Belmont, MA: Many middle-aged women acknowledge consuming cannabis products to alleviate menopause-related symptoms, according to survey data published in the journal Menopause.
A team of researchers affiliated with McLean Hospital and with Harvard Medical School in Boston surveyed 258 women (median age: 51 years old) regarding their use of cannabis.
The majority of respondents (79 percent) said that cannabis effectively treats menopause-related symptoms. Women were most likely to report using cannabis to alleviate sleep disturbances and to regulate mood. Respondents were most likely to report consuming cannabis via smoking.
“The current study indicates that many individuals are currently using commercially available MC [medical cannabis] products as an adjunct treatment for menopause-related symptoms. … The most commonly reported indications for MC use were menopause-related disturbance of sleep and mood/anxiety, indicating these symptoms may be salient targets for future clinical trials of cannabinoid-based therapies,” authors concluded. “Future research should continue to examine MC use for menopause-related symptoms, including assessing how unique cannabinoid profiles, modes of use, and other MC use characteristics impact safety and efficacy.”
Previous surveys, such as those here and here, have estimated that one-third of women consume cannabis for purposes of managing menopause-related symptoms.
Full text of the study, “A survey of medical cannabis use during peri-menopause and post-menopause,” appears in Menopause.