American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology held its ACOG District XII meeting August 13-15 in virtual format. One of the breakout sessions was about Medical Cannabis Updates for Ob/Gyns. Dr. Melanie Bone, a board-certified OB/GYN and medical cannabis provider spoke about this topic. She highlighted current attitudes about using medical cannabis in women’s health. Given the current state of research on the topic, she advised practitioners to follow ACOG guidelines which suggest that there is no acceptable use for cannabis in pregnant women. This follows the current guidelines on alcohol and other illicit substances. Dr. Bone did mention that there are groups of women who are using cannabinoids, both CBD and THC, to self-manage hyperemesis gravidarum, the nausea and vomiting that accompany pregnancy. Their use cannot be condoned at this time, although these women could and should be followed prospectively to look for data to analyze that might give better insight into cannabis and its impact on pregnancy.
Dr. Bone spoke about the use of cannabinoids in gynecological conditions as well. She pointed out that cannabinoids can be used in conjunction with allopathic medicines to manage complaints including dysmenorrhea, PMS/PMDD, endometriosis and other causes of pelvic pain, as well as menopause. “At this time, we lack data to justify eschewing allopathic medicine in favor of cannabis, but more and more observational data support utilization of an integration of cannabis with traditional approaches to these common ailments,” she said. “This is a case where the science is slowly catching up to the grass roots practice.” Dr. Bone reports a great deal of success using cannabis to treat anxiety, pain, insomnia, and sexual health, all of which are highly correlated with diseases such as endometriosis and are part and parcel of menopause for a high percentage of women.
For more information, contact Dr. Melanie Bone at mb@drmelaniebone.com.
