When it comes to CBD and health, it’s not uncommon to see discussions about its potential to treat things like anxiety, pain, sleep, covid, and everything in between. What isn’t regularly discussed within the community, however, is CBD’s potential to help with menstruation, hormones and hormonal disorders, fertility, menopause, and other general sexual health considerations. Since these topics are important and yet under-discussed aspects of health, we wanted to open up the conversation and review what we do know and what we don’t.

For the purposes of this post, we’ve had a chance to connect with Andrea Dobbs, a CBD enthusiast and founder of Vancouver’s Village Bloomery cannabis shop. Due to her involvement and advocacy within the community, including having published an article in Vancouver’s Georgia Straight magazine, we’re excited to hear what she has to teach us about CBD, hormones, and everything in between.

Additionally, while many of the linked articles discuss “women’s health,” we want to acknowledge that it isn’t just women who have uteruses and/or ovaries. Non-binary, trans, and individuals on a wider gender spectrum are also impacted by hormones and things like PMS, menstruation, and menopause.

Any situations or experiences recounted within this post are solely the perspectives of the individuals and may not reflect everyone’s experience. They’re not meant to endorse CBD use or any particular products, and rather, an attempt to open up the conversation about CBD and hormones. Despite any personal experiences recounted, it’s important to keep in mind that the research we have is still new and inconclusive, and we can’t make any definitive claims as of yet. Since CBD impacts individuals differently, there’s no guarantee that experiences will match or replicate any described within this post.

Andrea’s Story

Andrea’s exploration into CBD was a personal one. “My journey into CBD revolves around my personal experience with perimenopause and menopause,” she says. “Long story short, I began to start exploring Cannabis to alleviate symptoms I was experiencing. My symptoms ranged from itchy dry skin, insomnia, depression, inflammation and a generally foggy sense of wellbeing.”

After briefly experimenting with THC, she dove into the world of CBD, wanting “to get a sense of how everything fit together.”

From there, it was a matter of experimentation and education, drawing on sources such as ProjectCBD. “Isolating compounds to some extent helped me to better understand the plant’s influence on my person,” she says. “Taking CBD daily, as I might a vitamin, benefitted me in a few ways. I found that my mental clarity was improved as was my mood. I also found that my inflammation was reduced. This experience in part empowered me to become a Cannabis retailer as I wanted to support others to feel emboldened to add Cannabis to their wellness routines.”

When it comes to the article she had published in the Georgia Straight, Andrea says that it allowed her to “connect with many, many people in perimenopause, and as an indirect association with people navigating endometriosis, infertility, vaginisumus, and cervical cancer.” She goes on to thank Amanda Seibert (published author of the Little Book of Cannabis: How Marijuana can improve your life) for “listening to my story and for seeing value in it,” saying that “her work directly help put me on the map for the Georgia Straight.”

Andrea has found success with things like CBD teas, massage oils, and infused bath bombs.

Throughout the interview, Andrea also continues to stress how important paying attention to other aspects of health are, such as considering processed and healthy foods (especially for that terpene content), as well as things like sugar, caffeine, and hydration levels.”I know first hand that CBD supports sleep for me,” she says. “I also know that THC supports me to move and to hydrate and enjoy healthy foods. Cannabis is for me a tool to stay connected to myself so that I can best respond to what my body is asking for.”

About Hormones

Sent out by the endocrine system, hormones are an important part to the daily functioning of our bodies. These include estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, adrenaline, and more. Things like menstruation, PMS, menopause, pregnancy, puberty, or breastfeeding can all impact the endocrine system and our hormonal balance. Along with other things, imbalances can lead to more serious conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, and PCOS.

Unfortunately, when it comes to CBD, few studies exist that look at the overall condition (PMS, menopause, etc), but rather focus on the effect CBD may have on specific symptoms. Due to the vast array of hormonal concerns, these symptoms can vary widely. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be mainly discussing things such as pain and inflammation, body temperature regulation, and mood imbalances. This is mostly because the majority of our current research centres around these symptoms. However, hormones can also impact our sleep, energy, stress levels, weight, skin, and libido.

The Endocannabinoid System

When it comes to CBD, it’s important to understand the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Simply put, the ECS is a series of receptors and transmitters that help to keep our bodies in homeostasis, or balance. The ECS contributes to everything from our sleep cycles to managing pain, mood, appetite, memory, stress, and immune responses.

Basically, when our body struggles to regulate itself, CBD has been shown to interact with the receptors in the ECS in order to provide us with the boost we need to return to homeostasis. This also impacts our hormonal levels, the endocrine system, and how these hormones are being balanced and regulated throughout our bodies.

At this point, we’ve already spoken several times about CBD’s potential as a pain management and anti-inflammatory tool, and how it may work with the ECS in order to manage things like body temperature. All of these effects may contribute to CBD’s ability to potentially manage or mitigate standard symptoms of hormonal challenges like PMS. As mentioned above, however, it’s important to keep in mind that these studies were not necessarily done within the context of hormones and the endocrine system.

Another point of note is the importance of considering the chemical makeup of specific CBD products. Taking a more holistic approach, Andrea reiterates that CBD isn’t “stand alone” for her. Rather, its effects are “connected to THC and all of the cannabinoids present in cannabis” such as in Full Spectrum products.

The idea that CBD is more effective when other supporting compounds are present is called the ‘entourage effect.’ Full Spectrum CBD, for example, includes other cannabinoids, terpenes, or flavonoids, which may also contribute to CBD’s overall effect and ability to impact and help regulate our hormones. If you want more information about the entourage effect, we’ve spoken about it previously.

State of the Science

When it comes to the research and science side of things, what we have is still lacking. Part of this has to do with how recent CBD legalization is and how long proper trials can take, though with funding often coming from pharmaceutical companies, they may be less motivated to sponsor research that may be less beneficial to them. Additionally, anything labelled as ‘women’s health and sexual wellness’ is often less of a scientific focus. While this is unfortunate, hopefully we’ll see more people like Andrea, or the Cannabis Doula she referenced, paving the way for CBD, science, and sexual health and wellness in the context of sex and gender identity.

That said, when it comes to the information we have about how CBD might help manage the general symptoms of things like PMS and other hormonal concerns, we do have some things we can draw upon. One study done by surveying 484 women with endometriosis, found that CBD was one of the most highly rated, self-administered pain management tool. Another study assessing CBD’s effectiveness to help manage symptoms of endometriosis found that it may be useful for treating pelvic pain, gastrointestinal issues, and mood, with some application methods being more effective than others. Additionally, this short literature review concluded that since there is evidence to suggest CBD can be used to manage symptoms such as chronic pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, it may be useful in treating similar symptoms that are associated with PMS. However, it does specify that the majority of research focuses on CBD with some THC content within it, so the effects of isolated CBD are lesser known.

In terms of inflammation specifically, Andrea stresses the importance of proper management: “when you look at what most folks are dealing with, it’s inflammation. Inflammation leads to all sorts of discomforts and if there is one thing we can all work on addressing, it is that.”

As it turns out, estrogen may be anti-inflammatory. When the levels of estrogen decrease in our bodies such as during menstruation and menopause, inflammation may increase. As targeting inflammation may be a way to target pain and CBD has been well-researched as an anti-inflammatory, it may have the potential to help mitigate some of the more painful symptoms of hormonal imbalances.

Again, it’s important to note that the majority of research has focused more on CBD’s effectiveness treating particular symptoms and not necessarily investigating hormones, menopause, or menstruation. More specific studies are needed before we really know anything for certain. Thankfully, more research is in the works.

Final Notes

Currently, according to a newly released CBD review report from Health Canada, use by pregnant or breastfeeding populations and any associated risks is still under researched. Cannabis and CBD that includes THC, such as Full Spectrum, is particularly cautioned against.

There have also been discussions about CBD impacting sex and sexual health. However, since this is a much larger topic, it’s something we’ll hopefully cover in more detail in the future.

TL;DR

Although there’s still a lot we don’t know, the research we have so far seems promising. Based on the research we have now we know that CBD interacts with our ECS to help our bodies maintain balance, which may help mitigate or manage symptoms of hormonal imbalances.

A big thanks to Andrea for offering her insights and experiences for this post. With people like her leading the way in CBD, science, and sexual health, the future of CBD research seems bright.