By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
Perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause … it’s the phase when the reproductive life cycle starts to –and finishes — shutting down. No more cramps, bloating and monthly periods. Instead, it’s a time of hot flashes, anxiety, sleep disturbances and more as the body’s endocrine system readjusts to a diminishing output of estrogen.
From start to finish the process can take anywhere from two to 10 years on average, and that’s a lot of time to cope with what for many are life-altering symptoms. No wonder there’s been a plethora of new tests and treatments developed to help mitigate the daily disruptions so many experience.
But after the back and forth over estrogen as a menopause treatment in the early 2000s, not everyone wants to go the Big Pharma route when looking for relief. And with the growing acceptance — and legalization— of cannabis usage, many have turned to it — and CBD-based products — for help getting through menopause.
“The symptoms can be of long duration, that’s why many look to find different ways of getting relief,” said Leslie Laurie, M.S, an independent cannabis consultant based in Northampton. “If someone is having issues with menopause symptoms, think of cannabis as just another thing in your toolbox. There is exercise, nutrition, some people find help with meditation and mindfulness, and many find help with cannabis, too.”
Meg Sanders, CEO of Canna Provisions, which has dispensaries in Lee and Holyoke Massachusetts, is one who has found relief for menopausal symptoms through cannabis. The 57-year-old has a daily regimen of tinctures and edibles that help her mitigate symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances and anxiety.
“I think my journey down menopause road is much better thanks to cannabis,” Sanders told Prime.
Cooling those hot flashes
For example, Sanders said, she’s found relief from hot flashes — “the boiling from the inside out, don’t touch me” feeling — through the use of microdosing tinctures that have a combination of a “small amount of THC,” which is the psychoactive component of cannabis, and the cannabinoids CBD and CBN. “I can’t point to any research, it’s anecdotal,” said Sanders, who uses one tincture in the morning and another in the evening. “Especially my morning tincture, it definitely depresses my appetite and gives me a lot of energy,” she added.
Settling those sleep disturbances
Cannabis use to mitigate sleep disturbances has become such a go-to that even Harvard Health Publishing has taken note of the trend in its “Menopause” journal.
“More and more patients tell me every year that they’ve tried cannabis or CBD (cannabidiol, an active ingredient in cannabis), particularly for sleep or anxiety,” Dr. Heather Hirsch, head of the Menopause and Midlife Clinic at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital is quoted as saying in an Oct. 27, 2022 article. The study, which examined cannabis use among 131 women in perimenopause and 127 in menopause found that 67% felt cannabis use improved sleep and 46% felt it helped with anxiety. (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/are-women-turning-to-cannabis-for-menopause-symptom-relief-202210242837).
Laurie concurred, saying in her work, sleep disturbances were among the biggest menopausal symptom complaints.
“In the past, a woman was able to get up and pee and go back to sleep, with this period of life for some women, what happens is they can’t go back to sleep,” said Laurie. Nighttime hot flashes — referred to as night sweats — can have the same sleep-disturbing effect.
Laurie explained when the issue is one of sleep disturbances — either difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep — cannabis used in the form of an edible can be helpful.
“If the trouble is with falling asleep, take an edible — take one that is not fast acting but slow acting — between an hour and a half and two hours before bed,” said Laurie. If the sleep disturbance issue is one of staying asleep, Laurie said to “take an edible that is not fast acting [and] take it just before going to sleep; It will help you stay asleep.”
Saunders said she has two favorite brands of cannabis gummies that she finds helpful with menopausal sleep disturbances.
“I’m a huge fan of Wana gummies, they’re phenomenal at helping me sleep through the night,” Sanders shared. Her nightly go-to is gummies with “1 mg of THC, maybe 2,” to help her get a good night’s rest. “I alternate between Costal Gummies and Wana gummies,” she said, adding that menopausal or not, “the biggest thing people ask for in the store is help with sleep.”
Quieting that anxiety
Anxiety and mood disturbances are another hallmark of the menopause stage of life, though Laurie noted that hormone swings aren’t the only thing that can be contributing to these issues.
“[Anxiety] can be for multiple reasons,” Laurie noted, adding individuals at this point in their lives – usually the decades of their 40s and 50s — “have multiple pressures … older parents, kids leaving for college or empty nests or coming to grips with getting older [and] anxiety is related to all of it.”
Sanders, who in addition to her role as the CEO of a company, juggles the roles of daughter and caregiver to aging parents, said she has found the use of cannabis, especially specific cannabinoids, helpful in handling the anxiety that accompanies all the changes happening during this period of her life.
“CBD and THC, and CBG and CBN are very calming [and] very helpful keeping me at an even keel from a mood point. Gummies and tinctures are very helpful with that, and a really low TCH flower that I love to use as a preroll.”
“With prerolls, you feel better almost instantly,” Saunders added, joining the 84% of the participants in the Harvard study that reported smoking cannabis for menopausal relief.
Rekindling a languishing libido
Though a fluctuating libido is another hallmark of perimenopause and menopause, Laurie said it isn’t just older women who sometimes suffer from that issue. A change in desire can happen to women at any point in their lives, including after childbirth or during extremely stressful periods of life.
Here is another area where Sanders said cannabis use can be a boon.
“Cannabis has an amazing effect on libido. It’s a vasodilator, which means it gets the blood flow going and that’s good for libido and intimacy,” Sanders said. She noted that various forms of cannabis — from topicals to tinctures and gummies — may all prove helpful, though the ingestibles “may take longer to kick in” and produce the desired effect.
“There are great topicals that can be helpful for women and intimacy, and having a more pleasurable sex life is important for our health,“ Sanders added.
Know what you’re getting
Laurie stressed that when trying cannabis for menopausal symptoms, it’s important to understand the percentages of THC, CBD, terpenes and other cannabinoids in the products you are using.
“Different strains [of cannabis] have different terpenes, and those can be very helpful for sleep,” Laurie stated. She added that dealing with a licensed, reputable dispensary, such as those that now operate in Massachusetts and Connecticut that require lab testing of products for sale, is also important to be sure the products are free of elements such as heavy metals and pesticides.
“The results of the lab test will also tell you the percentages of THC, CBD [and etcetera], though sometimes you may need a magnifying glass to read them,” Laurie quipped.
Licensed dispensaries also have knowledgeable staff that can help guide you to appropriate products to help with your issues, Laurie added.
