Perimenopause/menopause is experienced by 90% of women worldwide, and just as many women will connect with their primary care providers for guidance on coping with perimenopause/menopause symptoms.
If you are over the age of 40 and have had an absence of a menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive months, you may have reached menopause. However, your primary care provider will be the one to diagnose this using your health history and potentially completing blood work to test your FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and estrogen levels. You want to be sure there is no other medical reason for an absence in your menstrual cycle, and regular pap smears are always recommended.
According to The Menopause Foundation of Canada, 51 is the average age of menopause in Canada, with most women reaching menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Perimenopause, however, can begin as early as 40 years old.
The average length of perimenopause (the time leading up to menopause) is four years, but it can be as short as a couple of months or as long as ten years.
When we think of menopause, hot flashes and “mood swings” may come to mind, but unfortunately for women, there are many more changes that can occur, such as; disruption in sleep patterns with night sweats, hair loss, increased appetite, which can lead to weight gain, memory issues/brain fog, as well as reproduction and fertility changes, vaginal dryness and decreased libido.
So, the magic question is, how do we combat the symptoms?
We know that exercise, proper water consumption, and healthy calorie intake are crucial for health and wellness. More specifically, traditional treatments for menopause do not come without risks or side effects, with antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) being the well-known option. Research shows that long-term use of combined HRT (for five or more years) increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, heart disease, stroke, and pulmonary embolism.
In good news, a 2023 study from the University of Alberta has shown that as many as 1 in 3 women going through perimenopause/menopause are turning to cannabis to manage their symptoms. What do these women know that we do not?
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is mostly responsible for controlling symptoms related to menopause. It regulates and balances some of the most critical bodily functions, such as temperature, mood, anxiety, and sleep.
Harvard Health explains it well, stating that the ECS comprises a network of chemical signals and cellular receptors packed throughout our brains and bodies.
The “cannabinoid” receptors in the brain—the CB1 receptors—outnumber many of the other receptor types. They control the levels and activity of most of the other neurotransmitters. They regulate things by immediate feedback, turning up or down the activity of whichever system needs to be adjusted, whether that is hunger, temperature, or alertness.
Therefore, supplementing cannabinoids (most famous being THC and CBD) may be beneficial in correcting any imbalances that we may have in our ECS, in turn decreasing the severity of these symptoms.
Many strains of cannabis help with different symptoms, such as increasing libido, appetite control, sleep, mood, and anxiety.
If you or someone you know is looking for relief from perimenopause or menopause symptoms, cannabis may be an option. Talk to your primary care provider or contact a Canada House Clinic near you to speak with an educator and see if cannabis therapy is right for you!
References
The endocannabinoid system: Essential and mysterious – Harvard Health
Women are turning to cannabis to treat menopause symptoms, study suggests | Folio (ualberta.ca)
Menopause – What Everyone Should Know (menopausefoundationcanada.ca)
Perimenopause: From Research to Practice – PMC (nih.gov)