Study Links โขTHC Exposure to Altered Egg Development,Raising โฃFertility Concerns
TORONTO – A new studyโข from the University of Toronto suggests detectable levels of THC may impact eggโฃ quality and fertility,despite appearing to increase eggโ maturation rates.Researchers โfound that whileโ THC exposure correlated with a higher percentage of mature eggs, these eggs were also more likely toโ have an โabnormal number of chromosomesโ – a critical factor for accomplishedโฃ embryo development.
The research, published recently, involved โคanalyzing immature eggs donated by women undergoing fertility treatment and laboratory experiments โคexposing eggs โขto THC for 24 hours. Results โshowed a rise in altered spindles, structural components vital for โคproper chromosome alignment, potentially hindering healthy embryo formation.
“Chromosomes need time to align perfectlyโข to be ready to be fertilized by sperm and create healthy embryos,” explained Cyntia Duval, the study’s lead author, inโค an interview โฃwith CNN. “So yes, we have โmore oocytes that โare mature, but atโ what price โคif they don’tโ have the right number ofโ chromosomes?”
Duval emphasized the findings are preliminary and do not โขestablish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship.”This is a hypothesis, and the worst thing I would want is for the public to read this โand become fearful,” she stated. “more studies are needed to verify our findings โand determine how or even ifโ the changes we observed affect reproduction.”
The study’s release coincides with aโ important โincreaseโ in cannabis use among pregnant women. Aโข Juneโข report indicatedโ past-month cannabis use in this demographic more than tripled in theโ U.S. between 2002 and โฃ2020.
Dr. Jamie Lo, an obstetrician and associate professor โขat Oregon โHealth & Science Universityโ in Portland, called โคthe study’s findings “concerning” and underscored the needโค for caution whenโ planning conception. “With this โขdata, these patients canโ consider reducingโ theโข amount of cannabis that they are using to mitigate adverse outcomes to their babies,” Lo told CNN.
Experts also point โคtoโ the โฃincreasing potencyโฃ of THC as a potential factor. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports THCโ concentrations โฃhave quadrupled between 1995 and 2022, with some cannabis โconcentrates now exceeding โข40% THC. Higher concentrations are linkedโ to increased risk of cannabis use disorder andโ other health issues.
lo advises patients to explore safer alternatives for symptom management or reduce cannabis frequency, given theโ difficulty in determining preciseโ THC levels in โฃavailable products.
Further information on cannabis use during pregnancy is available from the American Academy โof Family Physicians: โฃ https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2024/0700/cannabis-during-pregnancy.html.
