Several people relieve perimenopause and menopause-related symptoms by eating a fruit-flavored cannabis gummy. However, a new Harvard-led study in the journal menopause finally recognizes this self-treatment.
Nearly 79% of the 131 perimenopausal and 127 menopausal women surveyed endorsed cannabis for alleviating menopause-related symptoms. In 67% of cases, cannabis helped with sleep disturbances, while 46% reported mood and anxiety improvements.
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Symptoms of menopause can undoubtedly ruin your daily life. Kristin C., 53, from Watertown, MA, admits that menopause made her exhausted and sleepless, causing her to become unable to function during the day. She said, “Sometimes night sweats and restless legs would be part of why I couldn’t sleep, but mostly it was just my brain not slowing down.”
Despite medical experts’ knowledge that estrogen therapy reduces breast cancer, the message is spreading that cannabis is safe while estrogen is dangerous. To cover the costs of HRT, most patients must commit to daily doses and multi-year use. The United States Census Bureau estimates that 27.2 million people will be without health insurance in 2021. There’s no guarantee that insurance will cover the entire cost of therapy, even if someone has insurance.
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Women experiencing menopause-related symptoms and using medical cannabis may be shared in midlife. More research is necessary to determine the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis as a treatment for menopause symptoms before it can be recommended for clinical use. NAMS medical director, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, suggests that healthcare professionals ask their patients about the use of medical cannabis for symptoms of menopause and make evidence-based symptom management recommendations.