Two-Thirds of Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain and Fibromyalgia Have Tried CBD, with 81% Reporting Pain Improvement | Research

The takeaway

Among 1,382 women with chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia, two-thirds had tried CBD, with 81% of current users reporting pain improvement and many substituting CBD for other medications.

gynecologists, pain management specialists, fibromyalgia patients, women with chronic pelvic pain

What the researchers found

36.3% never used CBD, 29.2% past users, 34.5% current users. Among current users, 80.9% reported pain improvement. Those with pain improvement also reported better sleep, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and overall health. Many substituted CBD for at least one other medication. About half reported side effects, most minor (drowsiness 29% most common).

Why it matters

Chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia are notoriously difficult to treat. The high CBD use rate and self-reported symptom improvement, along with medication substitution, suggest patients are finding relief that conventional treatments may not provide — though placebo effects cannot be ruled out.

The numbers in context

1,382 participants. 34.5% current CBD users, 29.2% past users, 36.3% never used. Pain improvement: 80.9% of current users. Improved sleep, anxiety, depression, fatigue, overall health correlated with pain improvement. Side effects: ~50%, mostly minor (drowsiness 29%).

How the study worked

Cross-sectional secondary analysis of online survey distributed through the National Fibromyalgia Association (April-May 2020). Limited to participants with concurrent chronic pelvic pain diagnoses. 1,382 included participants.

What this study cannot tell us

Self-reported outcomes susceptible to placebo and expectancy effects. Survey distributed through patient advocacy organization (selection bias). No control group. Cross-sectional design cannot establish causation. 2020 survey may not reflect current landscape.

How to read the evidence

Large survey with good detail on use patterns, but self-reported outcomes, advocacy organization recruitment, and no control group limit evidence quality.

When this study was published

2025 publication with 2020 survey data.

The bigger picture

The medication substitution finding is significant — if CBD allows patients to reduce use of opioids or other high-risk medications, it could represent meaningful harm reduction, even if its mechanisms are not fully understood.

Questions still open

What medications are patients substituting CBD for?
Would a controlled trial confirm the self-reported pain improvement?

Common questions

Does CBD help with chronic pelvic pain?

In this survey of 1,382 women with chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia, 81% of current CBD users reported pain improvement. Those who improved also reported better sleep, mood, and energy. However, this is self-reported and not from a controlled trial.

Can CBD replace other pain medications?

Many participants reported substituting CBD for at least one other medication. While promising for harm reduction, this survey cannot determine if CBD is as effective as the medications it replaced. Patients should consult their doctors before making substitutions.

Read the original research

Cannabidiol Use and Perceptions of Effectiveness in Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain.

Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 47(7), 102839

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Till, Sara R; Whitmore, Gabrielle; As-Sanie, Sawsan; Matallana, Lynne; Boehnke, Kevin F. (2025). Cannabidiol Use and Perceptions of Effectiveness in Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain.. Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 47(7), 102839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2025.102839