Marihuana use across the menstrual cycle.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Women's Health

Background:

• Menstrual cycle phases can influence mood and physical well-being.
• Marihuana use is prevalent, and its interaction with hormonal fluctuations requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between daily marihuana consumption and menstrual cycle phase.
• To assess if marihuana use patterns correlate with psychological and physiological distress across the menstrual cycle.

Main Methods:

• Thirty women tracked daily marihuana use and menstrual distress using diaries and the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) over three cycles.
• High response rate (99.1%) ensured robust data collection.
• Statistical analysis explored covariance between marihuana smoking and menstrual cycle phase.

Main Results:

• Average daily marihuana use was 1.4 cigarettes; no significant covariance was found between smoking frequency and menstrual cycle phase.
• Psychological factors of the MDQ (negative affect, concentration, behavior, arousal) did not vary with cycle phase.
• Physiological MDQ factors (pain, autonomic reactions, water retention) increased premenstrually/menstrually, but overall MDQ scores remained low.

Conclusions:

• Marihuana use does not appear to be systematically influenced by the menstrual cycle phase in women without severe premenstrual dysphoria.
• Physiological, but not psychological, menstrual distress symptoms showed expected cyclical patterns.
• Further research could explore marihuana's impact on specific physiological symptoms during the menstrual cycle.