A recent study has found that 27 percent of women said they have consumed or currently consume cannabis to help treat symptoms of menopause.
The research, which was compiled and presented to the North American Menopause Society, was conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. The study examined the habits of 232 female veterans around the age of 56. These women reported their personal consumption habits with cannabis, many of which used cannabis to help treat symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia. “Current, or ever, use of cannabis for menopause symptom management was reported by 27 percent of all participants, while an additional 10 percent expressed interest in future use,” the study explains. “In contrast, only 19 percent reported traditional forms of menopause symptom management, including menopausal hormone therapy.
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano praised the study as one of the first to focus on veterans who experience menopause. “While the therapeutic use of cannabis by veterans is not altogether uncommon, this study is among the first to highlight veterans’ use of marijuana for this particular condition,” he said. “Given cannabis’ relatively high rate of use among the women in this cohort, scientists and others would be well-advised to further explore its safety, efficacy, and prevalence among women experiencing menopause.” The study concluded by stating that the findings helped establish known a better understanding of the risks, benefits and effectiveness of cannabis as a medication for menopausal patients
While more research on this topic is likely to be explored in the future, this particular study provides enough evidence to prompt interest about how cannabis might be viable to treat other conditions suffered by women. Some studies have already found that PMS pains can be eased with CBD products, while recently cannabis consumption while pregnant has been proposed as a risk.
