Myofacial pelvic pain patients report high effectiveness of cannabinoids
Published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology in June 2023, this study examined the effectiveness of cannabinoid medicine on women with myofacial pelvic pain (MPP).
Estimates indicate that as many as 24% of U.S. women experience some type of pelvic floor disorder, and it is often resistant to common treatments. This cross-sectional (a single point in time) study collected info from 135 women in tertiary pelvic pain clinics via a detailed questionnaire. Both cannabis-users and nonusers were included.
The average age of women using cannabis medicine was 34 while the average age of women not using cannabis was 45. 97% had been diagnosed with endometriosis. Over 75% of the cannabis users started using cannabis because traditional treatments were not effective. Over half had been using cannabis for pelvic pain for more than 2 years.
The products most used were:
- dried cannabis flowers/leaves (68.9 %)
- edibles (60.7 %)
- topicals (54.1 %)
- 86.9 % used products containing both CBD and THC
While the vast majority reported effectiveness for MPP pain relief, almost 97% reported an improvement in their quality of life. About 92% reported improvements in their sleep and almost 74% reduced other medications after initiating cannabinoid treatment.
The authors' observations:
68.9 % of users rated the effectiveness of cannabis as 7 or higher at relieving pelvic pain. [on a 10 point scale]
They also noted improvements in mood (75.4 %), sleep (91.8 %), physical health (62.3 %), physical mobility (70.5 %), mental health (77.0 %), home life (67.2 %), and quality of life (96.7 %).
73.8 % of users reported decreasing their use of other pain medications after starting to use cannabis for pelvic pain.
Adverse effects reported:
- unwanted feelings of being high (36.8 %)
- decreased attention span (36.8 %)
- dizziness (26.3 %)
- anxiety (26.3 %)
The full text article is here at ScienceDirect.com.