{"id":49594,"date":"2020-01-22T18:28:36","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T18:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/yet-another-study-finds-that-weed-helps-with-endometriosis\/"},"modified":"2020-01-22T18:28:36","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T18:28:36","slug":"yet-another-study-finds-that-weed-helps-with-endometriosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/news\/yet-another-study-finds-that-weed-helps-with-endometriosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Yet Another Study Finds That Weed Helps with Endometriosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Update: February 3, 2020. The original version of this post described endometriosis as a condition where excess endometrial cells are pushed out of the uterus. The passage has been revised to reflect the most current understanding of how endometriosis develops.]<\/em><\/p>\n

[Update: February 3, 2021. An update has been made to clarify that hysterectomies are not a cure for the condition.]<\/em><\/p>\n

A new study showed that THC, the component of cannabis that gets people buzzed, can also treat some of the worst symptoms associated with endometriosis. <\/p>\n

Endometriosis is a painful, often debilitating, medical condition that affects the uterus and surrounding organs. In endometriosis patients, endometrial cells typically formed inside of the uterus \u2014 where the uterine lining captures a fertilized egg and grows a baby in the womb \u2014 attach to other organs or structures found outside of the uterus. Endometrial cells found on other organs can develop into nodules or “implants,”<\/a> which swell and bleed as if undergoing a menstrual cycle. Despite endometriosis being relatively common, affecting roughly 174 million<\/u><\/a> people worldwide, modern medicine currently does not have a proper cure for the condition \u2014 even treatment around the condition is a bit hazy. Hysterectomies, or surgical removal of the uterus, doesn’t guarantee relief<\/a> from endometriosis-related symptoms and can neither be classified as a treatment, nor as a \u201ccure\u201d for endometriosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a lack of effective treatments, women with endometriosis usually rely on self-management strategies like dietary changes or exercise,\u201d wrote the study\u2019s lead author, Rafael Maldonado, a medical researcher at the University Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona, Spain. \u201cAlthough cannabis comes with a large number of potential side effects, its medicinal properties could provide pain relief<\/u><\/a> in endometriosis and other conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n