10 Ways Cannabis Contributes to Women’s Health

By: Veronica Castillo

With legalization of hemp at the federal level and state level legalization sweeping the nation, Cannabis is becoming more and more accepted. Cannabis is also becoming popular on the topics of health and wellness. It’s definitely a topic of discussion amongst women and women’s health.

Recently, I read a piece published in Weedmaps, about the Patterns of and Attitudes Towards Cannabis Use in Women’s Health study, conducted by the Oregon Health and Science University (OSHU) in Portland. The researchers surveyed 1,011 women in the U.S and found that 1/3 of the women currently consumed Cannabis for gynecologic reasons.  

The study revealed that 63% of the respondents, who were not current Cannabis consumers, said they would consider consuming Cannabis for a gynecologic condition. Gynecologic conditions include:

• Cervical Dysplasia
• Menstrual Disorders
• Pelvic Floor Prolapse
• Pelvic Pain
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Uterine Fibroids
• Urinary Incontinence

Cannabis physician Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Medical Director of Canna-Centers and medical advisor says this about the Patterns of and Attitudes Towards Cannabis Use in Women’s Health study:

“I would expect this as I have evaluated over 15,000 patients in my 11 years as a Cannabis specialist and have seen a fair number of women using Cannabis for gynecologic conditions such as pelvic pain, endometriosis and dyspareunia (painful intercourse)”.

10 Ways Cannabis Contributes to Women’s Health

1) Skin Health: Cannabis is packed with anti-inflammatory benefits that help fight acne. Cannabis is also loaded with antioxidants and fatty acids that help with dry skin and eczema.

2) Hair Care: Cannabis is rich in omega’s: 3, 6, and 9 which all stimulate hair growth and help improve scalp circulation. Additionally, Cannabis strengthens and moisturizes hair due to the oils and proteins in the plant. 

3) Weight Loss/Management: It has been reported that Cannabis helps with weight loss (it did for me). In 2011, American Journal of Epidemiology published data from two population-based surveys including over 50,000 respondents. The obesity rate in non-Cannabis consumers was 22.0% and 25.3%. The obesity rate dropped to 14.3% and 17.2% among participants who reported using Cannabis at least 3 days per week.

4) Prenatal Care: Kaiser Permanente Northern California conducted a study of 367,403 pregnancies and found that women consuming Cannabis while pregnant increased from 2% to 3.4%, and the reasons were to manage pregnancy-related symptoms like morning sickness or other health conditions.

5) Breast Cancer: Cannabis is known to help with many symptoms associated with cancer: antiemetic effects (nausea and vomiting), appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. The Verdes Foundation states that Cannabis works through multiple mechanisms to provide symptom relief and inhibit cancer cell proliferation. 

6) Menstrual Pain: Cannabis is loaded with terpenes and cannabinoids that help ease the symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle: pain, muscle aches, stomach cramps, and nausea.

7) Anxiety/ Mental Health: Cannabis is known to boost serotonin, which contributes to lowering sadness and depression. Many strains, high in terpene myrcene, provide calming and soothing benefits. 

8) Menopause: Cannabis is said to help with easing the symptoms of menopause. Women report (myself included) that Cannabis helps with: mood swings, insomnia, fatigue, and hot flashes.

9) Endometriosis: Like PMS, this condition causes chronic pelvic pain and since Cannabis is great for chronic pain, women with endometriosis find relief. 

10) Sexual Health: The topic in this area has been a trendy one. Cannabis is said to be an aphrodisiac or that it can improve sexual pleasure. Some scientists believe this to be true since Cannabis acts on dopamine and pleasure is released through the dopamine system. In a study, 373 women found that consuming Cannabis products before sexual activity increased sex drive and decreased pain. 

Conclusion

Cannabis is creating a lot of conversation around natural and holistic ways to treat conditions. People, especially women, are moving away from lab created meds, to mother earth’s medicine. Plants heal and so, conversations about them should be had, and remember, it’s always a good idea to discuss Cannabis treatment with a physician and/or certified specialist. For many people and conditions types, specific strains/terpene profiles should be discussed to ensure the best medicine. 

SOURCES: https://www.northshore.org/obstetrics-gynecology/conditions/, https://weedmaps.com/news/2019/06/women-medical-cannabis-marijuana-health-gynecology-study/, https://www.cannamd.com/why-does-marijuana-make-you-lose-weight/ , https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2738343, https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq, https://www.verdesfoundation.org/cannabis-for-cancer/ , https://www.healtheuropa.eu/cannabis-womens-health-pelvic-conditions/92279/