Research on cannabis and women's health is heavily focused on safety during pregnancy, with major gaps in understanding women-specific conditions

Of 270 studies, 80% addressed safety, 17% motivations for use, and 10% perceptions. Only 20% used women-only samples, and 16% studied maternal-offspring dyads. Research predominantly covered cannabis/marijuana (90%) with much less on CBD (9%) or THC (7%). Most common designs were cross-sectional (37%), retrospective (18%), and prospective cohort (16%).

Scoping review of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for human epidemiological studies published January 2018 to March 2023, using cannabinoid safety, perception, and motivation criteria. Screened using Covidence platform.

Women may have different risk profiles, motivations, and therapeutic responses to cannabis than men. The finding that most research focuses on pregnancy-related safety means women-specific conditions like endometriosis, menstrual pain, and menopausal symptoms remain understudied.

This review maps a significant blind spot in cannabis research. As women increasingly use cannabis for self-treatment of conditions like menstrual pain, anxiety, and menopausal symptoms, the absence of dedicated research leaves both clinicians and patients without guidance.

Scoping review does not assess study quality. Search limited to 2018-2023. Categories were not mutually exclusive. The review characterizes the literature landscape rather than synthesizing findings.