The first way cannabis can help women’s health is through the connection between the hormone estrogen and the endocannabinoid anandamide.
- Estrogen is tightly linked to anandamide. When a women’s estrogen levels are low, laboratory testing will also show that anandamide is low. And in real life, when anandamide levels decrease, we tend to feel moody or irritable, crave fatty foods, or feel in pain or crampy. Sound familiar? That’s a good description of PMS! In fact, it is common for many users of cannabis to rely on THC to treat PMS.
The second way that cannabis can help women is by regulating the menstrual cycle better and mitigating excessive period pain.
- 84% of women have painful periods. Some women are lucky enough to find relief from Tylenol or a Midol but a majority of women simply suffer through the days. A small but significant group of women are so distressed that they have to call in sick from work or take opiate painkillers. Many women have turned to cannabis for relief. Ingesting cannabis is tremendously helpful for many as is rubbing a cannabis-infused topical lotion on your pelvis, a great option if you get drug tested at work and can’t have THC in your bloodstream.
Third, is the impact that cannabis has on other types of women’s health issues such as endometriosis.
- Chronic pelvic pain lasting 6 months or more impacts 25% of women. In fact, 1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis, a very painful condition that is poorly treated by regular surgeries, hormone shots, and ultimately, a hysterectomy. Cannabis can help! If you have that severe of pain, chances are you’re going to have to do more than smoke cannabis for lasting relief. Try ingesting 1:1 or 2:1 CBD:THC ratio tinctures or edibles. For prevention of pain and actually treatment of your symptoms, many women have found relief from a vaginal suppository with THC and CBD.
Whatever the women’s health issue, there is almost 100% probability that a weakness in the endocannabinoid system is at the root of the problem. Often, simply ingesting more higher quality cannabinoids can provide partial to total relief and resolution.
