Managing Postmenopause: How CBD Can Help
Managing Postmenopause: How CBD Can Help
With few safe, sustainable solutions for postmenopausal women, CBD's evidence-based activities show promise for easing postmenopausal discomforts and protecting against disease.
Menopausal discomforts like hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and disrupted sleep, affect up to 80 percent of women, with profound impacts on wellbeing and long-term health. While symptoms may lessen or cease within six months to two years, new research suggests many women continue to experience physical and emotional disturbances that persist well past menopause. Additionally, postmenopausal status is linked with a significantly higher risk for serious disease, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and possibly cancer.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Despite the magnitude of the problem, current treatment options are limited and narrow in their approach. The potential dangers of hormone replacement therapies are widely recognized, and both estrogen-plus-progestin and estrogen-alone interventions are associated with increased risk of stroke, blood clots, heart attack, and Alzheimer's, as well as endometrial, breast and lung cancers. Other treatments—including estrogen creams and condition-specific drugs like antidepressants, benzodiazepines or hypnotics—also carry a variety of adverse effects.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
While safe, comprehensive solutions are lacking, research focusing on natural interventions confirms the effectiveness of diet, lifestyle modifications and certain botanicals for addressing postmenopausal health, and CBD in particular shows notable promise.
Menopause, The ECS and How CBD Can Help.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays a prominent role in menopausal symptoms, interacting with the endocrine system, influencing the production of estrogen and progesterone, the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and the body's thermoregulatory center. Estrogens likewise interact with the ECS, and changes in estrogen levels can alter ECS activity and disrupt homeostasis. The ECS impacts additional physiological processes, including inflammation, mood, sleep and metabolism, all affected by menopause. Through its interplay with the ECS and other mechanisms, CBD shows therapeutic potential for alleviating a range of discomforts and protecting against disease after menopause. What the science says:13, 14, 15, 16
Mood regulation.
Mood swings, depression and anxiety are common complaints, with research suggesting postmenopausal women suffer from poorer mental health than their premenopausal counterparts. Menopausal changes are associated with higher levels of anxiety, lower vitality and reduced mental wellbeing, and postmenopausal women may be 2 to 4 times more likely to experience a major depressive episode than premenopausal women. Studies demonstrate CBD's ability to relieve anxiety and depression, balance mood and enhance quality of life. And unlike traditional pharmaceuticals, CBD works quickly, offering a safe, effective alternative for postmenopausal mood disturbances.17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Sleep improvement.
Fluctuating or declining estrogen significantly alters sleep: more than half of menopausal women report sleep problems, and in one study, 46.7 percent of postmenopausal women met the clinical cutoff for sleep disorders warranting medical attention. Disrupted sleep heightens the risk for mood disturbances and depression, and anxiety further interferes with sleep, creating a vicious and frustrating cycle. Along with its mood-regulating properties, CBD has been shown to improve various sleep parameters, with notable benefits for sleep latency, duration, night wakings and overall sleep quality.25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
Vasomotor symptoms.
Hot flashes and night sweats are thought to be caused by resetting and narrowing of the thermoregulatory system secondary to diminished estrogen. Alterations in estrogen and FSH levels, and upregulation of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor in response to reduced serotonin from decreased estrogen, also play a part. While research is limited, CBD’s known effects on the ECS and its ability to interact with serotonin receptors appear to influence thermoregulation, suggesting it may potentially lessen the severity of vasomotor symptoms. Additionally, inhibiting hot flashes and night sweats significantly enhances sleep quality.33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38
Bone health and osteoporosis.
During menopause, estrogen deficiency stimulates osteoclast formation, dysregulating osteoclastic and osteoblastic activity and leading to increased bone resorption, overall bone loss and elevated risk for fractures. The ECS is involved in regulating bone metabolism and homeostasis, and CBD's influence on the ECS points to its promising therapeutic value in supporting bone health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. In animal studies, CBD was found to improve bone metabolism, decrease bone destruction, slow bone loss, accelerate fracture healing and possibly promote bone formation.39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47
Cardiovascular wellness.
During menopause, declines in estrogen are associated with changes in cardiovascular risk profile, subclinical atherosclerosis and significant increases in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, and some research shows coronary heart disease rates are two to three times higher for women after menopause. Studies demonstrate CBD's ability to lower inflammation, mitigate vascular damage and improve blood pressure, oxidative stress and other markers of cardiovascular health, suggesting a cardioprotective role for postmenopausal women.48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56
Cognitive health and Alzheimer's.
Estrogen is involved in many aspects of brain function, reducing neuroinflammation, enhancing synaptic plasticity and decreasing oxidative damage. Diminished estrogen production during menopause blunts these mechanisms, accelerating neurodegenerative processes and increasing the risk for cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's. Research suggests CBD mitigates neuroinflammation and oxidative damage, promotes neurogenesis and preserves cognitive function, potentially protecting against neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66
Cancer.
While natural hormonal changes don't directly impact the development of cancer, menopause-related factors, including age, higher BMI and exposure to estrogen through hormone therapies elevate cancer risk. Prolonged exposure to estrogen and later menopause are also associated with increased incidence of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers, and women who experience menopause at 55 years, rather than 45 years, have a 30 percent higher risk. CBD is known to induce autophagy and reduce levels of inflammatory cytokines, and studies validate its tumor-suppressing activity and cancer-protective properties—especially relevant for women after menopause.67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77
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