They often say there are only two guarantees in life; death and taxes. Whoever came up with that saying was very foolish because there is a third guarantee in life that affects every female, and it is a little thing called menopause. Not only does menopause affect women, but it comes in a one-two-three punch called perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.
Only recently, has menopause become an openly talked about topic, therefore, symptoms and treatments weren’t readily discussed, let alone available. It is for this reason women have been turning to CBD for relief from their menopause troubles.
CBD oil has been an enormous medical breakthrough for all of those who are looking for therapeutic treatment, and has been a real game-changer in recent years. Before we jump into why CBD oil is great for menopause, it might be helpful to go over FAQ’s regarding all things menopause related. To understand a treatment, it is crucial to know the symptoms.
Menopause Stages
They say all good or bad things typically come in threes, and menopause is no exception to this rule. Women not only have to go through periods and give birth, but when their ovaries are no longer utilized for that, they experience the unfortunate process of menopause. It is a normal and natural part of the aging process, but it doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable for women.
What is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause begins before the actual stage of menopause, and lasts for about four years, typically around the age of 55. During this time, women’s ovaries will produce less estrogen. Perimenopause typical starts in the late 30s and early 40s, but it can happen earlier in some cases.
- Early menopause – occurs before 45
- Premature menopause – occurs before 40
During this stage, women will slowly start to have more or fewer period cycles, which means a woman is on her way to infertility, and perimenopause is the term used up until the point when the ovaries entirely stop producing eggs.
What are Perimenopause Symptoms?
- Hot flashes
- Lower sex drive
- Night sweats
- Sleep problems
- Breast tenderness
- Urine leaks
- Vaginal dryness
- Skipped periods
- Mood swings
Menopause
Menopause is the stage that signifies the ending of fertility in a female human being.
During this time, women will have just a few periods, and slowly begin to have none.
Many confuse perimenopause symptoms for menopause symptoms, however, once a woman fully enters menopause, most of the symptoms being added are frustrating new ones.
Menopause symptoms will additionally start to include:
- Weight gain and slow metabolism
- Thinning hair and dry skin
- Loss of breast fullness
- Urinary incontinence
- Focus issues
Postmenopause
Once a woman hasn’t had her period for 12 consecutive months, she officially enters the stage of postmenopause. This can be checked through apparent signs of not having a period, but can also be verified by a doctor, by conducting a blood test.
Todays medical system lacks medical assistance for women going through menopause, so they have been seeking out therapeutic alternatives, specifically CBD.
CBD at a Glance
While CBD can’t stop menopause from happening, it can help alleviate the symptoms caused by menopause from beginning to end, and further into postmenopause life.
CBD, especially CBD Oil, can be a less threatening, nonaddictive opioid alternative. How you ask? Let’s take a look below at what CBD, and CBD Oil exactly are, and how they can work for menopausal women everywhere.
What is CBD?
CBD is the abbreviated term used to describe cannabidiol, and it is the second most prevalent cannabinoid in marijuana and hemp plants. It works by reacting with receptors in the brain known as the endocannabinoid system, by altering the brain’s receptors.
The receptors that are altered in the brain, help to control your bodies response, and how it regulates:
- Anti-inflammatory response
- Immune system
- Appetite
- Mood
- Anxiety levels
- Pain
- Sleep Schedule
- Temperature
In other words, taking CBD helps control and monitor a person’s overall ECS or endocannabinoid system, aka your body’s main motherboard.
Body Mimics CBD Naturally
For those who are still nervous about CBD controlling the ECS, it might be comforting to know the human body does, in fact, makes its own cannabinoids that mimic what CBD does inside the brain.
The technical term for when the brain produces cannabinoids, is endocannabinoids. Examples of the body’s natural production of endocannabinoids include a runner high, a first kiss, or the feeling you get when you experience a trip for the first time.
CBD Oil at a Glance
CBD can be consumed in a large variety of ways, but the most popular is CBD oils or CBD oil soft gels. The oil in both is actually produced the same exact way. Standard CBD oil has an earthy, nutty, natural flavor, and can be a bit thicker in nature. For this reason, some might prefer to consume CBD oil via soft gels. Both are the same, and both will give users the same effects.
As a general rule, 10 to 15 milligrams should be consumed, and dosage can be increased from there, until desired effects are felt.
Is CBD Legal?
As long as CBD contains <0.3% THC, it is legal in every state.
CBD Oil and Menopause
Now that you have the rundown of both menopause and CBD, you can grasp why one is used in the same sentence as the other. Menopause is one of the top 5 reasons why women use CBD products.
Top 5 Reasons Women Use CBD to Treat Menopause:
- Alleviates symptoms
- Works quickly, and for an extended period of time
- Non-addictive
- Minimal to zero side effects
- Get all the benefits from the cannabis plant, without feeling high, or having any altered senses
Most of the symptoms associated with menopause can be erased entirely, or greatly lowered. Below, we will go over each symptom, and how CBD oil can alleviate it.
Breast Tenderness, Joint Pain, and Muscle Aches
Breast tenderness, joint pain, and muscle aches happen due to the low levels of estrogen being produced throughout the body, and this, in turn, raises inflammatory molecules throughout the body. Because of this, arthritis can be increased. CBD oil helps reduce arthritis inflammation and helps release tension, while also acting as a protectant within the nerves. Supplementing with turmeric may also help reduce inflammation.
CBD oil can be a better option than CBD topicals for those who don’t like the feeling of lotion, or products on their skin, due to sensitivity, or personal preference.
Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Mood Swings
Depression, anxiety, stress, and mood swings are common with women going through menopause. Why is this, you ask? Hormone levels become erratic and decrease, causing disruption in the serotonin levels. Estrogen and progesterone are meddled with inside the brain’s neurotransmitters, which confuses the wiring inside the brain, causing a decrease in serotonin.
Serotonin is what is responsible for our happiness levels, and when that is low, it sends signals to the brain, making us feel sad, down, or depressed. Not only that, but it can make a person feel anxious, and overthink things, that they would typically brush off, or not think twice about. It’s all neurochemistry, and when it changes, so does our overall mood.
CBD oil helps to reactivate serotonin receptors by binding to the brain’s receptors, and altering the neurotransmitters. It sends signals to the brain, saying, ‘serotonin is there and ready,’ which induces the brain to provide happy feelings.
Additionally, CBD oil helps GABA receptors inside the brain, which are responsible for your body’s central nervous system. Having this system in check, is what helps with keeping anxiety, paranoia, and stress to a minimum. GABA receptors are responsible for maintaining the way a person feels relaxed, euphoric, and content, so having these receptors working correctly is crucial.
Hot Flashes, and Night Sweats
While people tend to joke about their hot flashes and night sweats, it is usually only a defense mechanism. In all seriousness, these are very annoying symptoms of menopause, and are some of the most public issues women going through menopause have to face. Hot flashes are not the type of hot body a woman ever has in mind.
When women get a sudden heatwave throughout their body, it is because of a disruption in the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for many things, including regulating body temperature. When a body temperature gets too low, the hypothalamus internally warms up the body, and when we are too warm, it tells our body to cool itself down. In other words, the hypothalamus is the heating and cooling system in our body.
Menopause alters the hypothalamus, and it triggers the heating or cooling process at the wrong times. Before menopause, a body tells its cooling system to kick in when a 3-degree difference occurs, but women in menopause have it kick in when just a 1.5 degree occurs. That half of a difference in temperature is a drastic change in terms of the body, and how it makes women feel.
CBD oil is still being researched for its full effects on the brain, but with studies proving CBD can alter brain receptors, it is a safe bet that it alters receptors all over the brain, and not just in one section.
Research has linked the influence on serotonin levels, to be a significant reason why women use CBD for their hot flashes and cold sweats.
Weight Gain, Diabetes, and Appetite
One of the most significant issues with menopause is hormonal change, because that is what controls the metabolism. Hormones change due to estrogen depletion, and when that occurs, it causes the metabolism to slow down, and our bodies burn fewer calories.
Unfortunately, even if women tighten up the diet and increase their workouts, it won’t make much of a difference. The ongoing hormonal shift causes your body to want to trade lean muscle for fat.
Besides gaining a few extra pounds, when your body holds onto more fat, it raises your insulin resistance, which can lead to things like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A study was done from 2005 to 2010 that found significant associations with cannabinoid use, like CBD, and led the participants to smaller waistlines, and lower levels of insulin.
CBD has also been recently researched as helping to turn back on a metabolism switch, that normally gets turned off during menopause.
Vaginal Dryness, and Urinary Incompetence
If you haven’t seen a common trend yet, basically, estrogen helps women in many ways which are not normally discussed. Estrogen helps promote blood flow, which aids the pelvic area. Proper flowing blood is what helps promote a healthy urinary tract, sexual organ health, and proper elasticity. Once this blood flow starts to diminish, everything it helps in keeping healthy, starts to diminish.
Not only does a topical lubricant help with vaginal dryness, but CBD oil internally, can help to promote blood flow. This will keep tissues within the vagina healthy, and help to maintain a moisturized lining.
Insomnia and Other Sleep Disorders
There are a number of reasons women going through menopause have a hard time getting sleep. This can be due to hot flashes, cold sweats, or the overall discomfort of a changing body.
The idea of what menopause means can give women nightmares, stress, anxiety, and even full-on panic attacks. It is the ending of an era, in a way, and is inevitable. This scary realization that the body is changing, and will never be return to its younger form, can be an issue of great anguish.
Loss of sleep can cause a long list of side effects that are harmful to women, both mentally, and physically. Insomnia can lead to day time fatigue, appetite loss, and mental fogginess, as well as affecting the way vital organs function. Everyone requires sleep for their bodies to function correctly.
Sleep deprivation can further aggravate other symptoms already caused by menopause, which can lead to a real bummer of an endless cycle. Health issues are linked to one another, and fixing one problem, in most cases, can help fix others at the same time.
CBD Oil is extremely beneficial in helping people to sleep. It works as a rocking chair does for a child, by lulling a person to sleep. CBD Oil helps the brain release fears and worries, allowing the consumer to enter into a state of blissfulness. A happy mind can find rest easier than one that is always running on negative emotions.
Insomnia is no match for CBD oil, and it has been proven to help those who use it, to enter into R.E.M sleep, which is the most essential type of sleep a human can get. A recent study done in 2019 involved 72 test subjects, and 66.7% of them reported having a better nights sleep, while 79.2% agreed it helped, overall, with daily anxiety.
Hot flashes that keep menopausal women up at night, as we have already covered, can benefit from CBD, due to its ability to eliminate those, and in turn, reduces your sleeping disorder, if not eliminating it entirely.
Since CBD oil has no aroma, and an easy to swallow taste, it is a flavor that pairs well with the night-time hours. Remember, you can always take CBD oil capsules if you don’t want to put drops under your tongue, especially after you have already brushed your teeth, that’s a relatable issue for everyone.
Memory Loss, and Head Fog
There is no doubt about memory loss being associated with age, but it is also directly linked to menopause. A scary thought, is that women who are young, and have to go through menopause, can experience not just memory loss, but rapid memory loss.
What part of the brain is responsible for memory loss? That would be the hippocampus, and when a woman loses estrogen with menopause, it affects the brain. Lost estrogen breaks bridges between the brain’s receptors that store and transfer memories. When these bridges are broken, memories become lost or foggy, and new memories have no bridges to ‘walk’ across. Our brain is like a mini-city, and when road gets closed, it causes a ton of problems.
Scientists are currently researching how CBD oils help with memory, memory loss, and brain-related injuries. They know CBD oil enables receptors in the brain, but they are doing more research as to how the receptors build and repair.
Researchers believe CBD and CBD oil not only has the ability to fix receptors, but they think it may help protect receptors from deteriorating in the first place.
CBD oil is considered to have the ability to prevent oxygen build up in the brain, along with brain cell decline, both being directly related to memory.
Much like memory loss, head fog can be a frustrating symptom felt by people daily. It directly affects the ability of a person to function throughout the day, and can be a killer to deal with at work. The excellent news with head fog, is after menopause, people can pair memory activities with CBD oil, to help that symptom permanently go away. The brain is a muscle, and it needs exercise to get back into shape, just as one would workout to get toned.
CBD Oil For Long Term Menopause Relief
Besides just being used to treat symptoms, CBD oil is used because of how fast, and how long, it can handle the symptoms. CBD oil is the longest-lasting form of CBD, and can be felt for an average of 8-12 hours.
Many women wear five different hats at one time, and scheduling an appointment with the doctor might be put on the back burner. Those who have to wait a few weeks to get into a doctor, choose to use CBD to combat the symptoms before they dive deep into pharmaceutical care, or treatment.
Even after women do make it into the doctor, they may prefer using CBD oil as a healthier, and holistic approach. Pharmaceutical drugs have harmful side effects, and some may even be habit-forming. For this reason, CBD comes to the rescue, and can be a women’s number one healing choice, even after pharmaceutical drugs have been introduced into the picture.
CBD has, in fact, been around for thousands of years, and has been part of a holistic approach, dating back to central Asia.
CBD Oil Serving Size for Menopause
Just a bit of CBD Oil goes a long way, and can last for hours, which is excellent for women with menopause who are always on the go.
Women first starting with CBD oil are recommended to take a small amount and add more as needed. There is not one specific serving size, because everyone’s body is unique, and will respond differently.
Many factors affect the way in which one’s body reacts, including other menopause medications, diet, and exercise regimens.
Depending on how the body reacts to CBD oil, it can be safe to use all throughout the day, or it can be used solely when effects are felt. It is up to the women going through menopause symptoms as to how much, and when, she wants to use CBD oil.
For those who wish to help sleeping symptoms associated with menopause, then a more massive serving at night, would be ideal.
Negative Effects
For worry worts out there, have no fear, because you can’t overdose on CBD oil, or CBD products. One study gave people 1,200 mg daily for months, and observed zero adverse side effects.
CBD Oil Consumption Methods
The consumption method you use, to take CBD oil, is going to play a huge factor in how it helps your menopause symptoms.
Oral
When CBD is ingested orally, it enters the bloodstream and travels throughout the body. Orally will be the slowest method to hit the senses, but will provide the longest-lasting effects. Those looking for the most extended treatment for symptoms, will want to go the oral route.
If you want the oral method to be extended, then you should take the CBD oil on a full stomach. Taking CBD with healthy fats, can increase the levels of CBD that enter the bloodstream.
Oral – Sublingual
When CBD is taking sublingually, it is deposited directly into your bloodstream. The most common way is to drop the oil directly under your tongue. You can also hold the oil on your gums and cheeks, but under the tongue will be hands-down the fastest.
CBD oil that is taken sublingually has the advantage of bypassing your metabolism, and entering your bloodstream directly.
If you increase surface contact, by swooshing the CBD oil around your mouth, it can increase the CBD into your bloodstream by 5x. The effect time from this method will be 0.5 -5 hours.
Final Thoughts On CBD Oil and Menopause
CBD oil is not only helpful to women going through menopause, but it can be a real lifesaver. As soon as early signs of perimenopause hit, women can feel some comfort in knowing they don’t have to go through this significant life change alone. CBD oil can be used to comfort the mind, and combat physical issues throughout the body.
Scientists are just at the beginning stage of researching CBD oil and menopause, with results, so far, that have been very promising. And while Women know their bodies more than anyone else, it can be a huge leap forward when scientific treatments, and evidence, can back their knowledge about menopause, and their choice to use CBD oil as a medical aid.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Due to FDA Regulations, we recommend that you do your own research on CBD products. We also suggest that you read the reviews on our website, where our customers record their real-world results of using our products.