CBD is great for many things and if word on the street is anything to go by, CBD works for period cramps too. As much as 84 percent of women regularly suffer from menstrual cramps, so it isn’t too hard to see why this is such a great news. But, how true is it? Can CBD help to relieve period cramps? And if it does, does it affect the menstrual cycle?
Period Cramps Explained
Period cramps, also known as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) are a collection of painful and nauseous experiences that a woman suffers in the run down to her menstruation and/or during the course of menstruation. Most women have reported sudden intermittent jolts of pain, skin breakouts, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and tenderness around the breast and vagina amongst others. For most women, these collections of discomforting events are better said than experienced.
Although there have been many proposed remedies, but most do not work for everyone due to the nature of complexities of the problem.
CBD and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Plenty of women around the world have reported that using cannabis in some form relieves nausea and cramping associated with menstruation, and that there are even suppositories infused with cannabinoids that reportedly help to relieve period pain without causing a psychotropic high.
In fact, some state legislators in New York are championing the cause for women who want to be allowed to use CBD for severe menstrual cramps. There has been a recent legislation before the New York state assembly that seeks to make weed legal for women suffering from “dysmenorrhea,” the medical term for serious menstrual cramps.
The assembly bill, A582, would add dysmenorrhea to the list of conditions that legally allow women living in New York to use medical marijuana. If the bill passes through and is assented to by the Governor, female New Yorkers could have access to legal weed for menstrual pain. So, it is safe to say that women agree that CBD can help.
But although many women have claimed that CBD have helped them find relief during menstruation, the science supporting this claim is quite murky. Because there haven’t been many widespread studies on the subject, scientific evidence that buttresses CBD’s efficacy in relieving menstrual cramp is very limited. However, we cannot discount the claims of actual women who have used CBD in some form for relieve from menstrual troubles.
The Science
Normally, with period cramps are pain, tenderness, fatigue, skin breakouts, mood swings, dizziness and a host of other discomforting experiences depending on the woman involved. Although specific researches on using CBD for women menstrual troubles are limited, sufficient evidence shows how CBD can help ease pain, including neuropathic pain.
Several reports suggest that cannabis can help reduce pain associated with cramping and tenderness, improve sleep patterns, can minimize fatigue, elevate and stabilize mood, and even improve skin conditions when used topically.
CBD for Menstrual Pain: Pain is one of the most visited topics of interest whenever CBD efficacy is discussed. Several research studies have considered the effects of CBD on pain management and all have reached the conclusion that CBD is able to reduce pain signals and sensation by stimulating the reuptake of the neurotransmitters adenosine. Researchers also suggests that CBD exerts its pain-relieving effects through its interactions and modulation of the endocannabinoid, inflammatory, and nociceptive (pain sensing) systems.
CBD can help reduce menstrual pain by limiting your body’s response to pain.
CBD for Mood Swings: Typically, women experience an avalanche of emotions during their menstruation, and this tipsy turvy of emotions have been narrowed to the drop in the secretion of estrogen and mood-moderating serotonin during a woman’s cycle. This drop is often the cause of issues like depression, anxiety, and irritability.
Interestingly, researchers have found that CBD is able to increase serotonin production and regulate its absorption thanks to the presence of cannabinoid receptors on serotonin neurons. Therefore, it is believed that consuming CBD during periods of low serotonin secretion can help lessen the intensity of ill effects during menstruation owing to a drop in serotonin secretion.
CBD for Skin Health: CBD offers some serious antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that is required in treating skin concerns like inflammation, dryness and free radical damage. It is also able to help fight against acne and face skin breakouts by controlling the production of sebum in the skin.
But what do we say of CBD being less effective during the Menstrual Cycle?
Yes, although we have noted that CBD can help ease the symptoms of menstrual cramps, low estrogen levels can cause CBD to be less effective. Your body needs estrogen to feel and assimilate the effects of CBD but unfortunately, PMS is marked by a drop in estrogen levels which is also the cause for most of the corresponding discomfort.
This variable tolerance for cannabis in the women folk demands that you exercise caution when fixing your dosage. The ideal is to go hard during the menstrual week, and throttle back on your free time. Note that what got you going during your period could be too much when you are not on, so go slow.
Can CBD affect the Period Cycle?
Although the knowledge of the effects of CBD is continually changing, researchers are yet to draw a correlation between your fertility and CBD. CBD cannot affect the fertility cycle that leads to menstruation as such it has no bearing on the nature of your flow or menstrual cycle.
Best Cannabis Products for PMS
There isn’t one particular CBD product to ease period cramps, but several women have looked to generalized relief in balms, bath soaks, and CBD oils. Others have sought more focused relief via cannabis vaginal suppositories which are cannabis product designed to help in such specific instance.
Final Thought
Cannabis possesses lots of benefits and many women are choosing to consume it to ease the symptoms of period cramps and accompanying discomfort. Whether consumed daily to promote healthy serotonin levels or as needed to bust the blues of painful cramps, cannabis can help women live more comfortable lives.
