
An American study looked at postmenopausal women using cannabis to manage hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, genitourinary disorders. A practice that remains illegal in some states, but common among these patients whose conventional treatments are no longer sufficient.
In the United States, more and more postmenopausal women use cannabis to calm their symptoms. This is the finding of researchers in a study presented at the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), which opens this Monday, September 28.
232 female veterans with an average of in their 50s participated in the survey. Of these, more than half had symptoms of menopause. Specifically, 54% had hot flashes and night sweats, 27% suffered from insomnia, and 69% were prone to genitourinary disorders. About 27% of those polled said they had used or consumed while studying cannabis to manage their symptoms. 10% of participants said they wanted to try cannabis to manage symptoms and only 19% said they used standard treatment for menopausal disorders such as hormone therapy.
Cannabis for the management of symptoms of menopause was most often used in women reporting hot flashes and night sweats. This use did not differ by age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or mental health issues.
“These results suggest that using cannabis to manage symptoms of menopause may be relatively common. However, we do not know whether cannabis use is safe or effective for managing symptoms of menopause or whether women discuss it. these decisions with their doctors. Cannabis is considered an illegal substance according to federal guidelines. This information is important for healthcare workers, and more research in this area is needed, “said Carolyn Gibson, PhD, MPH, psychologist and San Francisco VA Health Care System health services researcher and study lead author.