Health Women Say Cannabis Makes for Better Orgasms Emily Earlenbaugh March 8, 2019 (:Adene Sanchez/iStock)

Do you wish you had more satisfying orgasms? A new study from the journal Sexual Medicine suggests that cannabis could be the aphrodisiac you’ve been looking for. The study, published Mar. 1, found that using the botanical drug before an intimate encounter could increase a woman’s likelihood of experiencing a satisfying orgasm.

Cannabis’ Aphrodisiac Reputation

This isn’t the first time anyone’s suggested cannabis could be helpful for sexual health. In fact, cannabis’ use as an aphrodisiac goes back thousands of years in cultures across the globe.

Women who used cannabis before a sexual encounter had more than double the odds of having a satisfactory orgasm.

There have also been previous surveys looking at cannabis and sex which found a connection between cannabis and sexual satisfaction. In one survey from 1984, more than two thirds of respondents reported increased sexual pleasure and satisfaction after cannabis use. In an informal poll collected by a journalist, 67% said cannabis makes sex better. And we’ve even seen a study that shows cannabis users have more sex.

Modern cannabis users also have plenty of anecdotal accounts of cannabis taking their sexual experiences to the next level. Still no rigorous studies until this one have looked specifically at women’s sexual experiences with cannabis. Have You Earned Some Executive Time? Leafly Finds Legal Cannabis Near You TRY LEAFLY FINDER

Cannabis Improves Women’s Sexual Satisfaction

Lead researcher for the study, Dr. Becky K. Lynn, says she was inspired to research this phenomena after she discovered that a number of her patients were using cannabis to improve their sexual problems.

“I have seen it used in women with chronic pain disorders that lead to painful sex, women who experience difficulty with orgasm or an inability to orgasm, and women who use it to improve their libido, which may not match their partner’s libido,” she explained in a recent interview.

Her study looked more closely at women’s perceptions of how cannabis affects their sex lives, surveying 373 women over an 11-month period. The results were in keeping with marijuana’s sexy reputation. In her paper “The Relationship between Marijuana Use Prior to Sex and Sexual Function in Women,” researchers found that women who used cannabis before a sexual encounter had more than double the odds of having a satisfactory orgasm. In addition, most women also reported increases in sex drive and decrease in pain during sex.

More Cannabis = More Satisfying Orgasms

While these results represent the odds, in general, for women who use cannabis right before sex, researchers discovered that frequency of cannabis use can also play a role in sexual satisfaction. Those women who used cannabis on a regular basis actually had increased odds of finding that satisfying orgasm, with more than double the odds of satisfaction, as compared than those who used herb infrequently.

While more science needs to be done to fully understand the mechanisms behind cannabis’ aphrodisiac powers, this study points to its effectiveness for improving women’s sexual experiences.

So try a little green before your next intimate encounter. If you’re struggling with sexual satisfaction, cannabis could be the perfect remedy.

Emily Earlenbaugh Dr. Emily Earlenbaugh is a cannabis writer and educator. She is the Director of Education for Mindful Cannabis Consulting, where she teaches patients how to find the cannabis options that work best for them. She regularly writes about cannabis science and culture for publications like Cannabis Now Magazine, SF Chronicle’s GreenState, HelloMD, and Big Buds Magazine. Emily has a doctorate in philosophy of science from UC Davis. View Emily Earlenbaugh's articles