Last updated September 24, 2026 | Published on November 21, 2024
Insomnia, brain fog, anxiety and depression, exhaustion, hot flashes. And then mood swings, often ranging from irritability and anger to sadness and tearfulness, sometimes shifting unexpectedly from one moment to the next. This is how about 85% of people going through menopause experience the change, to varying degrees of frequency and severity.
Ongoing studies are examining the use of cannabis to help manage menopause symptoms. Although the research is still evolving, here's what current evidence suggests about cannabis and menopause.
What is menopause?
Menopause marks the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs to be fertilized and menstrual periods end. The hormonal changes associated with menopause can begin years before menopause itself and may continue long afterward. In some cases, symptoms can start as early as a person’s 30s.
For some people, perimenopause and post-menopause can be as challenging as menopause itself. Perimenopause refers to the transitional stage leading up to menopause, when symptoms begin to appear. Post-menopause begins after a person has gone through a full year of menopause and continues for the rest of their life.
Why does menopause cause so many symptoms?
The decline in estrogen and other hormones during menopause affects more than the reproductive system. These hormones play important roles throughout the body, including in the brain, bones, skin, hair, heart and cardiovascular system.
Symptoms of menopause include:
- irregular menstrual cycles and and heavy periods
- changes in mood, including depression, anxiety and irritability
- insomnia and sleep disruption
- hot flashes and night sweats
- headaches
- weight gain
- vaginal dryness
- hair loss and increased facial hair growth
- difficulty concentrating and memory loss
- lowered sex drive
Menopause is a natural process, not a disease. However, the symptoms and changes brought on by menopause make it a significant health concern for many people.
Is cannabis a replacement for hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?
Consuming cannabis for reproductive health concerns is not a new idea. Historical texts note that cannabis has been used to relieve menstrual cramps, sexual dysfunction and other reproductive system–related complaints.
Why do some people choose cannabis for menopause-related pain and insomnia?
Dr. Staci Gruber is a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School and a cannabis researcher who founded and directs Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery. She isn’t surprised that some people experiencing menopause symptoms are looking to cannabis for support. According to Dr. Gruber, some adults most commonly use cannabis in their older years to help with a host of symptoms — chronic pain, mood, sleep disruption — that tend to worsen with age and coincide with menopause.
Conventional menopause therapies include hormone replacement therapy (HRT), in which estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels can be adjusted using synthetic or naturally derived hormones. While the use of HRT declined following breast cancer concerns raised by a widely publicized 2002 study, more recent research has prompted a renewed evaluation of its benefits and risks.
Even so, HRT is not a fix-all treatment. Some people still choose not to use it, while others experience only partial symptom relief at maximum dosages. As a result, many menopausal people seek out other options. “Often, people explore cannabis and cannabinoids not as a first-line treatment, but because nothing else has worked,” says Dr. Gruber.
Can cannabis help reduce menopause-related anxiety, pain and other symptoms?
In a 2023 survey of women aged 35 and older by University of Alberta researchers, 499 women out of 1,485 reported currently using cannabis for menopause, while 66% used it at some point. 75% of current users indicated using cannabis to improve sleep and reduce anxiety and pain.
However, cannabis can also produce unwanted effects such as anxiety, cognitive impairment, drowsiness, and mood changes, which are more likely with higher-THC products and may overlap with symptoms experienced during menopause.
Even with these risks, says Dr. Gruber, cannabis and cannabinoids offer a “very interesting therapeutic alternative” to conventional ways of managing menopause.
Find out how your age can affect your cannabis experience
How do THC and CBD affect menopause symptoms?
While people are using cannabis and cannabinoids such as THC and cannabidiol (CBD) to manage symptoms related to menopause, more research is needed to assess their efficacy and safety.
CBD for menopause symptoms
A 2021 longitudinal study co-authored by Dr. Gruber and published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society examined the long-term cognitive effects of medical cannabis use. The study included 54 medical cannabis patients with an average age of 49, an age range commonly associated with the menopausal transition. Researchers found that CBD significantly improved patients’ executive function, as well as sleep, mood and anxiety.
Dr. Gruber notes that older adults often gravitate toward products containing higher levels of CBD, or formulations that include a broader range of cannabinoids and terpenes. For instance, the minor cannabinoid cannabinol (CBN), which seems to increase sedation, could be consumed alongside CBD.
Other research co-authored by Dr. Gruber has also suggested that cannabis may help support chronic pain management, particularly products containing THC.
If you choose cannabis, know what’s in it
Managing menopause can be complex. Cannabis can fit into a treatment plan, but as Dr. Gruber says, “it’s important to know what you’re getting in the cannabis products you use.”
She calls it the “what’s in your weed?” factor. Dr. Gruber studies allow research subjects to continue consuming what they’re used to consuming at home, while her team studies the outcomes. To control for variations, they send the cannabis products to a third-party lab for analysis, which allows her team to determine exactly what’s in each one.
In Canada, licensed cannabis producers are required to list the THC and CBD content of their products on the product packaging. However, consumers can request further breakdowns on cannabinoids, terpenes and potency from the Licensed Producer.
Learn more about how to read the THC and CBD potencies on a product label
Consult a healthcare professional
Knowing which products, strains, cannabinoids and terpenes match up with menopause complaints may take some DIY research. It is essential to consult a healthcare provider to ensure cannabis use doesn’t conflict with existing health conditions and medications.
People experiencing significant menopause symptoms may also benefit from consulting a healthcare professional or menopause specialist to build a holistic framework to support their hormone health and overall well-being.
Take it slowly
The recommendation to "start low and go slow" remains especially important when trying cannabis for menopause symptoms.
Dr. Gruber notes that choosing a multi-compound cannabis product, typically identified with terms such as “full spectrum,” “broad spectrum” and “whole-plant derived,” means a smaller amount can be used to get a notable result.
Whether the product is inhaled, ingested or applied, mounting evidence suggests cannabis makes menopause a more tolerable experience for some of the billions of people who will, at some point, go through it.
