Wouldn’t it be great if THC was safe when trying to conceive and through pregnancy? It would be even better if it had a positive effect on fertility and pregnancy. For me, it would be like finding out Diet Coke extends your life.  

Sadly, THC is not good. A research group in Oregon has been examining the impact of THC on female fertility, male fertility, and on pregnancy and the newborn in both humans and non-human primates.

Their work was presented this week at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) annual meeting. They noted that, short term, THC use by males trying to conceive is likely not harmful, but long term (> 3 months of regular use) is certainly harmful: decreased testicular volume, decreased sperm concentration, and decreased sperm motility. Their work also identified genetic changes in the sperm that may be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders in their children.

On the pregnancy side, the use of THC while pregnant increases the risk of high blood pressure in the mother and the fetus is more likely to be growth restricted, born premature, and spend time in the NICU. There is also concern about the child’s future neurodevelopment.

People who take THC in pregnancy likely do so to help with pain, depression, anxiety, nausea, or just for fun. There are other treatments for these issues that have been studied and been proven to be safe in pregnancy, so there should be no medical need for THC in pregnancy. It’s a risk that we can reduce by avoiding all THC-containing products in pregnancy.

It is also known the (cis-) females trying to conceive also should not take THC as it alters their pituitary hormone function which can disrupt ovulation. 

It’s quite clear that while trying to conceive people should not consume THC and they should also not use it during pregnancy.

What about CBD?

We do not know if CBD is a problem. CBD formulations vary greatly. Some consumer reports suggest that when people buy CBD almost 50% of the time it also contains THC, without the consumer knowing. Further several CBD products are contaminated with lead, arsenic, plastics, and other materials that make it hard to identify whether the harm from its use is due to CBD or some other product.