The many challenges of PMS, i.e. the days before menstruation, are now familiar to almost all menstruating people. There are many reasons for this. with CBD oil has been studied to have positive effects, e.g. to the sensation of pain, anxiety and bad night’s sleep and e.g. many people around the world suffer from these symptoms related to menstruation. According to user experiences, CBD oil really brings relief to many menstrual-related side symptoms, and in this article we will learn how CBD oil could help with PMS symptoms.

What is PMS?

PMS, i.e. Premenstrual syndrome, is a large group of different symptoms related to menstruation and the time before menstruation. They include both physical and psychological symptoms, the intensity of which varies from imperceptible to those that make life difficult. Uncomfortable sensations start 1-2 weeks before menstruation and usually subside on the 4th. by the leak date. Of menstruating people, approx. 20-30% feel that they have PMS symptoms that affect their lives and approx. 5-10% suffer from very severe symptoms. However, it is estimated that more than 95% of all menstruating women feel that PMS is a part of their life, perhaps with mild, well-tolerated sensations that pass quickly (1).

CBD oil works through the endocannabinoid system

As the endocannabinoid system is a background influencer in almost all functions in the body, it is also a balancer of the menstrual cycle and the body systems behind it. Endocannabinoids have been detected both in the brain from those areas that regulate functions related to menstruation and reproduction, as well as in the uterus, ovaries and placenta. (2, 3). CBD oil works through cannabinoid receptors and travels evenly throughout the body with the blood!

The spectrum of PMS symptoms is wide

The most common PMS symptoms include e.g. various pain states, mental imbalance, sleep-related challenges and skin symptoms. There are more than 150 different symptoms, so it is likely that everyone who menstruates feels at least a few of them. There are certainly several reasons for the symptoms, but there is no clear root cause for PMS. Fluctuations in the concentration of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone, is the most common cause under which all PMS symptoms are grouped, but the strength and prevalence of premenstrual syndrome is also influenced by beliefs related to menstruation, an unbalanced state of the body, physical and/or psychological trauma, etc.

CBD oil relaxes with the symptoms

The spectrum of PMS symptoms is wide and may even vary between menstrual cycles. CBD oil is flexible in its handling and tackles the problem at hand at any given time. So it can be very well suited to varying PMS symptoms. The effect of CBD oil directly on PMS has been studied very little, but user experiences from abroad are good. Although there aren’t really any studies regarding this particular connection, a broader understanding of the effectiveness of CBD oil on PMS symptoms can be obtained by looking at CBD oil effects in general.

PMS symptoms can be eased with CBD

CBD oil can ease PMS.

PMS, CBD and acne

According to studies, CBD oil seems to work well for the skin problem that is part of the most common PMS symptoms, acne. CBD oil calms and balances skin function, especially when administered transdermally, i.e. through the skin. Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, stress and poor sleep quality affect the skin’s natural function. CBD oil has been found to promote cell flexibility and reduce sebum secretion (4) in addition to its calming and balancing properties (5).

PMS, CBD and pain perception

Ka complex flow of information starts from the nipple point, which first ends up as a pain signal via the dorsal horn to the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus transmits information to the higher levels of the brain, where the experience of pain finally arises. PMS is associated with different, different pains, the root cause of which can be difficult to determine. The most commonly known are headache, lower abdominal and lower back pain, and breast tenderness.

CBD oil has been found to block the transmission of the pain signal (6). Studies also show that CBD oil has been helpful for muscle and joint pain, such as lower back and lower abdominal pain associated with PMS (6,7). The treatment of migraines with CBD oil has been studied with somewhat good results, but since the headaches are so different from each other, more related studies are still awaited.

Read more about how CBD oil affects pain .

PMS, CBD and Mood

During menstruation, and the changes in hormone activity that precede them, cause mood swings. They are also believed to affect serotonin levels. You may feel anxious and fearful. Many talk about a tendency to cry, a low mood and a feeling of sadness for which there is no clear reason. CBD oil balances the nervous system and calms the mind, it has been found to affect the way we perceive internal and external things. For example, pain or an anxious feeling. Through the endocannabinoid system, CBD prevents brain cells from sending a signal as if triggering what was happening (8). In studies, CBD has been found to relieve anxiety and elevate mood (9), and also works in cooperation with serotonin production, as a result of which CBD oil may alleviate the symptoms caused by low serotonin.

PMS, CBD and sleep

The endocannabinoid system also regulates factors underlying sleep. PMS is associated with an excessive need for sleep, as well as too little sleep. Some suffer from night waking and some cannot sleep at all. The endocannabinoid system regulates the sleep cycle and the depth of sleep. CBD oil has been found to improve the quality of sleep, the functioning of the internal clock and has a positive effect to balance during sleep .

Finally

Many have learned to live with PMS symptoms, perhaps through the power of painkillers, sick leave and family. The truth is that any sensation more than a little is not normal and something that should only be swept under the carpet with acceptance and wait for the next month of suffering. There are plenty of user experiences around the world about CBD oil’s help with even difficult PMS symptoms, and as time goes on we will certainly get more research results on the subject. Let it be said, however, that research on the functionality of CBD oil has accumulated so widely on many challenges comparable to PMS symptoms that CBD oil can be a potential support for those struggling with PMS symptoms.

Sources

1. Premenstrual symptoms (premenstrual syndrome. 2021. Aila Tiitinen. https://www.terveyskirjasto.fi/dlk00163. Referred on 15/02/2022
2. M. El-Talatini, A. Taylor, J. Elson, L-Brown, A. Davidson, J. Konje. 2019. Localization and function of the endocannabinoid system in the human ovary. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004579. Referred on 15/02/2022
3. O. Walker, A. Holloway, S. Raha. 2019. The role of the endocannabinoid system in the female reproductive tissues. https://ovarianresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13048-018-0478-9#Sec11. Referred on 15/02/2022.
4. Cannabidiol is an effective helper compound in combination with bacitracin to kill Gram-positive bacteria. 2020. Wassmann C, Hojrup P, Kudsk J.. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7057955/ . Referred on 15/02/2022
5. Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and anti-inflammatory effects on human sebocytes. 2014. Olah A., Toth B., Borbiro I., Sugawara K., Szöllösi A., Czifra G., Pal B., Ambrus L., Kloepper J., Camera E., Ludovici M., Picardo M., Voets T., Zouboulis C., Paus R., Biro T.. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151231/. Referred on 15/02/2022
6. A balanced approach for cannabidiol use in chronic pain. 2020 . Argueta D, Ventura C, Kiven S, Sagi V, Guptal Kalpna. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7204604/. Referred on 15/02/2022
7. A selective review of medical cannabis in cancer pain management. 2017. Blake A., Wan B., Maleks L., DeAngelis C., Diaz P., Lao N., Chow E., O’hearn S.. https://www.calgarycmmc.com/A-selective- review-of-medical-cannabis-in-cancer-pain-management.pdf. Referred on 15/02/2022
8. Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders. 2015. Blessing E., Steenkamp M., Manzanares J., Marmar C.. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/. Referred on 15/02/2022
9. Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety and Mood Disorders: Molecular Targets and Epigenetic Insights from Preclinical Research. 2021. Melas P., Schrema M., Fratta W., Cifani C., Fadda P. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7917759/. Referred on 15/02/2022