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Study Links THC Exposure to Chromosome Errors in Human Eggs and Lower Embryo Quality in IVF

Researchers say the IVF-based results warrant caution and further study, not conclusions about natural conception.

© Giuseppe Flandoli via Shutterstock
A woman smokes marijuana during the founding of Paraguay's first cannabis club in Asuncion on June 4, 2023. The non-profit civil association seeks to directly link peasant producers with users of all kinds, guaranteeing the safety and quality of products made from organic flowers from cannabis crops. (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE / AFP) (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman smokes a joint of marijuana.
Close up of a woman smoking marijuana

Overview

  • Published in Nature Communications on Sept. 9, the two-part research combined a retrospective analysis of 1,059 IVF follicular fluid samples with laboratory exposure of donated immature human oocytes.
  • In IVF patients, detectable THC metabolites were associated with a lower rate of chromosomally normal embryos, with 60% euploidy in the THC-positive group versus 67% in matched THC-negative controls.
  • In lab experiments, THC exposure altered gene activity tied to chromosome segregation, more than doubled spindle abnormalities, and produced about a 9% rise in aneuploidy.
  • THC presence correlated with higher oocyte maturation, but researchers observed increased chromosome-separation errors and abnormal spindle structures, with maturation increases mainly at higher THC levels in the study conditions.
  • Authors and outside experts highlighted key limits—including a small THC-positive sample, retrospective design, and missing dose and frequency data—and advised patients trying to conceive or undergoing fertility treatment to avoid or reduce cannabis use.