Women Use More Cannabis Before Their Period, Driven by Mood and Pain
Women used cannabis more frequently in the premenstrual phase, with the interaction between negative mood and coping/pain motives driving use patterns across the menstrual cycle.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 40 normally cycling women tracked for 65 days, cannabis use was more frequent during the premenstrual phase. Physical pain motives increased during menstruation. The relationship between mood, motives, and cannabis use differed by cycle phase: higher depression drove coping-motivated use during ovulation, while lower depression drove it premenstrually.
Key Numbers
N=40 women tracked for 65 days. More frequent use in premenstrual phase. Physical motives higher in menstrual phase. Complex three-way interactions between cycle phase, mood (depression/anger), and motives.
How They Did This
Daily diary study tracking 40 regularly cycling women over 65 days, measuring negative affect, cannabis use, and use motives retrospectively across menstrual cycle phases.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding how the menstrual cycle drives cannabis use patterns could help women make more informed choices and help clinicians provide cycle-aware guidance.
The Bigger Picture
Women's cannabis use has been understudied relative to men's. This study reveals that hormonal and mood fluctuations across the menstrual cycle create distinct vulnerability windows for increased cannabis use.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small sample of 40 women limits statistical power for complex interactions. Retrospective daily reports may have recall bias. Self-selected sample of cannabis-using women. Short 65-day window.
Questions This Raises
- ?Do hormonal contraceptives change these patterns?
- ?Could cycle-timed interventions reduce problematic use?
- ?Does premenstrual cannabis use affect cycle symptoms?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis use peaks premenstrually, driven by mood and coping motives
- Evidence Grade:
- Novel daily-diary design captures within-person variation, but small sample limits generalizability.
- Study Age:
- 2025 study with novel menstrual cycle-cannabis use methodology.
- Original Title:
- Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives.
- Published In:
- Addictive behaviors, 164, 108284 (2025)
- Authors:
- Morris, Paige E, Soto, Paul L, Buckner, Julia D(11)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07192
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do women use more cannabis before their period?
Yes. This study found women used cannabis more frequently during the premenstrual phase, with the combination of negative mood and coping motives driving the increase.
Do women use cannabis for period pain?
Cannabis use for physical pain was higher during menstruation specifically. The study found that women with higher negative mood were more likely to use cannabis for physical symptoms during the menstrual phase.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07192APA
Morris, Paige E; Soto, Paul L; Buckner, Julia D. (2025). Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives.. Addictive behaviors, 164, 108284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108284
MLA
Morris, Paige E, et al. "Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives.." Addictive behaviors, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108284
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negat..." RTHC-07192. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/morris-2025-cannabis-use-across-the
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.