by Women who want to get pregnant should not use cannabis. This is the conclusion of a new study in which the influence of the substance and its active ingredient -Thc for female fertility and artificial fertilization were examined. The researchers found that cannabis can both influence both negatively because it disturbs the development and stability of the egg cell.
During the in Vitro fertilization (IVF), egg and sperm are brought together in a laboratory. The authors examined both the effects of THC on isolated human eggs in the laboratory and the IVF results of patients with demonstrable THC in their follicular liquid. This is the liquid in the ovary that surrounds the egg in which the detectable THC consumed the woman before or during the IVF cycle cannabis and that the THC reached the egg cell environment.
The study was carried out by a team that was supervised by Cynia Duval Create Fertility Center in Toronto, Canada, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Toronto and other institutions of Cyntia Duval Creatity Center in Toronto. A total of 1,059 women who were subjected to IVF, 62 of whom were tested positively for THC.
The rates of egg ripening, fertilization and blastocyst development were examined in THC-positive patients. The blastocyst is the stage of development in which the eggs in the uterus are implanted, which is particularly important for successful pregnancy.
The study also analyzed possible errors in cell division and the likelihood that an embryo has a healthy series of chromosomes (euploidie). An abnormal series of chromosomes (aneuploidie) is often the cause of miscarriages.
Disorder of egg development and genetic stability
The result was clear: THC-positive patients had a significantly lower rate of euploid embryos, which means that the likelihood of genetically healthy embryos and a successful pregnancy was reduced.
Although eggs in patients with THC mature a little faster and more frequently in their follicular fluid, they had significantly fewer embryos with a healthy chromosome set (60% compared to 67% for control persons). This can reduce the likelihood of successful pregnancy and a healthy child.
In the laboratory, THC led to more mistakes in the distribution of chromosome and to a defective egg cell structure. Spindle misalignments were observed significantly more often, especially with higher THC doses. Spindle morphology is important for correct cell division, in which errors can lead to miscarriages or developmental disorders.
Genetic analyzes carried out as part of the study suggest that THC changes the activity of genes in the egg cell, which are responsible for the correct distribution of the genetic material during the cell division. THC also influences genes that control the extracellular matrix -a network of proteins and other molecules that stabilize cells and are important for the embryo implantation and development.
Further research, say German experts, say
According to Dr. Artur Mayerhofer, the head of a working group of the Biomedical Center of the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, of importance, which was involved in the study: “In my opinion, these are the best available data,” he said, but added that he also takes a critical view. “Disruptions of the spindle apparatus also increase with the age of a woman. So far, this has not been taken into account in the study – the number of cases is too small for meaningful statistics.”
Dr. Wolfgang Paulus, Senior Physician and Head of the Reproductive Toxicology Center at the Ulm University Hospital, who is not involved in the study, Takes a Similar View: “Patients with Unfulfilled Desires to Haven Children and in Vitro Fertilization Are Ole Owly to Have Genetic Predispositions, which is what successful pregnancies are not Recorded. Future studies should therefore examine the effects of THC on different age groups, he said.
Paul also criticized the study for the fact that he was missing in any case how much cannabis was consumed: “A restriction of the present study is the lack of data on cannabis consumption habits such as frequency, timing, dosage and type of consumption,” he said.
Despite the important results, THC’s mechanism of action remains unclear according to Artur Mayerhofer of the LMU. “Studies on a kind of cells – such as egg cells in a clinical IVF environment – provide only limited information about systemic effects and thus their” importance in everyday life, “he said. Future studies should “examine influential factors that have not been taken into account, such as the consumption of other medicines,” he said.
This article was originally written in German.
