title: Recreational drug use and the risk of primary infertility.
abstract: Recreational drug (marijuana, lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD, speed, cocaine, and "other") exposures of women with primary infertility were compared with those of a matched control group of women with proven fertility. Women who reported smoking marijuana had a slightly elevated risk for infertility due to an ovulatory abnormality (RR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0 to 3.0). The risk was greatest among women who had used marijuana within one year of trying to become pregnant (RR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1 to 4.0). No consistent frequency or duration of use effects could be demonstrated, and the risk was confined to low-frequency users. Risks associated with the use of other drugs were not elevated. The risk of infertility from a tubal abnormality associated with cocaine use was greatly increased (RR = 11.1, 95% CI = 1.7 to 70.8). Our results are consistent with animal studies suggesting that smoking marijuana may cause a transient disruption of ovulatory function. The possibility that cocaine exposure influences the development of tubal infertility needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Daling
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D003042:Cocaine; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005184:Fallopian Tube Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000150:complications; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D003042:Cocaine