Can Weed Help You With Menstrual Pain?

September 18, 2021/Bongs

Are you struggling with a painful period? Your doctor prescribed a lot of medications like anti-inflammatory and hormonal birth control. But now, you want to stop taking these medications and look for some other alternatives to ease the pain.

Guess what?

We know that alternative.

A long time ago, people used to treat various diseases with the help of medicinal plants. Still, it is part of the culture in many places to prevent and treat medical problems. That’s why people use it and get relief. Cannabis is also one of the medical plants that people use for the treatment of various diseases. It could give you relief from the menstrual pain or decrease the amount of pain. Menstrual pain is not uncommon. Almost all girls after their puberty have to cope up with this pain.

It has been widely observed around the world that cannabis helps in the treatment of pain. However, it doesn’t mean that you can consume cannabis to treat severe pain, e.g. bone fractures. But, it can control chronic pain in many individuals. When you have cyclical cramps and pelvic pain, you can get rid of them by using medicinal cannabis.

In this article, you’ll learn all the nitty-gritty details about how weed can help the menstrual cycle.

Let’s get started!

What causes the Period Cramps?

When menstruation starts, a chemical substance known as prostaglandins is responsible for the inflammation. It works along with some hormones to cause uterine contractions. As a result, you might get an uncomfortable cramping feeling.

A little bit of mild cramping can be normal, especially at the beginning of your period. But if you have to take painkillers all the time, then there is something wrong. In medical terms, a painful period is called dysmenorrhea. Several imbalances inside your body can cause period pain or menstrual pain. High consumption of vegetable oils, refined grains, sugar and alcohol is almost guaranteed to make your periods miserable. These foods damage your cells, disrupt your hormones, and interfere with cell communication. On the other hand, menstrual pain can also be caused by a high insulin level in your body. Insulin can not only cause pain but also lead to clotting and can interfere with your ovulation.

What does science say about using weed for menstrual pain?

It is believed that weed helps relieve many illnesses like headaches, epilepsy, symptoms of multiple sclerosis and gastrointestinal disorders. However, there hasn’t been much research done on how it can help relieve menstrual pain. More research is needed in this regard. According to one of the researches carried out at the University of British Columbia in 2015, 85 percent of women in the study consumed cannabis for treating menstrual. 90% of them found cannabis helpful to get rid of menstrual pain. It was a random study, and 192 individuals were selected to ask about weed consumption for menstrual pain. The way they consumed cannabis was mostly by eating and smoking.

On the other hand, there was another study carried out, and it showed completely different results. The result of this study was not in favour of cannabis for relieving period pain. It stated that using cannabis could alter the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. A group of 47 women was selected for this study who regularly consumed for up to a year. Their ages were between 17 and 20 years old. After being tested, the studies found that their bodies had alterations in progesterone, prolactin, and testosterone.

Researchers observed that those women who were habitual of consuming cannabis had regular menstrual variations. Also, they had shorter cycle lengths and heavy periods. The focus of this study wasn’t specifically on period pain. But you can get an idea about the period of pain from the frequency and intensity of bleeding as it can affect the pain.

Is cannabis globally accepted?

Many countries are leaning towards legalizing cannabis. That is because of how beneficial it can be for medical use. However, some countries are still in doubt whether it provides relief to chronic problems or not. Before you get into its details, you have to know its uses and the arguments against its use.

Uses of Cannabis

Cannabis is used for the following purposes:

Medical purposes: As we have discussed earlier, it could help ease the symptoms of various medical conditions. Also, it helps in the treatment of some of the diseases.
Scientific purposes: It is used for the purpose of study, which helps to explore the substance’s role in treating people’s health.
Recreational purposes: Use for pleasure.

Why is it Still Prohibited in Many Countries?

Two of the most common reasons why the government thinks that it should be banned in the country are:

Psychotropic aspect: It means how it can affect the central nervous system of the individual.
Addictive Aspect: An individual could be addicted to it once they start consuming the weed.

Some countries like Canada and the Netherlands are more open to listening to the opinions and the scientific proof on how it can help the people. That’s why since 2018, Canada has legalized the use of medicinal and recreational use. However, in the United States, the use of cannabis is just legal in 20 states for medicinal use.

Conclusion

Cannabis is fast gaining popularity among recreational users. At the same time, people looking for medical treatments are also leaning towards using cannabis instead of medications.

We will get to see more research on how weed can help in treating menstrual pain. What are the risks and benefits of using it, etc.? That would serve as a solid ground for people to use cannabis for their menstrual pain.