More Women Are Trying Cannabis for Menopausal Symptoms Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Menopause News More Women Are Trying Cannabis for Menopausal SymptomsResearch presented at NAMS suggests legalization has upped cannabis use for medical issues. By Beth LevineSeptember 23, 2021Everyday Health ArchiveFact-CheckedCannabis comes in many different forms, including seeds, topical oils and creams, dried leaves, supplements, and tinctures.Inna Dodor/Getty Images; Everyday HealthRecreational cannabis has been legal in Canada since 2018, which led researchers at the University of Alberta to wonder if women are using it more to lessen menopause symptoms such as insomnia, night sweats, and mood swings. Funded by an operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), their study abstract was presented at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, from September 22 to 25, 2021. The research, which looked at rates and patterns of cannabis use and user reported effectiveness, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. RELATED: 12 Ways to Beat Menopausal Belly Fat “Anecdotally, there have been increasing reports that Canadians are using cannabis for medical purposes, and that they are accessing it from nonmedical sources. We also got from these anecdotal reports that the symptoms are overlapping with menopause symptoms. There is not much published in the scientific literature right now about this; there's a big gap on cannabis used to manage menopause symptoms specifically. What we wanted to do with our study was provide a snapshot within our population on if women are using cannabis, and how are they using it. Then we can move forward, fill that gap of knowledge and see if this is worth investigating more,” says Katherine Babyn, PharmD, a master's student on the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Alberta, and first author of the study abstract. Researchers Looked at Cannabis Use in Women From Alberta Canada The study analyzed responses from around 1,500 women who live in the province of Alberta in Canada — 18 percent were premenopausal, 33 percent perimenopausal, and 35 percent postmenopausal. A small percentage had either undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy. In the overall group, around 33 percent reported using cannabis within the last 30 days, and 65 percent had used it within their lifetime. Current cannabis rates were comparable among all menopause stage groupings. RELATED: 5 Promising Supplements for Menopausal Symptoms Women s Reasons for Cannabis Use Suggest That Medical and Menopausal Symptoms Overlap Findings hint that women were most interested in improving sleep and easing anxiety. Subjects were asked about use, and were invited to give multiple reasons for use. Of 499 study participants who reported current cannabis use, 75 percent stated it was for medical purposes: sleep issues (65 percent), anxiety (45 percent), muscle or joint achiness (33 percent), irritability (29 percent), and depression (25 percent). Three-quarters stated that they did find improvement with cannabis use but didn’t specify for which particular symptom. RELATED: Hormone Therapies Reduce Nighttime Urge to Urinate in Women The top three delivery systems were edibles, oils, and smoking. The study did not look at dosage or daily use specific to different delivery systems. More Research Is Needed to Understand Cannabis Use for Menopausal Symptoms “This is an interesting opening study, but a lot more research needs to be done. In order to really understand cannabis use in this population, we need to ask more detailed questions. The next step really should be to understand more how they're using cannabis, when they're using it, how much they're using, and start to pick a more specific, refined population,” says Jahan Marcu, PhD, cannnabinoid pharmacologist and founding partner at Marcu and Arora. Dr. Marcu was not involved in this research. RELATED: Coping With Hot Flashes and Other Menopausal Symptoms: What 10 Celebrities Said Dr. Babyn agrees, “There is currently a gap in knowledge in the context of cannabis being used for menopause symptoms that needs to be addressed. We established that women are using cannabis for this reason, and from there, future studies can build off of what we are showing. We're hoping that this kickstarts more research within this area so that we can have the evidence health professionals need to guide patients in using cannabis safely.” Want to Try Cannabis Talk to a Medical Professional First “We found that most women are turning to the internet or their friends and family to get more information on cannabis used for medical purposes. This is an opportunity for healthcare providers to fill in and make sure that women are taking cannabis safely and appropriately,” says Babyn. RELATED: 8 Medical Conditions That CBD Can Help Treat Always speak first with a qualified health professional. Not every physician, however, is going to be knowledgeable about cannabis. If so, don’t go to an unlicensed CBD shop. Research published in December 2019 in JAMA showed that many CBD products are mislabeled and contain less CBD than manufacturers claim. Go, instead, to a state licensed dispensary, which follow basic product safety, regulation, and requirements. “Medical cannabis dispensaries in the United States have pharmacists who can consult with you about drug interactions, side effects, the safety of different delivery systems, and how to implement the advice of ‘stay low and go slow,’ which means you use a low dose and use it as infrequently as possible,” says Marcu. Are Menopausal Symptoms Undertreated High cannabis use rates may be a sign that women need more thorough care around menopause. “We believe the reason they are turning to cannabis is they may not be getting the care that they need. We know there is a stigma towards menopause and fear of use of hormone therapy. Women may be turning to cannabis because they want to control their symptoms, they want to have self-control, but they may not know all of their options to help manage menopause symptoms,” says Nese Yuksel, BScPharm, PharmD, a professor on the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta, who was the primary investigator and study supervisor. RELATED: The Best Foods for Women Around Menopause In fact, Yale School of Medicine researchers looked at insurance claims from more than 500,000 women in various stages of menopause. They found that while 60 percent of the women with significant menopausal symptoms sought medical attention, almost three-quarters received no treatment. “We are not advocating for cannabis as we believe there should be more research to support the use in menopause. We want to get the message that as healthcare professionals, we should be talking to women about their menopause issues. Discuss symptoms, and identify and look at all the options to manage symptoms,” added Dr. Yuksel. NEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Women' s Health Newsletter SubscribeBy subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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