• A friendly and supportive community, register today. Our forums use a separate account system.

Medical Cannabis is ‘Promising Treatment’ for Women Struggling to Reach Orgasm, Review Finds

A new review has found ‘consistent evidence’ that cannabis improves sexual function in women, and should be considered as a first-line treatment for patients with female orgasm disorder (FOD).


After reviewing findings from 16 peer-reviewed studies, including data from over 8,000 women, researchers have formally recommended that FOD be recognised as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis on prescription.

Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD), which is defined as a persistent or recurrent delay or absence of orgasm following sexual stimulation now affects up to 72% of premenopausal women, a sharp rise from 42% reported in 2013 by the DSM-5.

Experts say with this increasing prevalence over the last decade, FOD poses a ‘substantial public health concern’, especially given the negative impact on women’s lives, and say there is ‘growing need’ for policy to recognise the condition worthy of treatment, research, and care.

According to the paper, women reporting FOD/difficulty demonstrate higher rates of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and increased use of prescription medications.

Despite this, no treatments have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration specifically to treat FOD and research and innovation into potential therapeutic approaches is said to be lacking.

READ MORE: Could cannabis help women reach orgasm? A new study says so

The systematic review found that improved orgasm function, including increased frequency, intensity, quality, ease, satisfaction, and the ability to experience multiple orgasms per sexual encounter, was reported in all nine studies that evaluated cannabis use before sexual activity.

“Cannabis appears to be a promising treatment for FOD/difficulty, with the majority of studies reviewed reporting improvements in orgasm function and satisfaction among women who use cannabis,” the authors state.

“These benefits were observed across diverse study designs, populations, and cannabis use contexts. Given this growing body of evidence, FOD/difficulty should be considered a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, and medical cannabis should be evaluated as a potential first-line treatment.”

In 2024, results from the first RCT examining the effects of cannabis on sexual function in women, demonstrated statistically significant improvements in orgasm function among gynaecological cancer patients using cannabis-infused vaginal suppositories.

While the findings suggest a strong association between cannabis use and improved orgasm function, further RCTs are needed, the authors say, to ‘establish causality’ and better understand the impact of dosage, timing, route of administration, and specific strains on FOD-related symptoms.

To date, three US states, Illinois, Connecticut and New Mexico, have approved FOD as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, while Oregon will hold a public appeal to reconsider a petition in October.

Dr Suzanne Mulvehill, Clinical Sexologist and Founder of the Women’s Cannabis Project and Female Orgasm Research Institute, is leading the advocacy initiative to see FOD approved as a condition of treatment with medical cannabis in other jurisdictions, including the UK.

“Recognising Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD) in medical cannabis policy is both a public health imperative and a cultural reckoning,” she commented.

“It affirms that women’s sexual health is important and worthy of treatment.”

The post Medical Cannabis is ‘Promising Treatment’ for Women Struggling to Reach Orgasm, Review Finds appeared first on Cannabis Health News.

Continue reading...
 
Back
Top