Women Use More Cannabis Before Their Period, Driven by Mood and Pain | Research

The takeaway

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.

Women who use cannabis, reproductive health researchers, addiction counselors working with women

Cannabis use peaks premenstrually, driven by mood and coping motives

What the researchers 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.

Why it 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 numbers in context

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 the study worked

Daily diary study tracking 40 regularly cycling women over 65 days, measuring negative affect, cannabis use, and use motives retrospectively across menstrual cycle phases.

What this study cannot 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.

How to read the evidence

Novel daily-diary design captures within-person variation, but small sample limits generalizability.

When this study was published

2025 study with novel menstrual cycle-cannabis use methodology.

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.

Questions still open

Do hormonal contraceptives change these patterns? Could cycle-timed interventions reduce problematic use? Does premenstrual cannabis use affect cycle symptoms?

Common 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.

Read the original research

Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives.

Addictive behaviors, 164, 108284

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

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