The findings do still suggest that cannabis may be more prevalent as a menopause treatment that previously understood.
According to the study, “[c]urrent or ever use of cannabis for menopause symptom management was reported by 27% of all participants, while an additional 10% expressed interest in future use.
“In bivariate analyses, women who did and did not report cannabis use for menopause symptom management did not differ by age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or mental health conditions.” The researchers concluded by saying that study “Raises questions about the generalizability of these findings in other regions with differing legal and cultural attitudes toward cannabis use, the degree to which women disclose cannabis use to health care providers when discussing menopause management, and the specific symptoms targeted by women using cannabis for menopause symptom management.” “These findings also highlight the importance of understanding the potential risks, benefits, and effectiveness of cannabis for this indication,” they wrote.
Marijuana and Menopause Carolyn Gibson, a psychologist and researcher at the San Francisco VA Health Care System and the lead author of the study, said that the findings “Suggest that cannabis use to manage menopause symptoms may be relatively common.” “However, we do not know whether cannabis use is safe or effective for menopause symptom management or whether women are discussing these decisions with their healthcare providers-particularly in the VA, where cannabis is considered an illegal substance under federal guidelines,” Gibson said in a statement.
“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.” than a quarter of women say they have used medical marijuana to treat menopause, according to a new study out this month.
“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.”
