Have you ever smoked a joint with your partner before getting intimate? Did you notice a difference? While cannabis and sex might be controversial, it has been used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years. Unfortunately, there haven’t been many studies focusing on how they affect each other. Still, the ones that have been published show fascinating results.
Men and women alike have reported that using marijuana influences their sexual experience. From calming any anxiety related to sex, decreasing pain during intercourse, enhancing orgasms for women, and potentially promoting erectile dysfunction in men, cannabis affects sex more than we realized.
If you are interested in seeing if you qualify for a medical marijuana card, make an appointment with one of our many Medical Marijuana Physicians.
Cannabis Calms Your Nerves
Anxiety can show up at some of the most inconvenient times – especially during sex. Both men and women have reported that they experience sexual performance-related anxiety at some point in their lives. In addition, those who have experienced trauma from sexual assault also suffer from PTSD-related anxiety in the bedroom.
Plenty of studies have been published that demonstrate marijuana’s ability to relieve anxiety. To find out more about how cannabis helps anxiety, check out this article. You can also read this article to see how it can help manage PTSD-related symptoms.
Decrease Pain Caused During Intercourse
Conditions such as PMDD, endometriosis, PCOS, spinal cord injuries, and others can all result in experiencing pain during sex. Sometimes so intense that it causes people to shy away from getting intimate with their partner. In addition, chronic pain often makes people have a decreased libido and can make some sexual positions more difficult or uncomfortable. Using cannabis before having sex can reduce inflammation and ease one’s pain to make the experience not just manageable – but enjoyable.
Women Benefit the Most
It’s easy to assume that cannabis affects the genders equally; however, with more research being published, we are learning that it affects men and women quite differently. In regards to sex, while there hasn’t been much research done so far, it seems as if women are the ones who benefit the most from using cannabis before sexual intercourse.
One particular study published in 2019 showed that most women who used cannabis before having sex reported positive sexual effects regarding overall desire, sexual satisfaction, orgasm, and improvement in sexual pain. To be precise, 68.5% said their overall sexual experience was more pleasurable, 60.6% experienced an increase in their sex drive, and 52.8% reported an increase in satisfying orgasms. It also found that women who used cannabis before sex and those who used it more frequently were more than twice as likely to report satisfactory orgasms as those who did not use marijuana before sex or used it infrequently.
When asked about her thoughts on cannabis and sex, Dr. Marissa Magsino, one of DocMJ’s Qualified Medical Marijuana Doctors based in Orlando, said, “Female intimacy issues are real. Specific terpenes like Linalool and Limonene helped optimize desire and orgasm at all ages.” Since cannabis is a vasodilator, it increases blood flow. As a result, it can make the already-sensitive parts of our bodies even more sensitive.
Men Need to be More Careful
On the other hand, cannabis use might have a few adverse effects on men compared to women. For example, while there needs to be more research conducted, some reports suggest that using cannabis can increase one’s chances of developing erectile dysfunction (ED).
In a recent review published in the American Journal of Men’s Health, five case-control studies that included 3,395 healthy men (1,035 cannabis users) were analyzed. It was found that the overall prevalence of ED was 69.1% vs. 34.7% in the control group. Additionally, the odds ratio of erectile dysfunction in marijuana users was nearly four times that of control. In other words, the rates of erectile dysfunction in male users are nearly twice that of those who are not users.
Bottom Line
There are many pros and cons associated with using cannabis before getting intimate. If you suffer from anxiety or pain during sex, are looking to increase your sensitivity and ability to orgasm, or want another way to bond with your partner, cannabis might be right for you.
Aaron Bloom, an experienced healthcare attorney, serves as the CEO of DocMJ and Medwell Health and Wellness Centers, where he has overseen the organizations’ mission and growth since 2016. In addition to his leadership roles, Aaron serves on the Board of Directors for Waterfall Bank, bringing his expertise in healthcare, compliance, and strategic growth to the financial services sector.
Aaron’s passion for improving patients’ lives stems from more than 20 years of owning, operating, and representing traditional healthcare organizations. Throughout his career, he has remained committed to finding better ways to relieve suffering and expand access to innovative, patient-centered care. As CEO, Aaron works each day to help patients achieve better health and wellness through the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis and other evidence-based alternative medicines.