What are the Natural Benefits of CBD for Perimenopause Symptoms?
You’ve likely heard about HRT for perimenopause, but what about CBD? It has become quite the trend recently so you might be wondering what makes CBD so special! Does CBD really help ease common symptoms? Can it be helpful for women experiencing hormone fluctuations?
Let’s find out! It’s time to dive into the world of cannabis and discover what happens when you take CBD, if it can help you feel better, and if it’s safe.
What is CBD?
There are more than 100 cannabinoids in cannabis including CBG, CBN, and CBC, but we’re focusing on the power of CBD. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound part of the cannabis plant and can be isolated from the well-known psychoactive cannabic compound, THC. This means CBD by itself is non-psychoactive and will not give you the ‘high’ feeling that THC provides.
The endocannabinoid system
A special system inside the body called the endocannabinoid system helps regulate critical responses in the body such as your immune response, sleep, appetite, pain, memory, emotional processing, inflammation, temperature control, and more (sound like any familiar symptoms?).
Endocannabinoids are neurotransmitters your body produces that bind to cannabinoid receptors. These neurotransmitters have the ability to influence critical systems all over the body, including the reproductive system, and potentially alleviate common troubles like joint pain, sleep issues, anxiety, and other common symptoms of hormone fluctuations.
Can CBD help ease common symptoms of hormone fluctuations?
Potentially! It’s believed that CBD offers therapeutic properties that can help alleviate common symptoms associated with hormone fluctuations in perimenopause due to its ability to influence endocannabinoid receptors in the body, interact with neurotransmitters, and reduce inflammation.
Levels of an endocannabinoid produced by the ovaries, anandamide, are associated with estrogen levels, which decrease during perimenopause. the author of a new study from Harvard believes cannabis may be particularly helpful in alleviating symptoms for women in perimenopause.
It won’t be a cure for all of your symptoms, but research is finding CBD may help offer relief for certain things, while not much for others. The Harvard study analyzed 258 women in perimenopause or postmenopause about their cannabis use and found the most common symptom relief women used cannabis for was for sleep disturbances (67%), mood and anxiety (46%), and low libido (30%).
The author of the study cited a reason cannabis may help alleviate symptoms for women in perimenopause — CBD may actually mimic the endocannabinoid produced by the ovaries, anandamide, which has been associated with estrogen levels. That means as estrogen levels decline, research shows anandamide levels drop too.
Another review in 2020 found CBD could help boost sleep, ease chronic pain, and reduce inflammation in certain people. Many of these studies are limited by small sample sizes or lacking other quality assurance measures, but the research does point to some incredible ways CBD may help support sleeping, stress, and aging well!
Research-backed benefits of CBD for perimenopause
Researchers have been exploring the potential health benefits of cannabis for years, and studies are showing CBD may offer some impressive symptom relief for women experiencing hormone fluctuations or in perimenopause! These are the most researched-backed benefits of CBD that women should know…
Sleep troubles
CBD may improve sleep troubles, a common symptom of perimenopause, which can exacerbate other symptoms if left unresolved. This may be because endocannabinoids have been found to play a role in your circadian rhythm – the body’s sleep-wake cycle.
Up to 60% of women report experiencing sleep troubles in perimenopause, and a 2020 review of clinical studies found that CBD and other cannabinoids could help decrease sleep disturbances, enhance sleep quality, and reduce trouble falling asleep.
A recent 3-month study following 103 people found more than half of people reported better sleep, while a quarter felt their sleep had worsened. It’s important to remember that although CBD is generally well-tolerated by most people, not everyone has the same experience.
Mood regulation and anxiety
More than 50% of women experience feelings of anxiety and depression during perimenopause and cannabis may be able to help. Those About half of the women in the Harvard study reported using medical cannabis to help alleviate their mood and anxiety symptoms. A study in 2015 noted that CBD has the potential as a treatment for several anxiety disorders like PTSD.
A recent review in 2018 found that CBD has stress-reducing benefits that may also help reduce depression that could be related to anxiety. New exciting research on the mental health benefits of CBD is emerging constantly!
Joint pain and other aches
Getting older means your joints may start to ache from time to time, and since estrogen is involved in keeping our joints and bones strong, you may notice more joint pain than previously once in perimenopause. Cannabis has been used as a natural pain remedy since 2900 B.C., making it one of the original pain-relief methods!
It’s believed that CBD can help alleviate chronic pain because of its ability to influence the body’s endocannabinoid receptors, interact with neurotransmitters, and reduce inflammation. CBD is at its most powerful for pain relief when combined with the psychoactive compound, THC.
Research in animal studies on arthritis pain relief with CBD is showing promising results so far. There are many more potential pain-relieving benefits of CBD, especially for those with chronic conditions, like cancer.
More benefits of CBD for women
The potential benefits of CBD extend much farther than the ones listed here, but some other conditions that researchers believe CBD could specifically help reduce the impact include:
depression
high blood pressure
diabetes
nausea
certain types of acne
inflammatory skin conditions
All of these conditions can exasperate other symptoms you may be experiencing like hot flashes, skin changes, digestive disturbances, headaches, and more to impact your overall quality of life. Researchers continue to explore the incredible natural ways CBD and other plants or herbs can help benefit your everyday life!
Find out more about common conditions and overlapping symptoms in The truth about PCOS and perimenopause.
Types of CBD products & dosing
How much CBD is safe?
The study review from 2017 did not find a universal dosage of CBD that would be best for everyone but rather highlights the varying degrees that people respond to different dosages of CBD.
One study found 25mg to be the most effective dosage for anxiety, but it only analyzed 103 people and more research is needed to determine dose ranges for specific conditions. Be sure to check the labels on CBD products for dosing information as products contain varying strengths of CBD and may contain other herbal ingredients that impact potency.
Research shows dosages could range anywhere from 20 mg to 1,500 mg per day in the forms of:
CBD oils
CBD capsules
CBD gummies or other edibles
CBD topicals (bath salts, creams, balms
You can find out more detailed information about dosing CBD in this article.
Safety considerations
The World Health Organization (WHO) and a review of studies in 2017 found CBD has been relatively a safe treatment and generally well tolerated by most people! Side effects can happen with just about anything though, and the most common side effects of CBD include fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, drowsiness, and changes in appetite.
One thing to note about CBD is that it may interfere with how the body metabolizes and breaks down medications, so it can have negative effects if combined with certain medications or supplements — especially those that can interact with grapefruit juice. It’s best to check your medications and talk to your doctor before adding CBD or other supplements to your routine so you can be aware of any potential interactions and stay safe.
Legal considerations
USA
In 2018, the term ‘hemp’ was removed from the definition of ‘marijuana’ in the Controlled Substances Act which opened access to CBD products across the US. This made certain hemp-derived CBD products that contained less than 0.3% THC legal on the federal level but not across all states. Although some states may allow CBD products to contain more THC than this, they may be considered federally illegal. Be sure to check state laws if you’re traveling to a different state so you know what you’re allowed to take with you.
Takeaway
The research behind CBD is still emerging, but studies are showing there are positive benefits for women who may be experiencing sleep disturbances, mood issues, anxiety, pain, and more. Keep an eye out as researchers continue to investigate the incredible benefits of CBD for perimenopause symptoms and hormonal health!
Have you tried any CBD products recently? Did it help ease any symptoms? Let us know in the comments below! Follow us on Instagram at @mbody.official for the best healthy aging tips and tricks trending now.
Download MBODY on the App Store or Google Play Store today!
