How Cannabis Could Help Manage Period Pain And Menstrual Cramps

For many women, period pain and menstrual cramps are an all-too-common, yet extremely natural, occurrence. When it comes to soothing symptoms, there are a number of over-the-counter and prescription medications available. However, some of these come with their own side effects, and not all of them are effective for each individual. Therefore, some women turn to cannabis in an effort to manage their symptoms. Is there any scientific backing behind this?

CANNABIS: THE FORGOTTEN “WOMEN'S MEDICINE”

Some medical experts are still hesitant to consider cannabis for treating common women’s health problems such as period pain and cramps, which is astonishing seeing that the plant has a long history of being used exactly for this purpose. It goes back centuries, as demonstrated by the findings of board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and Director of Research and Development of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) Ethan Russo, MD. He points out that the use of cannabis for women’s health dates back to at least 16th century China. Back then, cannabis was commonly given as a medicine for menstrual cramps and related pain.

Some time later, in the 19th century, cannabis was again frequently prescribed for period pain and cramping. This time, however, it was in England where Queen Victoria was given cannabis as the go-to medicine for menstrual cramps by her royal physician. Yet, there is no mention of marijuana for treating these common ailments in medical literature.

CANNABIS AND MENSTRUAL PAIN

In the introduction to his book _Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science, and Sociology (Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics)_, Dr. Ethan Russo states, “As will be discussed, its [cannabis’] role as an herbal remedy in obstetric and gynecological conditions is ancient, but will surprise most by its breadth and prevalence”.

While this does little to draw any concrete links between cannabis and menstrual pain relief, it shows that the history of this pairing goes back far and wide. After all, centuries of cannabis use by women can’t be by accident.

Everyone from Queen Victoria to the modern stoner has tried using a cannabis preparation to reduce period cramps, although there is a frustrating lack of data on the efficacy of THC and/or CBD for this purpose. However, what is known is that topical cannabis, like creams, gels, etc., do not reach the bloodstream, instead providing local relief. This means that, even when applying a THC-rich topical to the skin, you will not get high. This makes topical cannabis preparations a more viable option for many women looking to ease cramping or period pain.

There’s also the option to take cannabis orally or via inhalation. Then again, consumed this way, the THC would cause a high, which isn’t always desired by those looking to utilise cannabis throughout the day.

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Microdosing cannabis is another option. This way, patients can get minimal yet medicinal doses of cannabinoids in their system, evenly spread out over the day. This can minimise unwanted effects that would otherwise occur when taking larger doses.

CANNABIS AND PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS)

Most of the time, women not only experience cramping during their period, but a whole host of other uncomfortable symptoms in the days leading up to it. This common condition, known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), can manifest in tender breasts, bloating and upset stomach, headache, lower sex drive, as well as mood swings and other symptoms. For this reason, PMS doesn’t so much describe a single condition as it does a range of different symptoms.

Of course, not all women experience the same PMS symptoms, and they can vary in severity based on genetic factors and environmental factors like stress. Here too there is a strong case for cannabis easing many of these symptoms in the same way it does cramping and pain during menstruation.

CANNABIS FOR HEADACHES

Headaches and migraines are also common symptoms that can manifest during or before menstruation. A 2016 study^[1] published in the journal of _Pharmacotherapy_ found cannabis to help reduce monthly migraines.

Researchers examined a group of 121 adults who suffered from migraines, finding that cannabis greatly helped reduce the monthly migraine attacks from 10.4 to 4.6. Although the study didn’t look into migraines associated with PMS, the drastic reduction of symptoms found in their study is still noteworthy.

Regarding headaches and migraines, it may be advantageous to consider microdosing, as high-THC cannabis is not a viable option for most people to dose throughout the day. Using a low concentration of THC and higher levels of CBD will help to limit psychotropic effects.

CANNABIS FOR MOOD SWINGS

The monthly hormonal changes in a woman’s body can also cause mood swings. These mood swings may occur in the days leading up to the period, a time known as the luteal phase. Unfortunately, common medical practice is for doctors to simply prescribe antidepressants, many of which have a long list of potential side effects.

Aside from using cannabis to benefit the body, anecdotal accounts show that people also take it to ease emotional stress, depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Now, it isn’t a secret that some people enjoy THC-rich cannabis simply for recreational purposes, say when they want to relax; but THC isn’t fully responsible for all of cannabis’ effects.

A 2015 study^[2] published in Neurotherapeutics suggests that “CBD has considerable potential as a treatment for multiple anxiety disorders”, including, but not limited to, general anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, and PTSD. Moreover, researchers suggest that CBD likely exerts its effects via multiple physiological pathways, such as the endocannabinoid system, the serotonergic system, and more.

CBD also acts as an anandamide reuptake inhibitor^[3], essentially inhibiting the endocannabinoid's degradation in the body. One study found this to result in increased serum anandamide levels^[4], leading researchers to associate this with "improvement of clinical symptoms" related to schizophrenia. Why is this important? Anandamide is often referred to as the "bliss molecule" due to its function as a "feel-good" neurotransmitter. It also influences processes related to memory, immunity, eating, fertility, and more.

Here too, it’s unclear exactly how and to what extent cannabis can provide relief, but it does demonstrate that the various cannabinoids in cannabis produce different effects, which makes cannabis quite a versatile plant for scientific inquisition. For the average person looking to relieve period pain and cramps, if you’re already using cannabis as a way to relax your body and mind, feel free to experiment with using weed for period pain. Record your findings and keep track of which strains you use, and which cannabinoids these strains contain.

CANNABIS: REDISCOVERING A FORGOTTEN TREATMENT

Cannabis as an effective and safe alternative for treating many health conditions is a big topic at present. Rarely does a month go by without the release of some genuinely groundbreaking or progressive research on the subject. With cannabis laws steadily becoming more lax in more countries, cannabis has now finally entered the mainstream consciousness, and is also spurring interest in the scientific and medical communities.

As one result, places like New Jersey in the US are now considering adding menstrual cramps to the list of approved medical conditions treatable with cannabis. This is noteworthy because New Jersey’s cannabis laws are otherwise quite strict. Former New Jersey politician Tim Eustace, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly until last year, has introduced new legislation that will allow the use of medicinal cannabis for these purposes.

Word of the effectiveness of cannabis, especially for women’s health, is also being spread with the help of popular celebrities. Famous comedian Whoopi Goldberg has partnered with edibles creator Maya Elisabeth to create a line of cannabis-infused products targeted to women looking to relieve period pain and cramps. Like so many women, Goldberg wondered why cannabis wasn’t widely marketed to alleviate cramps, especially with all the preliminary evidence. She got the astonishing answer that this would be a “very niche” product for the industry. So, with her new brand of cannabis products designed especially for women, she’s now targeting that “niche”, which after all "is made up of half the population", as Goldberg points out.

With increased public awareness surrounding the rediscovered use of cannabis for women’s health, and the recent promising research, the future of cannabis as a medicine for treating period pain does indeed look good. It may well be that cannabis once again becomes the favourite “women’s medicine” it was lauded as for hundreds of years.