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CBD Oil, contraceptives & the pill

To be sure, contraceptives are one of modern medicine’s greatest achievements. They give women and couples the opportunity to prevent pregnancy and plan their (family) live according to their own wishes. Recently, CBD has been getting a lot of attention for its alleged benefits experienced by many consumers. This includes women who use CBD Oil to relieve some of the side-effects caused by contraceptives such as the pill. But just how does CBD relate to hormonal birth control? This blog explains all about CBD Oil and hormones, as well as how to combine hemp supplements and contraceptives like the pill and more.

CBD and the endocannabinoid system

Let’s start at the beginning: the endocannabinoid system or ECS. This system is crucial for maintaining your body’s physiological balance. The endocannabinoid system influences a broad range of processes, including the female reproductive system.

Endocannabinoid receptors are found all throughout the body. These receptors respond to chemicals known as cannabinoids. Our body produces its own supply of endocannabinoids, but CBD (cannabidiol) is a plant-based phytocannabinoid derived from hemp that also interacts with the ECS. Hemp is often associated with cannabis, weed, and THC – another cannabinoid – but unlike THC, CBD will not make you high.

CBD Oil can work together with the ECS by either activating or inhibiting specific receptors. The receptors of the endocannabinoid system help regulate a diversity of important physiological processes, including:

• Pain;
• Memory;
• Mood;
• Appetite;
• Stress;
• Sleep;
• Immune system;
• Hormones;

The cannabidiol in the CBD Oil you use does not affect these processes directly. Instead, CBD binds to the receptors of the ECS, where it can either activate or block the activity of other endocannabinoids. This is important to keep in mind if you are already using medication or the pill. CBD is capable pf blocking certain enzymes that are necessary for metabolizing specific medicines.

Does CBD Oil affect contraceptives like the pill?

Let’s be clear: when we say contraceptives, we mean hormone-based birth control measures aimed at preventing pregnancy. This can be either the pill or hormone implants and dermal patches, coils (IUDs), hormonal shots, and vaginal rings.

In the female fertility cycle, ovulation is regulated by hormones. These hormones also ensure that a fertilised ovum can nestle in the womb’s mucous membrane. Hormonal contraceptives contain low doses of oestrogen and progestogen, both of which influence the natural hormonal cycle in their own way. They prevent women from getting pregnant by:

• Halting ovulation;
• Altering the cervical mucous membrane to prevent sperm cells from reaching the ovum;
• Changing the structure of the womb’s mucous membrane to prevent fertilised eggs from nestling correctly.

So far, we still await thorough clinical trials that can clarify exactly how CBD Oil affects hormonal contraceptives like the pill. We do know, however, that CBD can work with the ECS to regulate various hormonal processes throughout the body. This includes the endocrine functions of the reproductive system, so there is a chance that CBD could somehow affect your preferred contraception method. Obviously, this is not