of my close circle consume MJ daily
Marijuana as birth control? Cool!
Tell my two kids.