--- title: Do women use cannabis more during certain menstrual cycle phases, and does mood affect when they use it? description: Women use cannabis more frequently during the premenstrual phase, and whether they use it to manage mood or physical pain depends on how depressed or angry th url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/cannabis-use-across-the-menstrual-cycle-the-impact-of-negative-affect-and-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women use cannabis more during certain menstrual cycle phases, and does mood affect when they use it? Study, 2025 # Do women use cannabis more during certain menstrual cycle phases, and does mood affect when they use it? Women use cannabis more frequently during the premenstrual phase, and whether they use it to manage mood or physical pain depends on how depressed or angry they feel during different cycle phases. Early or limited evidence 40 women who reported cannabis use in the past month ## What they did Asked 40 women who had used cannabis in the past month to report, looking back over 65 days, when they used cannabis, what negative feelings they had, and their reasons for use (to cope with mood, manage physical pain, or other reasons). The researchers looked for patterns across menstrual cycle phases. ## What they found Cannabis use was more frequent during the premenstrual phase but not during menstruation. Cannabis use for managing physical pain was greater in the menstrual phase. Among women with higher depression who used cannabis to cope, use was more frequent at ovulation. Among women with lower depression, coping-related use was more frequent premenstrually. Women with lower anger (but not higher anger) showed more coping-related use during the premenstrual phase. Women with higher overall negative feelings showed more physical pain-related use during menstruation. ## What it means for you Some women may increase cannabis use during certain menstrual phases to manage mood or physical symptoms. Whether they use it for mood or pain depends on their feelings and the cycle phase. This is a small study based on women's memories of use and feelings over two months, so findings need confirmation in larger studies. The study does not show whether cannabis actually helps PMS symptoms. 40 women in study 65 days tracked ## About the study Original title Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives Authors Morris PE, Soto PL, Buckner JD Journal Addictive behaviors Year 2025 Study design Study Participants 40 What was tested Cannabis use (observational; women chose their own use patterns) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108284](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108284) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2001 How common is premenstrual dysphoric disorder and how is it related to other psychiatric conditions? Survey study, 1989 Do women's memories of premenstrual depression match their daily mood ratings? Randomised trial, 2025 Does taking an antidepressant only during the second half of your cycle reduce anger and aggression in PMDD? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Randomised trial, 2021 Does ulipristal acetate (a progesterone blocker) treat PMDD? Randomised trial, 2017 Does the combined oral contraceptive pill affect mood? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗