Every month she’d turn into a “Jekyll and Hyde” at work. One fit of rage almost got her fired. Her doctors were baffled. She was stressed out every month and missed work.
She tried everything.
After doing her own research, she concluded that she had some real problems related to her monthly menstrual cycle. It was shocking to her because she’d never struggled with severe stress or issues with her monthly cycle until after her second child was born. She continued to follow her general practitioner’s advice, but nothing worked.
After eight years of crippling depression and, at times, wanting to end her own life, she had a full hysterectomy, which gave her back her sanity.
Natalie’s story was written up in a 2018 issue of The Sun,a publication out of the UK.
Rather than enduring unpleasant side effects [from medications], there are natural ways to prevent or reduce monthly discomfort.
Because the story doesn’t mention CBD, it seems doubtful her general practitioner recommended she try it as a potential solution. But is CBD worth trying for women who suffer from premenstrual discomfort? Before we answer that question, it’s helpful to understand its the causes and symptoms of menstrual discomfort…
Premenstrual Discomfort: Causes and Common Treatments
Menstrual discomfort is thought to be related to hormonal changes in your serotonin level. Serotonin is sometimes called “the happy chemical” as it contributes to a feeling of well-being and happiness. An estimated 90% of women experience unpleasant premenstrual discomfort. Symptoms can start one to two weeks before a woman’s period and include mood swings, fatigue, irritability, bloating, food cravings, poor concentration, crying spells, social withdrawal, headaches, joint or muscle pain and tender breasts.
Some women get relief from premenstrual discomfort by taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), which can help ease cramping and breast discomfort. However, common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, decreased appetite, rash, dizziness, headache and drowsiness.
Rather than enduring unpleasant side effects, there are natural ways to prevent or reduce monthly discomfort. Two weeks before your period, avoid alcohol (a depressant), sweets (blood sugar fluctuations often cause mood swings) and caffeine (which increases nervousness). Plus, try to keep your stress level to a minimum.
Regular exercise may also help with milder symptoms, including moodiness, menstrual cramps and bloating.
Should You Try CBD For Premenstrual Discomfort?
Finally, back to our original question: Can CBD help with premenstrual discomfort?
If you look at the type of relief that people say CBD has brought them, reducing discomfort and stress are at the top of the list. On the surface this would seem to make CBD the ideal solution for discomfort caused by a woman’s monthly period. But you can’t automatically come to that conclusion since there are no studies indicating that CBD might be beneficial to those who suffer from monthly menstrual discomfort.
However, there is anecdotal evidence. For example, you can find videos of women on YouTube talking about how CBD has helped ease their premenstrual discomfort. In addition, since CBD is non-addictive and rarely has side effects, women may be more comfortable using it on a regular basis.
While CBD has shown some promise in reducing some of the symptoms associated with women’s monthly cycles, including decreasing physical discomfort, stress and mood swings, the only way to find out if it will work for you is to try it (after consulting with your doctor, of course).
We recommend trying Zebra CBD Mood & Calm with additional botanicals to help keep you feeling relaxed all month long.
To help uterine muscles relax and ease painful cramping, we recommend applying full-spectrum CBD rub to the lower abdomen and lower back
