Research shows over 1.5 million women suffer from menopause symptoms involving hot flashes, joint pains, fatigue, and insomnia. If you’re experiencing the stages of menopause, you may already be tired of some of the uncomfortable symptoms that come with it. From night sweats to bloating, dryness, chills, headaches, and muscle and bone density loss, not to mention possible weight gain, going through menopause can create a real hardship for women.
There are a variety of different options for women who want to moderate the symptoms of menopause. One of the most widely used approaches is hormone supplementation. This can be through regular injections at a doctor’s office or by oral medication. But in the past twenty years, many clinical studies have suggested that hormone therapies can increase cancer risks for women. And women who have a prior diagnosis or family history of breast or reproductive cancer may have even higher risks.
If hormone therapy is not an option that you want to explore, you may take a look at more holistic or herbal remedies that can help. With the guidance of your primary care provider, you may want to explore cannabidiol or CBD to help with difficult symptoms.
Treatment Options for Women Going Through Menopause
There are no standardized treatment plans for menopause because symptoms can vary. Not only the type of symptoms but the severity of them. And some women do not experience menopausal symptoms at all. But when a woman is struggling with debilitating symptoms, there are many combinations of treatment options that may help reduce discomfort.
Some of the individual treatments for menopause may include:
Hormone Therapy
Low-dose estrogen replacement therapy is often the first treatment option for women with moderate to severe menopausal symptoms. One of the benefits of estrogen therapies is that they can help offset bone density loss. Women face a higher risk of osteoporosis after they enter menopause. However, because of the inherent risks of cancer and other health conditions like cardiovascular stress. Your physician can provide more information and consultation to determine if hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a good option.
Vaginal Estrogen
While menopause does not cause a drop in overall sex drive, it can make things difficult and sometimes uncomfortable. Menopause can also, in some cases, make urination uncomfortable. That is because vaginal dryness can occur after the female body stops producing adequate levels of hormones. Vaginal estrogen treatments are applied as a creme, tablet, or ring directly to the vagina to be absorbed.
Low-Dose Antidepressant Medications
Antidepressant medications may be prescribed to address both abnormal mood changes and to help with hot flashes. A low-dose serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is often prescribed when hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not recommended for the individual. If a sleep disorder is also a problem, some SSRIs can help relieve anxiety and provide a sedate mood conducive to a good night’s sleep.
Vitamins and Supplements
The loss of bone density is a big problem for women in their senior years. Every bone in your body relies on estrogen to build and repair. When estrogen levels start to drop, bones can become brittle and easy to break. Doctors may prescribe clinical-grade supplements, including vitamin D and vitamin B complex, as well as a calcium supplement to help women in menopause.
Cannabidiol is a chemical extracted from the cannabis plant. Unlike a more famous cannabinoid, THC, CBD does not cause a euphoric high. The supplement has psychoactive and biochemical effects, meaning it can influence your mood, but it is non-impairing.
Like any transition, menopause can trigger uncomfortable changes like sleep disturbances, hot flashes, and mood shifts. CBD can help alleviate headaches, migraines, and chronic pain associated with these hormonal changes.
How Does CBD Work for Menopause?
Everyone has an endocannabinoid system (ECS) comprising cell receptors throughout the body to maintain homeostasis. Moreover, these receptors respond to endocannabinoids and external cannabinoids. Estrogen is a crucial part of your endocannabinoid system since it regulates FAAH- a fatty acid that breaks down CBD. Thus, fluctuating levels of estrogen can impact your ECS, which explains menopausal symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and lower libido.
So, while the exact details of how CBD interacts with the ECS are not confirmed, it makes sense why CBD can help manage menopausal symptoms. It can also alleviate the body’s reaction to pain, stress, inflammation, aging, prescription drugs, and other symptoms.
As we discussed, the endocannabinoid system is a collection of cell receptors in the brain, other organs, and tissue. CBD receptors play a critical role in the following:
- Mood regulation
- Pain management
- The functioning of the immune system
- Sleep and memory
- Temperature regulation
Since menopause disrupts the ECS, CBD can reduce various symptoms of menopause. How? Because the endocannabinoid system can influence multiple physiological systems, including stress, metabolism, reproduction, hunger, and pain perception, using cannabis can aid sleep, anxiety, mood swings, and even vaginal pain. Inflammation can be the root cause of many debilitating menopausal symptoms. And clinical studies suggest that cannabidiol (CBD) can help reduce inflammation and potentially lower the intensity of symptoms caused by inflammation as well.
What Menopause Symptoms Can CBD Treat?
No research has specifically examined how menopause symptoms for CBD affect women. It indicates that scientists don’t have enough data yet, to explain why it works for some women. However, other researchers have investigated how CBD affects particular symptoms in different populations.
For instance, a 2020 analysis found that CBD may lower inflammation, help people sleep better, and treat chronic pain. But rather than women going through menopause, they saw these impacts in patients with specific health conditions. There is no proof that CBD oil helps alleviate every symptom of menopause, although it may help with the following menopause symptoms for CBD:
Sleep Disorders
Menopause is when many people report having trouble sleeping well, and this problem can have a significant influence on daily living. Endocannabinoids participate in the cycle of sleep and waking, claims the 2020 review. Cannabidiol may have an impact on sleep.
The researchers state that more research is needed to determine how CBD may help with sleep. These outcomes suggest that CBD at higher doses may have sedative properties. Therefore, there is a chance that CBD oil could assist in alleviating sleep issues related to menopause.
Mood Changes
Around menopause, the risk of sadness and anxiety is higher, which may result from changing hormone levels, other menopause symptoms, or a combination of the two. Moreover, the authors of the 2020 review pointed out very few case studies where specific depressed individuals have claimed that ingesting CBD improved their condition. They also highlight material on the package of Epidiolex, an FDA-approved CBD product, that includes sadness and suicidal thoughts as potential side effects.
One of the greatest concerns about prescription drugs for menopausal symptoms is the side effects. In some cases, the potential for adverse reactions or diseases like cancer is significant. That is why some women are more interested in a holistic path to cope with menopause. Including lifestyle and dietary changes and doctor-supervised supplements.
CBD for Hot Flashes and Inflammation
Uncomfortable and often persistent hot flashes are frequent menopausal transition symptoms. Night sweats are the term used to describe hot flashes that occur at night. Hot flashes might cause some women to experience everyday interruptions. Anandamide is an endocannabinoid that aids in controlling body temperature, and THC can replicate some of its effects.
According to experts, while HT (Hormone Therapy) is the preferred treatment for hot flashes, cannabinoids can be used to address the conditions that cause them most frequently. Women experience multifaceted problems and adverse effects on health throughout menopause. Daily consumption of CBD oil may be crucial in assisting the ECS to return to homeostasis, the balance required to reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms and improve overall wellness.
Bone Density Loss
Following menopause, people start to lose bone mass. One out of every four women who are 65 and older have osteoporosis. It is crucial to seek therapy since decreased bone density might raise the risk of fractures. An animal study conducted in 2008 revealed that CBD interacts with a cannabinoid receptor that may contribute to the loss of bone density. Therefore, CBD might slow the bone density loss rate during menopause. But more research is needed to determine the therapeutic value of cannabidiol in the fight against osteoporosis.
Can CBD Conflict With My Medication?
Although it can have adverse effects like tiredness, nausea, and diarrhea, CBD is generally well tolerated by people. Additionally, CBD can have negative effects when used with some drugs and dietary supplements, notably those that interact with grapefruit. It may also affect how the body breaks down or metabolizes drugs. Over-the-counter CBD products are available to consumers, but it can be hard to separate clinical-grade cannabidiol supplements from imposter products.
In the past fifteen years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent out more than one hundred (100) disciplinary letters to CBD manufacturers. According to the FDA, the nature of CBD being unregulated also leaves room for fraudulent products. Deceptive labels can lead consumers to think they are getting a concentrated CBD supplement. When the FDA tested many products, it found that many were being misrepresented to consumers. And some products had almost no cannabidiol content (let alone levels that might offer a therapeutic benefit).
Never buy or take a cannabidiol supplement if it has not been third-party tested. A Certificate of Analysis (COA) means that an independent laboratory tested the CBD to make sure the cannabinoid content was accurate. Third-party testing will also tell you if there is the presence of any solvents (used during hemp extraction) that might cause health problems.
The Bottom Line- Using Doc CBD to Combat Menopause Symptoms
Menopausal and perimenopausal women are more likely than ever to use medical marijuana in the US to address the symptoms that go along with those conditions. While some research has helped understand how women can use cannabis to ease menopause symptoms, more research will help to determine how well CBD products work.
Check out DocCBD and find the right product to treat menopausal symptoms. We are committed to improving your daily life for a healthier, happier you. We have a wide range of premium-quality CBD supplements that can help you stay calm, sleep better and relieve pain.
Sources
https://menopauseexperts.com/cbd-oil-menopause/
https://www.endocrineweb.com/cannabis-menopause
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322078#specific-benefits
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/cannabis-menopause-symptoms/144232/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do
https://www.rutgers.edu/news/cbd-shows-health-benefits-estrogen-deficient-mice-model-postmenopause
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