Many women use CBD on a regular basis for various reasons. A notable of all the benefits of using Oil from CBD oil is relief from pain and reducing stress in the body. Even though this is made from Cannabis, CBD is safe as it is just one of the hundred ingredients in cannabis and does not harm the body when used in the proper dosage. It is believed to be safer than regular pharmaceutical drugs to ease body pain. Women mostly use CBD oil for reducing pain during menstrual cramps or for treating other health conditions. However, there are some doubts about its interaction with birth control pills.
How does CBD interact with our body?
CBD can impact our body in many ways as it affects the hormonal function in the body. The CBD will signal the CB one and two receptors in the body, which can influence the hormones and nervous system in the body. Not only that, it can also have an impact on our immune system. Even though CBD by itself does no harm to our body, it can impact hormonal function in some cases, depending on the dosage. While it is of no harm to men, women who are using birth control may find it risky to use CBD oil if it impacts the estrogen levels in the body.
For this reason, you need to be careful if you are using CBD oil in combination with contraceptive pills or patches. Even when you are using injectable contraceptives, you should take the same precautions and consult your doctor before using them together. This is the best way to avoid unwanted pregnancy in the future. Even though there is no scientific evidence to prove that CBD can reduce the effectiveness of estrogen-based contraceptives, it is still a good idea to avoid taking risks while depending on contraceptive pills to prevent pregnancy.
How can birth control benefit women?
Apart from preventing unwanted pregnancies, birth control has several benefits for the overall health of women. It has been proved that women who use birth control pills for a long duration notice a significant reduction in pain during the menstrual cycle. Not only that, using birth control pills or injectable contraceptives can help to prevent certain types of cancers in women in the long run. This keeps the hormonal balance in the body intact and improves the overall health of women.
The effect of CBD on birth control depends on the type of contraception.
As some researchers say that CBD may interfere with the hormones, it is a good idea to understand the different types of contraceptive pills available so that you can choose the appropriate one in the future. The estrogen-based pills may become slightly ineffective when used along with CBD oil, according to few claims. In this regard, there is no evidence to show that progesterone based contraceptives become ineffective with CBD. For this reason, you should always consult your doctor when you are using CBD along with birth control pills. Your doctor will suggest suitable pills, depending on your health condition. Yet another option is to use other contraceptive measures like condoms while using CBD oil. In this way, there is more protection from unwanted pregnancy.
However, there are no claims regarding the negative effects of using CBD while you are on progesterone based contraceptives. In this regard, you can get in touch with your doctor and check suitable options to shift towards using suitable contraceptives for additional safety. You may also try using condoms if you plan to use CBD only for a short duration so that you can continue to use estrogen-based contraceptives as usual. The condoms will become an added layer of protection to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
CBD influences hormone behavior
Once CBD enters the body, it begins interacting with the endocannabinoid system in the brain. This controls the release of hormones in the body and also regulates the nervous system and our immune system. If CBD can influence this region, it may even impact the way estrogen-based contraceptive pills work, as they also work by altering the hormonal behavior in the body. In this way, it is often suspected that CBD may influence the working of contraceptive pills and render them ineffective in some cases.
The effect of CBD on women differs from one person to another
The effect of CBD on women using birth control pills vary by a huge margin. While some have reported that it interfered with their birth control, others have said that there was no effect on birth control even when used together for many years. In this regard, it is not clear if CBD affects birth control. Even if it affects in some cases, it is clear that it is not the same for every woman.
There is no scientific study done in this regard in a major way as CBD is still illegal in many countries even though it has many health benefits. Most people use it to reduce stress and anxiety, while others use it to get relief from body pain. It can affect our hormone system and boost the overall health in a natural way without any side effects. However, when it comes to using this combined with birth control, it is better to play safe as you do not want to risk an unwanted pregnancy because of using CBD oil and birth control together.
Many women use CBD oil for relaxation, and it is also used to treat depression and mood swings in many cases. In such cases, there is no harm in using the CBD oil as it does no harm to the body on its own. It may only impact the absorption of other medications in the body temporarily. Even this is not proved completely, and most theories are based on small studies. In this way, the effect of CBD on women varies a lot, and there is no conclusive evidence to say that it reduces the effectiveness of birth control pills.
CBD may interfere with birth control
According to a study conducted on a small group, CBD binds with estrogen receptors in the reproductive system. Even estradiol, which is an important female hormone also, binds with these receptors in the body. In this regard, the study concludes that CBD may compete with estradiol for estrogen in the body, reducing the effectiveness of estrogen-based birth control pills. However, the study is not completely valid as it was done many decades back on a small group.
Another theory suggests that CBD interacts with most other medications through the liver enzymes. When CBD is metabolized by the body, the liver enzymes that also metabolize other medications may find it difficult to absorb certain medications. In this situation, the effectiveness of birth control pills may be reduced by the use of CBD.
However, similar studies conducted on women using progesterone based birth control pills did not show any threat from CBD. In this regard, it is safer to switch to progesterone based contraception while using CBD. Apart from that, you may also consider using additional safety measures like condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Lack of scientific data
Even though studies conducted on small groups indicate that CBD may affect birth control, there is no proper scientific data. As cannabis is still not legal in many countries, not many people are researching this direction. Even CBD oil is not legal in many countries, and it cannot be used without a prescription. In this regard, it is difficult to conclude if CBD will have an impact on birth control. It may have an effect in some cases, and it may not have any effect in other cases. A lot depends on the dosage of CBD oil used and the underlying health conditions of the women using them together.
The best option when you want to use CBD and birth control
In this situation, the best option is to use an alternative birth control method instead of contraceptive pills while using CBD. When you are using CBD only for a short duration, it is better not to take any chances with an unwanted pregnancy and use other birth control methods as a backup in case the contraceptive pills are not effective due to CBD. In this way, you will stay safe and be able to get the complete benefits of using CBD oil. However, it is a good idea to discuss such methods with your doctor before going ahead with them. Your doctor will analyze your overall health condition and suggest the best option.
There is no conclusive evidence from any major studies regarding the effects of CBD on birth control pills. While some women have reported mild side effects, others have reported the opposite symptoms while using contraceptive pills and CBD together for a long duration. In this regard, you can try and use them for some time to see if it has any effect on your body. If you notice any side effects, you can choose alternate options after consulting your doctor.