Survey study, 1986
Does marijuana use change across the menstrual cycle?
No. In women without severe PMS, marijuana use did not vary across the menstrual cycle, even though physical symptoms like pain and water retention worsened before and during menstruation.
What they did
Thirty women completed daily diaries for three consecutive menstrual cycles. They recorded how much marijuana they smoked each day and reported their menstrual symptoms using a standard symptom questionnaire.
What they found
Women returned 99.1 percent of their diaries. They smoked an average of 1.4 (plus or minus 2.0) marijuana cigarettes per day, ranging from 0.2 to 7.3 cigarettes daily. There was no significant relationship between daily marijuana use and which phase of the cycle they were in. Psychological symptoms like negative mood and difficulty concentrating did not vary with cycle phase. Physical symptoms like pain, autonomic reactions, and water retention were significantly increased during the premenstrual and menstrual phases, but overall symptom scores during these phases were very low.
What it means for you
Among women without severe PMS, marijuana use patterns don't change with the menstrual cycle. This finding may not apply to women with severe PMS. The study is small and specific to one group of women.
30
women who tracked use and symptoms
1.4 (±2.0)
avg marijuana cigarettes/day
99.1%
diary return rate
About the study
- Original title
- Marihuana use across the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Griffin ML, Mendelson JH, Mello NK et al.
- Journal
- Drug and alcohol dependence
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None. This was an observational study.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0376-8716(86)90053-0
Topics
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