Whether you’re just seeing the first signs of perimenopause and menopause or you’ve been experiencing menopausal symptoms for some time, menopause is an inevitable phase in the reproductive cycle — there’s no avoiding it.
But, you can manage many menopausal symptoms with a variety of methods, including using CBD for menopause. While research concerning CBD oil for menopause is still ongoing, early evidence suggests that CBD could play a role in menopause symptom management.
...you likely already know about the promising research being done to connect the human body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) and reproductive functions.
In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of CBD, menopause and how the two interact before diving into eight potential impacts of using CBD during menopause. If you’re looking for a new tool for symptom management, CBD may be right for you.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 80 cannabinoids that naturally occur in the Cannabis sativa plant. But, if you’re new to cannabis, let’s clear up some common misconceptions:
- The Cannabis sativa plant comes in many forms. One form, hemp, features a high CBD content and a low THC content, making it the primary source of CBD in the marketplace.
- CBD isn’t the same as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). While THC has an intoxicating effect, CBD doesn’t interact with the brain in the same way.
- Selling hemp products (like CBD oil and products made from it) has been legal in the United States since 2018.
CBD is a hot topic in current scientific research, and countless ongoing studies exploring its potential for health and wellness applications are widening the data and information we have about the compound.
What Is Menopause?
If you have a uterus and experience a menstrual cycle, you’ll likely go through menopause. Let’s break down two important terms used when discussing the subject:
- Menopause describes the stage that starts one calendar year after the last menstrual period.
- The menopausal transition, sometimes called perimenopause, describes the time period leading up to menopause.
- The menopausal transition typically begins between 45 and 55 years of age.
- The duration of the transition varies based on lifestyle factors, but it can last up to 14 years.
- Most people experience symptoms during the transition period, not during menopause itself.
Common symptoms during the menopausal transition period include irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, brain fog, vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex, sleep disturbance and bladder control changes.
When menopause officially begins, menstrual periods end for good.
Menopause and the Endocannabinoid System
If you’ve explored the potential relationship between CBD and menstrual cramps, you likely already know about the promising research being done to connect the human body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) and reproductive functions.
The ECS has three crucial parts:
- Cannabinoid receptors
- Endocannabinoids (CBD is one of these)
- The enzymes that synthesize and break down cannabinoids in the body
Like the other systems in the body, the ECS determines how cannabinoids develop, move and perform functions throughout the body.
And, since the ECS is widespread, scientists are researching the potential links between it and the reproductive system. While we’re still not quite sure how the two systems interact, we do know that CBD may impact reproduction-related symptoms like cramping, poor sleep, mood fluctuations and more.
8 Potential Outcomes For CBD Use During Menopause
If you’re beginning to notice menopause symptoms, you may consider adding CBD to your wellness plan. But, what will CBD actually do for your symptoms? Let’s break down eight possible impacts of CBD on menopause.
#1 Mood Regulation
Hormonal activity can significantly impact mood. During the menopausal transition, the production of two ovarian hormones (estrogen and progesterone) begins to fluctuate. Since it’s a period of significant hormonal change, mood swings are one of the most commonly reported symptoms of menopause. Curious about the CBD effects on hormones? Learn more about how to take CBD for hormones.
One of the most common anecdotally reported outcomes of CBD supplementation is mood improvement.
Studies related to CBD and mood show promise, potentially offering positive outcomes for people experiencing unstable or unpredictable moods. However, most of this research is based on rodent studies, and data from human subjects is limited.
Mood is a complicated, multifaceted element of health and wellness. While we’re still not exactly sure how mood and CBD are biologically connected, early research indicates that CBD could positively impact mood.
#2 Quality of Rest
Sleep disturbance is common for people undergoing the menopausal transition, who might experience:
- Trouble falling asleep
- Difficulty sleeping through the night
- Fitful or unrestful sleep
- Morning grogginess or fatigue
A few recent studies have found connections between CBD supplementation and sleep quality:
- A long-term study published in 2019 reports that people who took CBD generally reported subjective improvements in their sleep quality over time.
- A 2007 study introduced a THC/CBD combination to patients experiencing discomfort-related disturbances in sleep, and participants generally experienced more restful sleep.
- A 2020 pharmacodynamic study reported that participants who used smokable CBD products experienced subjective sleepiness after smoking.
An FDA clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of CBD on patients with diagnosed sleep difficulties is currently underway, but the studies above preliminarily suggest a connection between taking CBD and getting higher-quality rest.
If you want to try CBD for a restful night, Zebra has the best CBD products for sleep. Consider giving one of them a try.
#3 Managing Discomfort
Just like the menstrual cycle, the menopausal transition can cause general discomfort throughout the body (e.g. cramps, soreness and stiffness).
While scientists are working hard to evaluate the complete impacts of CBD on discomfort, a few recent studies suggest that CBD may impact your overall comfort levels:
- A 2016 rat study reported that rats offered 6.2 mg of CBD per day expressed reduced levels of joint discomfort.
- In 2010, a study of chemotherapy patients receiving a combination of opioid painkillers and a THC-CBD extract reported that the combination increased their comfort level more than opioids alone.
- A two-phase 2017 study discovered a potential link between CBD introduction and less intense headache discomfort.
While there isn’t any data currently available studying CBD and menopause-specific discomfort, the evidence currently available suggests that CBD may be a viable option for discomfort management in general.
#4 Body Temperature
Hot flashes and night sweats are one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause, and scientists have already established connections between the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and “visceral functions” like food intake, temperature regulation and pituitary secretion.
Cannabinoids (CBD included) have been shown to impact body temperature depending on the amount introduced to the body — while low volumes sometimes correlate with higher body temperature, higher volumes align with decreased heat production and overall body temperature.
This could be a game-changer for menopausal people experiencing hot flashes. But, it’s important to note that there’s more work to be done on the scientific front to get a clearer picture of CBD’s effectiveness for preventing or addressing these intense temperature fluctuations — we simply need more information. Still, current evidence points to a potential connection.
#5 Appetite Regulation
Speaking of “visceral functions,” let’s turn to appetite — an element of your life that may change as your hormone production shifts during the menopausal transition.
Existing research concludes that the endocannabinoid system elements (particularly receptors and endocannabinoids themselves) located in the hypothalamus can impact hunger and the desire to eat:
- Endocannabinoids stimulate food intake when they attach to receptors.
- The CB1 receptor specifically is subject to receptor antagonist drugs that reduce food intake in patients like Leptin (but this evidence is only based on studies in mice).
- Anecdotal reports generally indicate an increased appetite after consumption of cannabis products (CBD and THC alike).
This information could be particularly useful for people undergoing the menopausal transition, since:
- Estrogen production slows down during this period, and estrogen is shown to dampen hunger.
- Poor sleep and increased stress can impact your hunger level, and both symptoms are common during the transition.
- Menopausal people taking prescription medication to manage symptoms might experience appetite-depressing side effects from these medications.
While we’re still awaiting additional scientific data, long-established connections between hormones, appetite and the ECS suggest that CBD could help menopausal people regulate their appetite in an effort to maintain a healthy diet.
#6 Skin Care
Current research supports a connection between the ECS and regulatory functions in the skin. As a result, studies exploring the possibility of CBD as a supplement for skin health are growing in popularity, and the results are telling:
- In an in vitro study, CBD showed efficacy for balancing oxidative stress in skin cells that had been exposed to UVB radiation and hydrogen peroxide, potentially providing a protective effect.
- Organism colonies on the skin have the potential to cause irritation or disrupt skin function, but a recent study observed that the terpenes in CBD hemp oil could break up problematic biofilms on the skin.
- Preclinical data suggest a positive correlation between CBD supplementation and wound healing, but this area needs more clinical study.
While the scientific community is currently studying the relationship between skin care and CBD, anecdotal evidence and early assessments point to the potential usefulness of CBD in dermatology.
#7 Energy Level
As scientists explore the connections between CBD and sleep regulation, fascinating implications for wakefulness have arisen during experiments.
In 2014, a laboratory directly injected CBD into the lateral hypothalamus in mice, who showed signs of heightened alertness as a result. Numerous studies connect the hypothalamus and wakefulness regulation, so future studies in this area could be crucial for discovering why CBD might lead to a more alert disposition.
But, it’s important to remember that this evidence came from one study of mice. We still need increased data from human trials to develop a more complete understanding.
#8 Full-Body Wellness
While we’re still awaiting further clinical data and assessments from the medical community, anecdotal reports of CBD’s role in wellness are currently dominating cannabis conversions.
And what better time to reevaluate your personal wellness plan than a period of change — as your body adjusts to the menopausal phase, you may want to consider:
- How your wellness and day-to-day self-care activities connect
- New methods for promoting your own whole-body wellness
- How the wellness community’s favorite tools could fit into your personal plan and goals
We’re still learning about CBD, but it’s a promising method that has already begun to take hold among self-care gurus and wellness newcomers alike.
Zebra CBD: Your Trusted CBD Expert
Using CBD or microdosing CBD oil for menopause could provide the outcomes you’re looking for as your body goes through significant changes.
And, when it comes to sourcing high-quality CBD rigorously tested for purity and free of pesticides, Zebra CBD is the resource you need. We’re an industry leader in CBD research, and our customers love our wide variety of CBD products, including:
- CBD gummies
- CBD edibles
- CBD Chewable tablets
- Topical CBD
- CBD oil extracts
Plus, you never need to second-guess our product labeling — our CBD products are independently tested by two labs to ensure that the contents meet industry standards.
Whether you’re a long-time advocate of cannabis for wellness or you’re still researching to learn everything you can about CBD before trying it yourself, Zebra CBD is the brand you can trust for high-quality information and products.
Source:
Medline Plus. Cannabidiol (CBD). https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/1439.html
Biological Psychiatry. AN Introduction to the Endogenous Cannabinoid System. https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(15)00869-0/fulltext
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. Cannabinoids, Endocannabinoids, and Sleep. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2020.00125/full
Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids. The Role of Endocannabinoids in the Hypothalamic Regulation of Visceral Function. https://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278(01)90353-9/pdf#relatedArticles
Healthline. What Causes Extreme Hunger During Menopause?. https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/menopause-ravenous-hunger#other-causes-of-hunger
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) for Skin Health and Disorders. https://www.dovepress.com/therapeutic-potential-of-cannabidiol-cbd-for-skin-health-and-disorders-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCID
Current Neuropharmacology. Potential Effects of Cannabidiol as a Wake-Promoting Agent. http://www.eurekaselect.com/article/57864
