Menopause is a normal and inevitable part of aging. During menopause, a woman’s estrogen levels significantly drop and this causes various symptoms and side effects. Symptoms vary among women but often include hot flashes, bone loss, higher cholesterol, decreased sex drive, and increased anxiety or irritability,
To ease these symptoms, women are often prescribed Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). However, ERT has been linked to serious health risks for some patients, such as the increased risk for heart attack, blood clots, gallstones, stroke, breast cancer, and even Alzheimer’s disease. For women that are more susceptible to these risks, due to breast cancer risk or other medical problems, there are several alternative options.
While many women are often prescribed non-hormonal prescription drugs, research continues to show that CBD is an optimal alternative. CBD can help ease several menopause symptoms and provide the following benefits:
EASE HOT FLASHES + ANXIETY
CBD can boost serotonin signaling and lower body temperature, which can reduce hot flashes and anxiety found in menopause.
PREVENT BONE LOSS
Research into the specific effects of CBD on processes of osteoporosis has shown that CBD reduces the bone resorption that is the cause of bone mass loss. These findings highlight the potential for CBD to stimulate bone growth and prevent osteoporosis after menopause.
LOWER CHOLESTEROL
Cholesterol levels increase during menopause, which boosts the risk of heart disease. Various studies have found that CBD is able to help improve your heart health and overall help treats high cholesterol.
BOOST SEX DRIVE
Many women suffer from low libido as a result of menopause. Experts say the pain relief, lowered stress levels, balanced hormones, and increased blood flow provided by CBD have been found to enhance sex drive.
Menopausal women who aren’t as worried about the health risks associated with ERT can also use CBD in conjunction with ERT. If you believe ERT has some value, but are worried about the risk of breast cancer associated with it, you can use cannabis or CBD to reduce your breast cancer risk while you use ERT. Though more research still needs to be conducted, CBD has been shown to kill breast cancer cells independent of its activity on cannabinoid receptors and avoids killing healthy breast tissue. This means if you take CBD while using ERT, CBD may kill any breast cancer cells that start dividing before they grow into a tumor.
As mentioned above, menopause is an inevitable part of aging, but its symptoms don’t have to be. You can use CBD to combat the symptoms in a safe and organic way. If you’ve found relief with CBD, or if you still have questions about using it, we’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact a member of our staff, or leave a comment below.