Marijuana and Sexual Appetite

Are the rumors true, there's a relationship between marijuana and sexual appetite. A lot of people attribute cannabis intake with heightened sexual appetite and although the exact cause is not known; the results of a large-scale cohort suggested that regular marijuana use can have a positive impact on the sexual appetite.According to latest statistics reported by National Institute on Drug Abuse, it has been estimated that more than 22.5 million Americans have consumed cannabis in some form in the past 30 days. The new research led by Assistant Professor of Urology at Stanford University Dr. Michael Eisenberg, is unique in a way because regardless of this widespread use of marijuana, there hasn’t been any study that has analyzed the relationship between marijuana use and its link with sexual appetite.Previous studies conducted in the animal subjects such as laboratory rats suggested that cannabis intake can lead to fluctuations in the sex drive; however, newer studies in human volunteers suggested that active compound in cannabis (endocannabinoids) is known to increase libido in both males and females. It has also been discovered that marijuana use enhances the sexual arousal in females.

Details of the Study:

Dr. Eisenberg and colleagues obtained the data from National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) – a large-scale study conducted by Centers for Disease Control to study the relationship between various factors such as human health, fertility, relationships, divorce, pregnancy, marriage etc.The results of this study were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Sexual Medicine.As part of the study, the research team of investigators interviewed about 22,943 heterosexual males and 28,176 heterosexual females regarding the frequency of sexual intercourse in the past 30 days; as well as a history of marijuana use in the past 12 months. The mean age of male study group was 29.5 years and that of female study group was 29.9 years (ranging from 25 to 45 years). After adjusting for other confounding factors that could have skewed the results (such as use of other drugs like alcohol, cocaine that can impact sexual behavior), investigators discovered that:

• About 14.5% of the female and 24.5% of the male population admitted to marijuana use in the past 12 months
• Regardless of the gender, individuals with marijuana use had 20 times more frequent sex than their non-marijuana consuming counterparts.
• To be precise, at an average, females who consumed marijuana had an average of 7.1 sexual encounters in the past 4 weeks, compared to non-marijuana consuming women who had 6 sexual encounters in the past 4 weeks
• Likewise, men who consumed marijuana had an average of 6.9 sexual encounters in the past 4 weeks, compared to non-marijuana consuming women who had 5.6 sexual encounters in the past 4 weeks

Dr. Eisenberg emphasized that this data was independent of other factors such as religion, number of kids, educational status, physical health, sex, race, income group or marital status; but it doesn’t always mean that more marijuana will lead to more sex. There's a slight relationship between marijuana and sexual appetite, people shouldn't abuse it.If you have questions regarding marijuana use and its impact on sexual health, schedule an appointment with Dr. Elist to learn more about how marijuana can impact your sexual relationships. If you or your partner are interested in Penile Enlargement Surgery, consider speaking to him to learn more about the process.