10 Melatonin Side Effects
Melatonin Side Effect #10: Infertility
Taking melatonin is known to adversely affect both male and female fertility1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4209073/, though the effects are considered to be reversible. In men, it’s understood that taking high doses of melatonin for a long time is known to decrease libido and reduce the motility of sperm. This can be good for people who are looking for natural methods of birth control, but it’s not really reliable and you’ll still run the risk of impregnating someone if you rely on melatonin alone as a birth control method. It can, however, be beneficial in addition to other natural methods of birth control.
Men can experience altered hormones from taking melatonin as well, but women generally experience this to a greater degree. In particular, levels of estrogen and progesterone can be adversely affected which can negatively impact a woman’s sex drive and the levels of fertility. There is also some evidence that melatonin affects the menstrual cycle as well as the ovulation period.
Conclusion
Melatonin has been touted as a great sleep aid for many years, but it’s important to understand the side effects of any supplement that you’re planning on taking.
One of the problems with melatonin is that the average supplement contains much more melatonin than is actually beneficial for sleep - or anything else. Unless you can find a supplement that contains the bare minimum amount of melatonin, it’s probably better to stay away for it because you’ll put yourself at risk of developing some side effects.
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