Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found outside of the womb. It affects around one in ten women of reproductive age, causing pain, infertility and gastrointestinal symptoms. Women often report difficulty getting their pain and other symptoms under control, despite medication or even surgery. Read our article to find out if medical marijuana helps with endometriosis.
medical marijuana and endometriosis – What did our study find?
We surveyed 484 women with surgically diagnosed endometriosis about the self-management strategies they used. Out of all of the self-management techniques, cannabis was rated as the most effective for managing pain.
Women who reported higher levels of pain were more likely to use cannabis than those with milder symptoms. This may be because they couldn’t get relief through other measures.
Respondents who used cannabis also reported improvements in other symptoms including gastrointestinal problems, nausea, anxiety, depression and sleep.
How could cannabis help treat endometriosis symptoms?
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex regulatory system comprised of various receptors, chemicals that bind with these receptors, and enzymes. It helps maintain balance (homeostasis) in our bodies and is important for a wide range of actions, including metabolism, inflammation and immune function.
The ECS is distributed throughout most organs in the human body, but is more abundant in the central nervous, immune and female reproductive systems.
Chemicals from cannabis, including the cannabinoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), can interact with the ECS and other receptor types. This suggests a mechanism for how cannabis may alleviate pelvic pain in women with endometriosis.
You can find the entire article here: https://weedmaps.com/news/2020/01/1-in-10-women-with-endometriosis-report-using-cannabis-to-ease-their-pain/
Also find out about the different types of cannabis products.
