An interesting study published recently by researchers at Tulane and the University of Washington reports long-awaited findings that indicate marijuana consumption may negatively affect men’s semen counts and quality. However, it’s also reported that the same marijuana consumption can speed up sperm’s motility.

This information is bittersweet, to say the least —all of those factors play crucial roles in healthy fertility— but it’s important to note that the researchers made it very clear that more research is needed. This study, done at a urology clinic in Washington State, certainly isn’t the first of its kind; cannabis consumption and fertility have been studied for years, but since it’s been illegal for so long, legitimate scientific research has been frustratingly difficult to carry out until the past couple of years. But while past studies have led to conflicting answers on just exactly how cannabis consumption affects male fertility, this Tulane study is among the very first to result in definitive findings.

The 409 men surveyed for the study were randomly selected clinic visitors there for infertility testing. 103 men answered “past user,” 71 answered “current user,” and 174 answered “ever-user,” meaning they have tried it at least once if not a couple of times, or only smoke on occasion. “Compared with never-users, current and past users had a significantly higher likelihood of abnormal sperm strict morphology,” the results of the fascinating study say, before going on to report the most intriguing part of the findings. “However, sperm motility was more likely to be less than WHO reference values in never-users than current and past-users.” In other words, male marijuana consumers (past or current) showed faster swimmers than their non-partaking study buddies. 

What does this mean for marijuana-loving males who plan on one day having kids or are currently trying? Emerging research on this subject is worth paying attention to, as are other health-related research projects regarding cannabis consumption. No matter how you smoke it, roll it, pack it, or eat it, marijuana affects more than just your mindset, as was made clear by Tulane’s study.