It’s not easy finding the right solution for menopause symptoms.
Hormones provide effective treatment for many menopause symptoms, but the majority of women either can’t or won’t use hormones alternative treatments . So that leaves women wondering what will work.
Study Shows High Percentage of Women Using Cannabis To Treat Menopause Symptoms
A recent report presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) found that a high percentage of women have tried cannabis to help manage their menopause symptoms.
The legalization of cannabis in an increasing number of states has let to more and more people using it for health issues. The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada conducted a survey and found that one in three women near the menopause transition use cannabis. Most of them are using it to manage menopause symptoms. In Canada, Cannabis has been fully legalized since 2018.
Who Was in the Study
The study analyzed the responses of nearly 1,500 women from the province of Alberta. Of the responders,
- 18% were in pre-menopause
- 33% were in perimenopause
- 35% were postmenopause
A small percentage had either a hysterectomy and/or had both ovaries removed.
How often Did They Use Cannabis
Roughly one third had used cannabis in the last 30 days and two thirds had used cannabis at some point. The use was about the same in each of the three age groups of women studied.
What Menopause Symptoms Were Women Treating With Cannabis?
75% of the 499 current cannabis users said they were using it for medical purposes. the most common uses were for:
- 65% for sleep
- 45% for anxiety
- 33% for muscle/joint achiness
- 29% for irritability
- 25% for depression
Three quarters of women reported that they found cannabis helpful for their symptoms.
What Did The Study Find
The researchers found that women using cannabis were more likely than non-users to have sleep issues, mood issues such as depression, mood swings, irritability and anxiety, difficulty concentrating muscle/joint achiness and painful sex. Most of the women were using cannabis as an edible (52%) or oils (47%). Most of the women received information about using cannabis for medical purposes from internet searches (46%) and family/friends (34%).
Things to Consider
Whether or not cannabis is a safe and effective way to treat menopause symptoms is still not known. There aren’t enough studies available to answer that question. But this study does show a high percentage of women are suffering from a range of menopause symptoms, and they are not getting enough medical information from their healthcare providers or being offered effective FDA approved treatments.
At the present time, there is inadequate training for Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) in menopause management, and only 20% of Ob/Gyn training programs provide any training in menopause management. The medical community can learn from this study that more needs to be done to reach women with menopause symptoms about how to improve their symptoms. It also shows that more studies should be done in the area of cannabis for menopause symptoms to establish if it is safe and effective, and for what symptoms.
New Book on How Menopause Affects Women At Work Coming Out Soon
In the next few weeks, a new book by Drs. Mache and Sharon Seibel entitled, Working Through Menopause: It’s impact on women, businesses and the bottom line will be available on Amazon and other online outlets. It will show how not treating the symptoms of menopause has impacted not only the women, but also the business where they work, and what to do about it. Stay tuned for more on the book soon.
