Can smoking pot keep a woman from getting pregnant?

[Snapdragon]

I know this is a touchy subject but I did see a number of marijuana related threads on mdc so I thought I would give it a go.

What do people think about the possibilities of marijuana smoking in the women ( not the man) affecting her ability to conceive?

I have read that it has a lot of estrogen which can either mess with her hormones or with ovulation.

Yet I know a number of women who conceived in periods of their life where they were smoking.
.

Does anyone have personal experiences with this?
Thanks

[Mama Dragon]

I sure didn't have any problems conceiving #1 at 15 when I was a stoner. I imagine that it could cause problems in some problems in some people, but I think the only way to know for sure is to check hormone levels before the person starts smoking pot and then check them again after regular smoking.

[sojourn]

people have kids on weed. I can confirm w/certainty at least one.

[elspethshimon]

Dude...my mom smoked so much weed that she wasn't able to conceive so she used the power of her altered consciousness and willed me into existence.

[SleepyMamaBear]

i think its a bunch of malarky. i personally know that you can get pregnant (even if you have been told you CANT get pregnant at ALL) while partaking in mj.

[Hera]

I have never seen any evidence that this could be the case. I don't think phytoestrogens are that strong in general, and certainly not that strong in MJ.

[PJJ]

Mj

MJ has been linked to an increased incidence in ectopic pregnancies.

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/preg/a/blvu041026.htm

[Ruthla]

Keep in mind that our bodies are pretty complex. Some couples have trouble conceiving even when doing everything "right" while others conceive even when using 2 or more forms of contraception. Something that potentially LOWERS fertility isn't going to have that effect on everybody- and even if it does lower a woman's fertility, if her fertility is already very strong, lowering it a bit may not hinder her from getting pg. Maybe it will take her 2 months to get pg instead of one.

Just because women have conceived while using a lot of marijuana is NOT proof that marijuana doesn't affect female fertility. It just proves that it's not a reliable contraceptive.

[JessicaS]

No but there have been studies showing a LOT of pot can reduce a man's sperm count and make their sperm act stupid.

[Theia]

Originally Posted by elspethshimon

Dude...my mom smoked so much weed that she wasn't able to conceive so she used the power of her altered consciousness and willed me into existence.

:


Umm, yeah, I was using it as a back up to my other birth control and now I have a daughter! Best accident ever :

[CallMeMommy]

Psh, I know for a fact my mom was smoking pot on a regular basis AND on birth control when at least 2 out of the 3 of us were conceived.

[Autumn Breeze]

Originally Posted by elspethshimon

Dude...my mom smoked so much weed that she wasn't able to conceive so she used the power of her altered consciousness and willed me into existence.

:

Originally Posted by abimommy

No but there have been studies showing a LOT of pot can reduce a man's sperm count and make their sperm act stupid.

:

[sojourn]

uhh, abby, I'd like some firm facts on the husband being stupid. I mean, just in general. That was always my theory. on life in general. or on men. I digress. b/c that was always my safety clause. It wad'nt me. nopers. dopers ain't stoopit.

[Snapdragon]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Keep in mind that our bodies are pretty complex. Some couples have trouble conceiving even when doing everything "right" while others conceive even when using 2 or more forms of contraception. Something that potentially LOWERS fertility isn't going to have that effect on everybody- and even if it does lower a woman's fertility, if her fertility is already very strong, lowering it a bit may not hinder her from getting pg. Maybe it will take her 2 months to get pg instead of one.

Just because women have conceived while using a lot of marijuana is NOT proof that marijuana doesn't affect female fertility. It just proves that it's not a reliable contraceptive.

So Ruthla I think I hear you saying that pot may in fact lower fertility, especially for someone whose ferility wasn't that strong? Is this right?

I find it so confusing! On one hand, conceiving seems to be this oh so subtle and complex thing that can be so easilty thrown off by something like pot. Yet then, like you said, people get pregnant all the time with all kinds of stuff in their systems.
It is hard to sort out the truth about pot in this matter because there is so much anti pot propoganda out there.


But then would someone who, lets say, had a mostly fast food diet be less likely to conceive than a person who ate fresh organic home cooked food?

Are peopl who have "low fertility" neccesarily less healthy than those who can conceive?
Because just from looking at the outside of people it doesn't seem like this would be so.

[lunasmommy]

Originally Posted by abimommy

No but there have been studies showing a LOT of pot can reduce a man's sperm count and make their sperm act stupid.

Ok, now I'm visualizing super stoned sperm, swimming in circles. "dude, what were we suppose to be looking for?" :

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Katie34

So Ruthla I think I hear you saying that pot may in fact lower fertility, especially for someone whose ferility wasn't that strong? Is this right?

I've never actually studied this particular issue, or read studies on this issue. All the pot smokers I've met personally had given it up LONG before becoming parents- or they're not honest with me about their pot smoking.

I'm just pointing out the realities of statistics here- perhaps better summed up as "the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'." Several people have shared anecdotes of women conceiving while using marijuana. That means NOTHING about marijuana's effect on fertility. I can give you anecdotes about women conceiving after a tubal ligation as well, even though there's plenty of evidence that this is rare.

So yes, pot MIGHT lower fertility, or it might increase fertility, or it might have no effect on fertility whatsoever.

[Demeter9]

I don't know.

It does have estrogen like substances.

Some ops use estrogen/bcpills when growing it, which I'm sure could be incorporated into the plant and increase the plants compounds. Inhalation is a route into the body that is very direct, not leaving any room for your body to do much alteration on a substance. So direct inhaling of extra estrogen.....maybe.

[~Boudicca~]

Obviously anecdotal, but IME it didn't seem to have an effect on my fertility. I smoked on a pretty regular basis (several times a week for several years) before I found out I was pregnant with dd1. The one time we did not use protection was when I conceived her. And I was drunk and stoned at the time .

[Theia]

Originally Posted by Katie34

But then would someone who, lets say, had a mostly fast food diet be less likely to conceive than a person who ate fresh organic home cooked food?

I can honestly say that when my pregnancy happened, DP and I were eating almost exclusively home cooked organic meals.... we still do. It must have had something to do with camping out under the stars for 2 months....wait OMG, was it the organic food!?

Originally Posted by lunasmommy

Ok, now I'm visualizing super stoned sperm, swimming in circles. "dude, what were we suppose to be looking for?" :

OMG! : That really made me laugh! And I've been dry except for one single occasion for over a year!

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I've never actually studied this particular issue, or read studies on this issue. All the pot smokers I've met personally had given it up LONG before becoming parents- or they're not honest with me about their pot smoking.

I'm just pointing out the realities of statistics here- perhaps better summed up as "the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'." Several people have shared anecdotes of women conceiving while using marijuana. That means NOTHING about marijuana's effect on fertility. I can give you anecdotes about women conceiving after a tubal ligation as well, even though there's plenty of evidence that this is rare.

So yes, pot MIGHT lower fertility, or it might increase fertility, or it might have no effect on fertility whatsoever.

It's a shame that people don't feel that they can be honest about things in life. Seriously, when I conceived, DP and I were partaking daily, as well as having a few beers each night. We were living it up, camping in new places and eating great food cooked over the campfire. We didn't need anything more until my all-day sickness appeared. :Puke I vote that it is too individual and that nothing is true 100% of the time for 100% of the people.

Sorry if this is supposed to be a completely serious post.... I guess I am just reliving some of the 'days of yore'.

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by lunasmommy

Ok, now I'm visualizing super stoned sperm, swimming in circles. "dude, what were we suppose to be looking for?" :

Maybe they should make a movie.. 'Dude, Where's my Ovum?!?' :

Couldn't resist I have no serious answer though, sorry