Could cannabis help women reach orgasm? A new study says so

The first study of its kind has found cannabis to be beneficial in the treatment of female orgasm disorder. 

For the first time researchers have investigated the effects of cannabis in treating female orgasm disorder/difficulty (FOD), with the results demonstrating ‘significant benefit’.

While previous research has suggested cannabis could have therapeutic potential in female sexual disorders, this is the first to date to explore its use in FOD. 

Orgasmic dysfunction occurs when an individual has difficulty reaching orgasm, even when they are sexually aroused and is thought to affect almost half of the female population.

An estimated 41% of women report FOD, according to the paper, a statistic which has remained unchanged for the last 50 years. 

Researchers Suzanne Mulvehill, a clinical sexologist at the Female Orgasm Research Institute and Dr Jordan Tishler of the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists, are the first to evaluate the effect of cannabis use before partnered sex on women with and without FOD.

The observational study conducted among almost 400 women between March-November 2022, evaluated baseline demographics, sexual behaviour, mental health, cannabis use, and the orgasm subscale questions of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), evaluating orgasm frequency, orgasm satisfaction, and orgasm ease, with and without cannabis before sex.

The majority of women in the study who reported difficulty reaching orgasm were between the ages of 25–34 (52%), reported their race as white (75%) and were married or in a relationship (82%).

Among those respondents reporting orgasm difficulty, cannabis use before partnered sex was found to increase orgasm frequency (72.8%) improve orgasm satisfaction (67%) or make reaching orgasm easier (71%).

According to the researchers, the frequency of cannabis use before partnered sex correlated with increased orgasm frequency for women with FOD, while orgasm response to cannabis depended on the reasons for use. 

READ MORE: Could cannabis help close the ‘orgasm gap’?

Mental health and FOD

The study also went one step further to examine the mental health difficulties experienced by women with FOD. 

Those with the condition reported 24% more mental health issues, 52.6% more PTSD, 29% more depressive disorders, 13% more anxiety disorders, and 22% more prescription drug use than women without FOD. Women with FOD were also more likely to report sexual abuse history than women without.

Calls for more research

“Fifty years of sexuality research support use of cannabis for sexual difficulties. This is the first study to look at FOD specifically, demonstrating significant benefit,” write the authors in the paper’s conclusion.

Mulvehill and Tischer are now calling for more robust studies to examine the use of cannabis in FOD, as well as its impact on other mental and physical health symptoms. 

They add: “Randomized controlled studies are needed to evaluate cannabis’ efficacy on FOD sub-types, mental health and physical health conditions and other clinical implications; evaluating dosage, strain, timing, and method of intake.”