Female Hormones and Psychedelics
Here’s a question I didn’t get fo fully expand on at District216 's Sex and Psychedelics talk last Saturday...
On the topic of hormones, medical issues, and natural cycles within the body: What are we discovering when it comes to psychedelics and estrogen, PMS, and postpartum? (sources found at the end of the articles)
7
Takeaways
1. Estrogen increases the number of receptors available for serotonin to bind, potentiating the effect of serotonergic psychedelics, i.e. psilocybin, mdma, lsd, mescaline etc.
I would love to start by saying that estrogen can enhance a woman's psychedelic experience! There is a relationship between serotonin and estrogen. Estrogen increases the number of receptors available for serotonin to bind, which would increase its potential effect.
2. The phase of your menstrual cycle can affect your psychedelic experience (with psilocybin, mdma, lsd, and other serotonergic psychedelics).
Estrogen levels rise and fall twice during the menstrual cycle: 1st rise during the mid-follicular phase and then a drop after ovulation. 2nd rise during the mid-luteal phase, with another drop at the end of the menstrual cycle. Paying attention to where you are in your cycle could be key in recognizing varying intensity of a psilocybin journey, for example, or perhaps even a microdose .
3. Studies have shown that psilocybin in particular can be helpful to women/individuals with a uterus who've experienced amenorrhea, which is an interruption of their menstruation.
I also recently learned that cotton root bark is an emmenagogue and can be used as a remedy for the absence of menstruation (a future post will cover medicinal plants and herbs). This may be related to the effects of 5-HT2A serotonin receptor agonism on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis which regulates the reproductive system and ovarian hormones. It can also help regulate irregular cycles in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
4. Ketamine can help with PMDD (severe PMS)
Declining levels of estrogen during the luteal phase of our cycles may be a contributing factor to PMDD. Ketamine activates estrogen receptors and can increase estrogen levels. Administering Ketamine at the start of the luteal phase or when symptoms of PMDD become apparent, can help treat one of the big contributing factors.
5. The same study showed that Ketamine works with estrogen to increase glutamate levels.
Low levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in certain regions of the brain has been strongly linked to depression. Ketamine has been shown to activate glutamate transmission in the brain and is thought to be a key mechanism in its anti-depressant effects. This could mean that Ketamine, if administered at the onset of PMDD, could support the alleviation of signs and symptoms. PMDD is currently treated with SSRI’s with a 60%-70% positive response rate.
6. MDMA therapy for PTSD is proving to be a promising solution for chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis as well.
Chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis tend to be more prevalent in individuals with a history of psychological or physical abuse. This doesn’t mean that if you suffer from either of these that you necessarily experienced abuse. Higher levels of serotonin can help mitigate pain, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Click here to read a summary of MAPS Phase 3 clinical trial for MDMA therapy
7. Ketamine for postpartum depression?
Now you must be asking yourselves, what if I’m postpartum or breastfeeding? Ideally, you’d be looking for support from a drug that is fast acting, with a short half-life (metabolised and eliminated fairly quickly) **That being said: it is still recommended to avoid breastfeeding for 6-12 hours.** Studies are investigating preventative treatment for postpartum depression.
In a study involving 654 women undergoing C-section, a group were administered a dose of ketamine (0.5mg/kg), 10 minutes after childbirth. The control group received conventional postpartum care. The results indicated a noteworthy reduction in the occurrence of postpartum blues and postpartum depression among women in the ketamine group. Ketamine is promising as it’s used clinically as an anesthetic, has proven to be safe at all ages (depending on concomitant health issues), and is fast acting, as well as has a short half life, meaning that it is metabolized and eliminated by the body fairly quickly.
Read more here: https://womensmentalhealth.org/posts/ketamine-and-breastfeeding/
And here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500566/
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While I do not condone or promote illegal activity, I see the need for open access education. All content and information is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. I strongly encourage you to consult your physician and do your own research pertaining all topics addressed in this post.
Upcoming:
I'll be posting additional info on psychedelics and sexual health, as well as on legal and accessible medicinal plants and herbs that can support hormonal health and sexual wellbeing.
If you want to learn more about how psychedelics are being researched to support women's hormones and sexual health, reach out! https://www.beyondthebench.life/contact
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Sources
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/096007609500075B
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36682064/
https://psychedelicreview.com/female-hormones-5-ht2a-receptors-and-psychedelics/
https://www.optketamine.com/blog/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-how-ketamine-may-help/#_edn12
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/abuse-linked-endometriosis/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5960634/
https://psychedelichealth.co.uk/2023/03/08/effect-psychedelics-womens-health/
