The impact of cannabis use on vasomotor symptoms, mood, insomnia and sexuality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the published data on the effect of cannabis use in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women to alleviate menopausal symptoms, insomnia and anxiety.

Methods

Databases searched included Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane, LILACS and AMED. Selected studies assessed perimenopausal or postmenopausal women, cannabis use impact and menopausal symptoms.

Results

A total of 564 studies were retrieved. Three studies met the inclusion criteria. One study controlled for participant cannabis use and reported on the effects of cannabis and placebo cigarette smoking on mood in 10 postmenopausal women. Another study assessed associations between drug use with hot flashes and insomnia in 120 HIV-infected women and found that menopausal status and cannabis use was crudely associated with the presence of hot flashes. The last study evaluated expectancies of 115 menopausal patients who endorsed lifetime cannabis use and reported that women expected cannabis to improve depression, anxiety, hot flashes and problems with sleep. None of these studies assessed quality of life as an outcome.

Conclusion

There is a paucity of literature on the impact of cannabis use in menopause. Research into cannabis consumption in menopause is essential, as it is frequently used to alleviate symptoms without evidence of its benefits.

大麻对围绝经期和绝经后女性血管舒缩症状、情绪、失眠和性行为的影响：一项系统评价 摘要

目的：本研究旨在评估已发表的关于在女性围绝经期应用大麻缓解绝经期及绝经后绝经症状、失眠和焦虑作用的相关数据。方法：搜索的数据库包括 Ovid MEDLINE、PubMed、Ovid Embase、Web of Science、Scopus、CINAHL、PsycINFO、Cochrane、LILACS 和 AMED。纳入的研究评估围绝经期或绝经后女性, 应用大麻的影响和绝经症状。结果：共检索到 564 项研究。三项研究符合纳入标准。一项研究控制了参与者的大麻使用, 并报告了10名绝经后女性应用大麻和安慰剂香烟对情绪的影响。另一项研究评估了在 120 名 HIV 感染女性中药物的使用与潮热和失眠症之间的关联, 发现绝经状态和大麻的使用与潮热大致相关。最后一项研究评估了115名赞同终生使用大麻的绝经患者的预期寿命, 并报告说, 受试者希望大麻能改善抑郁、焦虑、潮热和睡眠问题。但这些研究都不是以评估生活质量作为研究终点。结论：关于大麻使用对绝经的影响的文献很少。研究绝经期的大麻消费是必不可少的, 因为它经常被用来缓解症状, 但没有证据证明它的获益。

Keywords:

• Cannabis
• perimenopause
• menopause

Potential conflict of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Nil.