A serious health condition found around the globe is endometriosis, which involves tissue similar to the lining of the uterus growing outside the patient’s uterus. Endometriosis can cause severe pain in the pelvis of the suffering patient.

The condition can make it difficult for the suffering patient to become pregnant, with patients often starting to experience symptoms of the condition during their first menstrual period. The condition’s symptoms can last up to menopause.

International researchers estimate that roughly 5-10% of women of reproductive age around the world suffer from endometriosis. Unfortunately, very little is known about what causes the serious health condition.

A team of health investigators based in New Zealand and Australia and affiliated with various academic and research institutions recently examined cannabis use, pain, and reported quality of life among endometriosis patients. Their study’s findings were published in the journal BMJ Complementary Medicine and Therapies.

“Current medical treatments frequently provide incomplete symptom control and/or significant side effects. Many individuals with endometriosis report symptom improvements with cannabis use, but high-quality evidence remains limited.” the researchers wrote. “Participants aged 18–50 years with surgically or clinically diagnosed endometriosis self-engaged with a specialist consultant and were prescribed medicinal cannabis (cannabidiol [CBD] oil alone or in combination with dried cannabis flower).”

“Weekly pain scores, and health-related quality of life (measured by the Endometriosis Health Profile-30 [EHP-30]) were assessed via surveys and standardised questionnaires over three months. Completion interviews were conducted to explore participants’ experiences with medicinal cannabis in greater depth.” they wrote about their methodology.

“Participants reported limited adverse events during the study period. Pelvic pain scores decreased over 12 weeks: ‘overall’ pain reduced from 5.46 ± 1.55 (95% CI 0.57) to 3.77 ± 2.25 (95% CI 0.83), and ‘worst’ pain decreased from 7.62 ± 1.51 (95% CI 0.56) to 5.38 ± 2.69 (95% CI 1.00). The mean total EHP-30 score significantly decreased from 68.77 ± 15.17 (95% CI 5.61) to 37.40 ± 16.66 (95% CI 6.17).” they found.

“Medicinal cannabis use was associated with reduction in pain measures and improvements in quality of life among some individuals with endometriosis during this study. Qualitative findings highlighted both perceived benefits and ongoing challenges related to access, dosage and social stigma.” they concluded. “These results support the need for larger controlled studies to further evaluate the safety, efficacy, and long-term outcomes of medicinal cannabis as an adjunctive therapy for endometriosis-related pain.”