Hormone therapies are used to treat a variety of conditions ranging from\nmenopause to health-threatening hormone imbalances to gender transition\ntherapies and even cancer. Now, recent discoveries about the endocannabinoid\nsystem (ECS) and the production of hormones reveal new ways in which\ncannabis compounds can affect hormone-related conditions and the therapies\nthat treat them.
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\nHormones are produced and expressed in the same way for both men and\nwomen, although different hormones predominate for each sex—and those\ndifferences also play a role in how cannabis affects hormone-related conditions\nand therapies.
\nThe hormone system is really part of a larger network of transmitters called the\nendocrine system, which also includes the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal\nglands. Hormone production itself is controlled by activity in the pituitary gland\nand hypothalamus. The pituitary gland along with the hypothalamus is also\ncalled the hypothyroid-pituitary-gonadotropin axis (HPG axis) and is\nresponsible for triggering the release of gonadotropin releasing hormone\n(GnRH).
\nThe HPG axis also stimulates the production of both follicle stimulating\nhormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) and when FSH and LH act on the\ngonads, they lead to the production of a number of hormones including\nestrogen estradiol, progesterone, androgen and testosterone.
\nAlthough hormones are most directly involved in expressing sex differences\nand supporting reproduction, they also play a role in regulating many other\nprocesses in the body. Hormones affect the development of bones and muscle,\nsupport brain health and more. Imbalances in the endocrine system can lead to\na variety of diseases, including diabetes and thyroid problems.
\nAs far back as the 1980s, studies have shown a connection between cannabis\nand hormones. With the\ndiscovery of the ECS in the early 1990s, the reasons behind that connection are\nbecoming increasingly clear—and posing new questions at the same time.
\nThe ECS is closely entwined with all other major neurotransmitter signaling\nsystems in the body, including the endocrine system. That’s why cannabinoids,\neither the body’s own anandamide and 2-AG, or compounds from cannabis\ncan affect the production and behavior of hormones both in the reproductive system and\nin other circumstances, such as the development of cancer.
\nThe ECS is a large, dense network of receptors located in the organs, tissues\nand brain. Those receptors respond both to cannabinoid chemicals produced\nby the body and the many compounds found in the cannabis plant, particularly\ntetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Because the compounds in\ncannabis are so similar to those produced naturally in the body, cannabis\nproducts of all kinds can have profound effects on many different processes,\nincluding the workings of the endocrine system and the production and\nexpression of hormones.
\nSome research suggests that the ECS might in fact play a major role in the\nproduction of hormones in the HPG axis. The\nhypothalamus is rich in the cannabinoid receptor CB1, as is parts of the pituitary gland as\nwell as other components of the endocrine system. Plus, both the ovaries and\ntestes contain large numbers of cannabinoid receptors, too.
\nFor a number of women, menopause—that midlife change when fertility\ndeclines and eventually ends as menstrual periods come to a stop—brings a\nrange of symptoms including hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia and\nproblems concentrating, as hormone levels begin to decline and become\nimbalanced. In perimenopause—the years leading up to full menopause—some\nwomen can experience all those symptoms, plus painful and irregular periods,\neven if they never had period problems before.
\nRELATED: MARIJUANA RELIEVES SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE
\nTo relieve these symptoms and allow sufferers to conduct normal lives, doctors\nfrequently prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a protocol that’s\nintended to replace declining levels of reproductive hormones. But this kind of\ntherapy brings with it a heightened risk of cancer, especially breast cancer.
\nWomen at a higher risk for certain kinds of cancers are usually advised not to\ntake HRT, or to keep the treatments short—and some doctors are advising\npatients not to do it at all. Many women on their own are deciding in favor of\nmore natural alternatives for the ills of menopause, even if they aren’t sure what\nthose remedies might be.
\nAn increasing number of women are finding that cannabis products can help\nrelieve menopause symptoms without the risk of HRT’s harmful effects. Marijuana can\neven be used to replace hormone therapy altogether for some people—or allow\nusers to reduce their dose.
\nCannabis, especially its non-psychoactive component CBD, can affect\ncannabis receptors in the brain and reproductive system to block pain, regulate\nthe body’s temperature to avoid hot flashes, and generally do the things HRT\ncan do—but without the potentially deadly side effects. And because doctors\nfrequently prescribe other drugs such as sleep aids and antidepressants along\nwith HRT, marijuana can reduce or eliminate the need for those additional\ndrugs, too.
\nCannabis has a wide range of benefits for women’s reproductive health in\ngeneral, from easing the discomfort of breast tenderness and painful menstrual\ncramps during a woman’s cycle to reducing symptoms after menopause such\nas vaginal dryness. Some research suggests that an endocannabinoid\ndeficiency might be the cause of early menopause and some of the severe\nsymptoms associated with menstruation and menopause in general, so\ncannabis products might eliminate the deficiency—and with it, the need for\nHRT and other medications for treating menstrual and menopause symptoms.
\nThe potential use of cannabis for menopause-related hormone therapy\nsymptoms has been relatively well studied, but less research has been done on\nits benefits and risks for other situations where hormone therapy is used. Still,\nrecent discoveries about the relationship between cannabis and hormones can\nreveal more about the contribution cannabis can make in those situations.
\nHormone therapy is used to supplement hormone production when it’s out of\nbalance, or the body simply doesn’t make enough essential hormones on its\nown. That kind of deficit can lead to growth abnormalities, bone deformities\nand problems with muscle tone—and it can affect both males and females.\nBecause the ECS can affect the endocrine system, cannabis products,\nespecially those high in CBD, may be able to help restore the endocrine\nsystem’s balance.
\nTransgender individuals typically take a number of cross-sex hormones as part\nof their transition, and most people take them for life. For transgender men, that\ncan include injections, timed release implants or oral doses of testosterone and\nandrogen, along with other medications to suppress female hormones. For\ntransgender women, medication protocols include high doses of estrogen and\nanti-androgens to suppress masculine features.
\nHormone therapies can play an important role in a transgendered person’s\nmental health and overall well-being, but these treatments come at a cost. High doses of\nhormones and related medications to suppress some of them can cause a\nrange of health problems including reduced bone density, heart problems and\ndeep vein thrombosis. Because hormone therapy for transgendered people can\nlast for years, or a lifetime, it can also contribute to the development of certain\nhormone-sensitive tumors.
\nAmerican research on the use of cannabis for health conditions of all kinds has\nbeen stymied by legal restrictions and public perceptions about the dangers of\nmarijuana—and those perceptions, along with others about gender dysphoria\nand transitioning, also limit studies on the uses of cannabis in transgender\nhormone therapies.
\nBut because cross-sex hormone therapies act on the HPG axis to affect the\nexpression or suppression of one or more of those hormones, the effects of\ncannabis on the ECS may also help support heart and bone health during\ntreatment, and also help reduce the depression and anxiety many\ntransgendered people frequently experience.
\nHormone therapy can be used to treat various cancers, too—but it’s used with\ncaution. Some kinds of tumors, especially in the breast and prostate, can be\nhormone-responsive, meaning that high levels of some hormones, particularly\nestrogen, can actually encourage tumors to grow. Some research indicates that\nbecause cannabis doesn’t contain hormones, it could be used to support\nhormone therapy for certain cancers.
\nThe effects of cannabis on hormones aren’t always clear or easily predictable.\nFor example, it’s now known that high levels of estrogen seem to make people\nmore responsive to the effects of cannabis. Some\nstudies suggest that using large amounts of cannabis, especially when it has\nhigh concentrations of THC, might suppress the body’s production of\ntestosterone and androgen, two hormones essential for the expression of male\nsexual characteristics and for fertility.
\nStill, the deep connections between cannabinoids and the body’s own hormone\nsystem indicate that cannabis products can play a powerful role in hormone\ntherapy for a long list of conditions.
\nPhoto credit: Jaime
\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis\n101 post. HelloMD can\nhelp you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and\n100% online.
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