Women-specific health conditions added to state debilitating list available for cannabis treatment

PEORIA (25News Now) - Four additional medical conditions, all specific to women’s health, are now approved for medical cannabis cards in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced on Jan. 9 that women struggling with endometriosis, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and female orgasmic disorder have the option to treat their pain with medical cannabis.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue that’s supposed to grow inside the uterus grows on the ovaries, small bladder, or another area of a woman’s pelvis instead.

Ovarian cysts can be large, small, reoccurring, or far and few in between. They can cut off blood supply to ovaries and fluctuate in size. Uterine fibroids are similar in that a benign mass forms inside the uterus.; however, surgery is required to remove it.

A local Nurse Practitioner, Nicole Gill, said those three conditions can cause pain by putting pressure on other organs and tissues in the body.

“I’ve treated patients who are so severely debilitated by their endometriosis that they can’t leave their house during certain times of the month. They bleed like crazy and have so much pain,” said Gill.

Now, women suffering from that pain have the opportunity to turn to medical cannabis, which Gill said can help with pain relief and relaxation.

That reason is also why medical cannabis can help with female orgasmic disorder. Gill said it’s a condition that’s not necessarily painful but can affect somebody’s life if they struggle to reach orgasm.

“[Pain is] cyclical, and as you get more anxious, it makes your pain worse, and as you get more anxious about upcoming pain or how much more the pain is going to be, then it makes it worse and worse,” Gill said. “Sometimes just being able to kind of relax yourself, relax your brain, could be very helpful for pain as well.”

Gill said more women have asked about using a natural medicine compared to treatments that may include opioids or side effects. Providers within her clinic don’t provide medical cannabis cards, but she always reminds her patients it is legal for recreational use.

The main treatment Gill uses for endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and uterine fibroids include pain relievers like ibuprofen or hormonal birth control. She believes there’s a need for more research on potentially better treatments for these painful conditions, but, she believes having the choice of using medical cannabis is a step in the right direction.

“A lot of medical research is based on men, so sometimes I feel like there’s a bit lacking in how we treat women for some of these conditions that are just female-based,” said Gill.

Marijuana became legal for medical use in Illinois in 2014. The addition of these four conditions is the first since 2019, increasing it to 56 total health issues available for cannabis treatment.

Medical Cannabis Outreach Clinic Owner Caprice Sweatt said seeing more conditions added gives more credibility to the plant.

“Only until the grassroots movement took form in the early 2000′s, is when people started speaking out and coming out to their doctors saying, ‘look, this is what is helping me,’” said Sweatt.

Sweatt said getting the cannabis through the state’s medical program has benefits, like lower taxes and the ability to buy more at once, versus purchasing it recreationally.

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