Cannabis use among women experiencing menstrual cycle distress

Abstract

Women experiencing menstrual cycle distress might use cannabis for self-medicative purposes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cannabis use frequency and mode of intake were associated with the type of symptoms experienced (i.e., affective, physiological), throughout the menstrual cycle (i.e., menstrual phase premenstrual phase, and during the remainder of the menstrual cycle). Of secondary interest, we explored women’s awareness of cannabinoid content. We additionally explored cannabis use and menstrual cycle distress symptoms across the phases of the menstrual cycle. Participants (N = 147) were recruited through a course credit system, and community and online advertisements. Participants selfreported on their most recent menstrual cycle and cannabis use using a web-based survey. Participants were categorized as current cannabis users (n = 82) versus non-users (n = 65). Results indicated no significant evidence to suggest associations between cannabis use and menstrual cycle distress symptoms. Cannabis users who were aware of the cannabinoid content of their cannabis products used cannabis more days than those unaware of the cannabinoid content. Cannabis users reported experiencing more pain during the menstrual and premenstrual phases, compared to non-users. This difference was not seen for the remainder of the cycle phase. Findings from this study expand on previous research regarding pain severity across the phases of the menstrual cycle by specifically comparing cannabis users and non-users.