Expectancy mediated effects of marijuana on menopause symptoms

Abstract

Background Medical marijuana alleviates a variety of symptoms, including those associated with menopause, such as insomnia, irritability, depression and joint pain. However, little work has addressed the use of marijuana in a population of menopausal women, or the role of menopausal women’s marijuana treatment expectancies in regard to consumption. We hypothesized that menopausal women who used marijuana would expect it to alleviate symptoms that have responded well to the plant in previous research. Based on the marijuana expectancy literature, we also hypothesized that links from menopause symptoms to marijuana use would arise via indirect paths through expectancies. Methods Menopausal and post-menopausal women (N = 115) who endorsed lifetime marijuana use completed an online survey assessing their frequency of use, average intoxication – a proxy for quantity, menopause symptoms, and expectancies of relief from menopause symptoms. Results Women expected marijuana to improve joint/muscle discomfort, irritability, sleep problems, depression, anxiety and hot flashes, but not sex problems, heart discomfort, exhaustion, vaginal dryness and bladder problems. Expectancies mediated the links between menopause symptoms and frequency of use. Average intoxication did not correlate with symptoms or expectations of relief. Symptoms, expectancies, and frequency of marijuana use were all independent of marijuana-related problems. Conclusions Particularly as the population ages, increased research on how medical marijuana might help menopause symptoms without increasing marijuana-related problems could prove heuristic.

Keywords:

• Medical marijuana
• menopause symptoms
• expectancies

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Karen R. Hitchcock New Frontiers Fund Award, Firefly Vaporizers, Lisa Jo Kunze, Madeline Martinez, and the women of The World Famous Cannabis Café.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

This work was supported by Karen R. Hitchcock New Frontiers Fund Award.