The association between cannabis use and testicular function in men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Andrology Belladelli, F., Del Giudice, F., Kasman, A., Jensen, T. K., Jorgensen, N., Salonia, A., Eisenberg, M. L. 2020

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between cannabis use and testicular function (as assessed through semen quality and serum hormone levels) in different populations.EVIDENCE REVIEW: Systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based retrospective cohort studies. PRISMA guidelines were used for abstracting data and assessing data quality and validity. Data were pooled using a fixed-effect or random-effects model depending on the heterogeneity of studies included. Pooled risk ratio (RR) of having any sperm abnormality and Testosterone, FSH, and LH standardized mean differences among male cannabis users and non-users, and meta-regression analysis according to age, and year of publication.RESULTS: Nine studies were evaluted which included 4014 men with semen data and 4787 with hormonal data. Overall among 1158 cannabis users, 44.9% had impaired semen parameters. Compared to 24.5% of the 2856 nonusers. The relative risk among cannabis users for any abnormal semen parameter was 1.159 (95%CI: 0.840; 1.599, p=0.369). The standardized mean difference between users and non-users testosterone levels was -0.139 (95%CI: -0.413; 0.134, p= 0.318). For FSH, the standardized mean difference estimate was -0.142 (95%CI: -0.243; -0.0425, p=0.005), while for LH the standardized mean difference estimate was -0.318 (95%CI: -0.810-0.175; p= 0.206).CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence does not suggest clinically significant associations between cannabis use and testicular function. However, we cannot exclude an effect of cannabis due to the limited and heterogeneous studies. Additional, well-designed studies will be needed to define the association between cannabis use and the male reproductive system.

View details for DOI 10.1111/andr.12953

View details for PubMedID 33251770