Cannabis can help the millions of women suffering from endometriosis to combat the pain associated with the debilitating condition.
Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects 6.5 million women in the United States. It causes extreme pain during menstruation and sex, as well as chronic pelvic pain, bloating, nausea and infertility.
There is currently no cure and treatment aimed at controlling symptoms includes invasive surgical procedures.
Research has found that microbiota – a collection of bacteria in the gut – and neurons called endocannabinoids bind to receptors in the central nervous system, which play a role in the development and progression of endometriosis.
Endocannabinoids, as well as cannabinoids derived from external sources such as the ingestion of marijuana, have analgesic effects that suppress the processing of pain signals to the brain.
The gut is part of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which has been shown to affect pain levels, making it a promising target for treating chronic pain associated with endometriosis, researchers say.
An imbalance of these three things can cause inflammation and increase the presence of harmful bacteria in the body, contributing to the worsening of endometriosis.
The condition affects women of all ages and can cause pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, nausea and diarrhea. It’s also a cause of infertility: 30 to 50 percent of women who struggle to conceive have endometriosis (stock photo)
The uterus is lined with uterine lining tissue called the endometrium. The body creates new endometrium with each menstrual cycle in preparation for a fertilized egg. However, with endometriosis, this tissue grows outside the uterus
In the female reproductive organs, endometrial tissue called the endometrium forms the uterus. With each menstrual cycle, the body creates new uterine lining in preparation for a fertilized egg. However, in people with endometriosis, this tissue grows outside the uterus.
As tissue builds up, the risk of painful cysts, scarring, inflammation, and tissue connective tissue increases.
This build-up of tissue can block the fallopian tubes (eggs travel through the fallopian tubes to the uterus) or form scar tissue, making pregnancy difficult.
There is currently only one ongoing study on the use of marijuana for endometriosis pain, specifically with CBD—which doesn’t get you high—and vaporized THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis.
The latest research from researchers in Australia and New Zealand is based on findings from more than 140 journal articles suggesting that circulating endocannabinoid levels correlate with endometriosis pain, with low endocannabinoid levels associated with increased pain.
Endometriosis has been described by some researchers as ‘endocannabinoid deficiency’. In people with endometriosis, low levels of CB1 receptors are linked to disruptions in the ECS and appear to interfere with the regulation of pain associated with endometriosis.
Activation of specific receptors in the brain – CB1 and CB2 – with endocannabinoids found in the body or cannabinoids from other places through smoking or vaporizing THC can reduce the brain’s perception of pain signals and produce an analgesic effect.
Experimental models of endometriosis studied in mice have shown that repeated exposure to cannabis disrupts the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus.
A similar study showed that exposing mice to CBD reduced the diameter, volume and area of uterine lesions, demonstrating its ability to counteract free radicals in the body that can damage cells.
The researchers therefore suggest that the use of marijuana can help women cope with the pain associated with the serious illness.
However, the evidence on whether cannabis can actually relieve pain is mixed.
Is this the endometriosis solution we’ve all been waiting for?
Thanks to recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the condition, there is the prospect that trials of two new treatments could offer patients lasting relief.
Marijuana advocates claim the drug has numerous health benefits, including pain relief.
However, a US government-backed analysis of 25 studies concluded that there is “very little scientifically based research” supporting marijuana as an effective pain reliever.
The authors of the latest report from researchers in Australia and New Zealand said: “These promising results highlight the potential therapeutic benefits of CBD and THC in endometriosis-associated pain and justify the need for human studies.”
Their report was published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
While more than 176 million women worldwide suffer from endometriosis, many struggle to get a diagnosis despite the pain that interferes with daily life.
Depending on the location, there are three types of endometriosis.
The most common is superficial peritoneal endometriosis, which affects the peritoneum, or the thin membrane that lines the abdomen and pelvis. It occurs in 80 percent of women diagnosed.
A second type of endometriosis also affects the ovaries, causing endometriomas. These are dark, fluid-filled cysts or “chocolate cysts” that are most common on the ovaries and affect 17 to 44 percent of patients.
Deep infiltrating endometriosis, which causes extreme pelvic pain in one to five percent of endometriosis patients, involves endometrial tissue that has invaded organs such as the bowels and bladder. It can develop in nerves, most commonly the sciatic nerves, that run down each leg.
It is possible to have more than one type of endometriosis, and it is not clear whether they all behave the same.
Doctors aren’t entirely sure what causes endometriosis, but some believe genes play a role, as well as a condition called retrograde menstruation, in which menstrual blood containing endometrial cells flows through the fallopian tubes into the pelvic cavity, where it attaches to organs . .
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
