Frequency of Cannabis Use and Female Infertility: A Cross-Sectional Analysis [ID 2683566

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: With expanding cannabis legalization in the United States, the prevalence of cannabis use is growing. Literature describing the effect of cannabis use on fertility is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between frequency of cannabis use and infertility. METHODS: This study utilized cross-sectional data from the 2013–2018 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) for women aged 20–49. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association between frequency of cannabis use (never used, irregular use, regular use) and infertility (inability to conceive within 1 year), adjusting for self-reported sociodemographics and use of other substances. Regular cannabis use was defined as monthly use or more for at least a year. All analyses were conducted using R, version 2022.07.2. RESULTS: Of the 3,166 women included, 12.5% reported infertility, with the prevalence of infertility ranging from 10.8% among irregular cannabis users to 15.4% among regular cannabis users. Compared to women who reported never using cannabis, women who reported regular use had 47% greater odds of infertility (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.47; 95% CI, 0.88, 2.45) and women who reported irregular use had 17% lower odds of infertility (aOR 0.83; 95% CI, 0.54, 1.30). CONCLUSION: Our results contribute to a small, but growing body of evidence that regular cannabis use could have a small to moderate association with infertility, signaling that further research is necessary to better characterize the risk to prospective parents.