When it comes to the effects of cannabis use, stereotypes still abound—especially stereotypes about how weed affects your sex life. Some people assume that because weed can keep you calm (and maybe even sap your motivation entirely), marijuana equates to a lowered libido. Others swear that weed gets them ramped up for some bedtime acrobatics.
So: What’s the deal? Does marijuana make you a lazy lover, or a stallion ready to go? We did some research to uncover five ways cannabis affects your sex life.
Contrary to what you may think, using cannabis regularly is actually associated with having more sex. A recent Stanford study found that despite many doctors’ concerns that marijuana can dull your libido, people who used cannabis were having sex more frequently. The study, which examined a survey of 50,000 Americans between the ages of 25 and 45, found a strong correlation between marijuana use and an uptick in the amount of sex they were having.
Weed may increase sexual desire
Why are people who smoke pot having more sex? Because there’s evidence that marijuana raises your sexual appetite. There is some scientific evidence that marijuana is directly affecting areas of the body that may account for the rise in sexual arousal.
For one thing, endocannabinoids exist naturally in the body. The THC and CBD present in weed mimic these endocannabinoids and can trigger, or suppress, certain natural bodily reactions.
“There have been animal studies showing that stimulation of the CB1 receptor (which THC stimulates) increases sexual response, says Chen. “From human studies, we know that endocannabinoids are involved in the sexual response.” But while these studies have shown that weed can stimulate the libido, other studies have found it does the opposite, specifically for men. As such, even if studies do exist, it’s hard to make a concrete recommendation either way. “There’s some contradictory evidence as to whether they increase or decrease the sexual response,” Chen points out.
Marijuana may decrease sexual function
With the good comes the bad, and while marijuana may increase your desire to have sex, it could have some adverse effects on your, er, plumbing. A review of several studies dealing with cannabis and sexuality found a fairly strong link between marijuana and increased sexual desire for women, but also found that marijuana could have detrimental effects to a man’s erectile function. The review also found that THC consumption had a small link to a decline in testosterone (although the decline apparently didn’t affect sexual desire) and suppression of gonadotropin, a hormone that acts on the testes.
“It is thought that the impacts of cannabis on sex vary between gender, and may increase sexual desire but hinder sexual function,” says Chen. However, he highlights some difficulties with studying cannabis’s effect on sexual function: “A host of other psychological, biological, and social variables are constantly in play with sexual behavior. Studies on the matter are prone to bias due to some discomfort around talking about sex and the subjective experience sex entails.”
Marijuana could lower sperm count
Unfortunately, there is truth to the age-old story that marijuana kills sperm. Several studies have found a link between marijuana usage and lowered sperm count and sperm survival.
“The CB1 receptor has been found in the sperm head and within the mitochondria of the sperm, which is a potential means by which cannabinoids can interact with sperm,” Chen explains. “Observational studies have found a correlation between cannabis use and reduced sperm production or survival, and animal and human studies have found that administration of THC or cannabis extract was toxic to the cells that matured into sperm. It seems that THC’s toxicity to these cells may be due to disruption of cell signaling across the membrane.”
So while cannabis won’t adversely affect your libido, if you’re trying to have a baby, then you should definitely avoid marijuana, particularly marijuana containing high levels of THC.
BY ELIZABETH YUN (muscleandfitness)