Duke Research: Stopping Cannabis Use 74 Days Before Conceiving “A Good Idea”

Stopping cannabis use may significantly lower the effects of marijuana that may impact genes linked to autism in sperm, according to a study by Duke Health researchers.

Susan Murphy, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, said the findings have an immediate, practical application for some. The results, according to Murphy, point to the possibility that marijuana abstinence may allow for washout of sperm that harbor many of the drug’s epigenetic effects.

“Stopping cannabis use for as long as possible – at least for a 74-day period before trying to conceive – would be a good idea,” she said. “If someone is really serious about that, I would say to stop cannabis use for as long as possible prior to conception – meaning multiple spermatogenic cycles.”

https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/smoking-abstinence-could-lower-effects-cannabis-sperm