Microdosing Psilocybin for Women’s Health

Article written by Jennifer Chesak author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women in partnership with Mabel a Paris-based company producing functional mushroom and microdosing supplements.

The topic of women’s (or people assigned female at birth’s) health is a personal one for me, not only because I am a woman but also because I have endometriosis.

I know firsthand the struggles that go along with getting care—let alone adequate or optimal care—for this condition and other conditions that solely affect the female body, disproportionately affect the female body, or affect the female body differently than the male body.

Researchers have generally put women’s health on the backburner, when compared to men’s health. And while we are making progress in the psychedelic industry now, earlier research on these therapies left out how they may affect the female body differently.

My book The Psilocybin Handbook for Women explores these topics in-depth, but I’ve compiled the nutshell version here about how psilocybin may impact the menstrual cycle and therefore may have applications for managing endometriosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), menopause, and other hormonal changes or imbalances.

How might microdosing affect the menstrual cycle?

Before we dive into the individual conditions, let’s take a look at how microdosing psilocybin may affect the menstrual cycle. Scientists at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are ahead of the game on digging into this topic. And for that, I’m grateful.

Through case studies and anecdotal reports, they’ve gleaned three insights into how psilocybin may affect the menstrual cycle.

Psilocybin may cause your period to come earlier than expected during your cycle.
Psilocybin may regulate the menstrual cycle if it’s become irregular.
Psilocybin may bring back a menstrual cycle during your reproductive years if it’s been absent (also called amenorrhea).

How might microdosing help with hormonal balance?

Why might psilocybin elicit the changes mentioned above or impact hormonal balance in general? The Johns Hopkins researchers have theorized that the mechanisms have to do with overlaps between the system in our bodies that controls the menstrual cycle and the system that controls our stress response.

Our menstrual cycles occur along what’s called the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis. This is a feedback loop between our brains and ovaries. Essentially, when one hormone kicks off, it signals another hormone’s release or suppression. And this is why we experience the different phases of the menstrual cycle.

Our stress response occurs along what’s called the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. When we ingest psilocybin, we are activating serotonin receptors and impacting the HPA axis.

By their names, you can tell that the menstrual cycle axis (HPG) and the stress response axis (HPA) overlap, specifically in the brain, with the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. And anyone who’s ever had a period knows that these axes interact with each other. Stress impacts the menstrual cycle, and our cycles can sometimes leave us feeling more stressed.

For these reasons, researchers believe that psilocybin may impact the menstrual cycle, and likewise, our menstrual cycles can also impact our experiences on psilocybin. Again, we need much more research on these topics, but early insights suggest potential for psilocybin’s role in helping with conditions related to sex hormone imbalances and the menstrual cycle.

How might microdosing help with endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a systemic inflammatory condition that affects 10% of people assigned female at birth. In rare cases, it can affect the male body. The condition occurs when tissue that mimics the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grows elsewhere in the body, causing pain and other complications. This tissue (called endometriosis lesions) releases inflammatory molecules and ramps up pain signals. Researchers consider endometriosis to be one of the top 20 most painful health conditions.

We don’t yet have research that directly looks at how psilocybin impacts endometriosis. However, other research on psilocybin may present some clues. For example, one study found that psilocybin may have anti-inflammatory properties. For this study, researchers took four hot-water psilocybin extracts and placed them on human cells in a lab.

The researchers found that the psilocybin extracts downregulated specific proinflammatory molecules and enzymes related to pain signaling. What’s interesting about this study is that psilocybin downregulated the specific molecules and enzymes that endometriosis lesions secrete. Although we need more research looking into these connections, psilocybin could theoretically help with endometriosis management, potentially reducing inflammation and easing pain.

Psilocybin may have additional applications for endometriosis. We know that psilocybin has shown efficacy for easing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Many people with endometriosis experience depression and anxiety, and misinformed health care providers often tell patients that their mental health status causes their endo pain. However, researchers have discovered, through animal studies, that the reverse is true: Endometriosis causes brain changes that drive depression and anxiety and exacerbate pain signals.

How might microdosing help with PMDD?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), affecting about 8% of people assigned female at birth, is a serious and severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Symptoms, which tend to occur in the week leading up to menstruation, are often both physical (cramping, back pain, bloating, vomiting, etc.) and psychological (irritability, depression, mood swings, brain fog, etc.).

Although researchers don’t know the exact cause of PMDD, the serotonergic system has a close relationship with the hormonal changes of the menstrual cycle. People with PMDD may be more sensitive to the roller-coaster ride of estrogen and progesterone levels in the luteal phase (the second half of the menstrual cycle) and specifically how these hormonal shifts impact the serotonergic system. Again, when we use psilocybin, we are activating serotonin receptors.

Additionally, when they’re in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, people with PMDD show increased amygdala response to negative stimuli when compared to people without PMDD. The amygdala plays crucial roles in how we process emotions, especially fear and anxiety. Although we don’t have clinical trials in people with PMDD specifically, we know that psilocybin reduces amygdala response to negative stimuli.

Plus, researcher Alana Cookman, while pursuing her PhD, conducted survey-based research to determine people’s experiences with using larger doses of psilocybin for managing PMDD. Almost all interviewees experienced a reduction in their PMDD symptoms with psilocybin use.

What do we know about microdosing? In their case series mentioned above in the menstrual cycle section, the Johns Hopkins researchers shared a case study of one woman with PMDD. Although microdosing psilocybin did not appear to reduce her symptoms, the woman credited the psychedelic with helping her function better despite those symptoms.

How might microdosing help with menopause?

Microdosing may also be able to help with perimenopause and menopause. This section deserves an entire article devoted to it, and you can find a robust section about it in my book. But I will give you the nutshell version here.

Psilocybin may be able to help with the menopause transition in at least four ways, if not more:

Based on research into depression in general, psilocybin may help ease menopausal-related depression.
It may help address female sexual dysfunction, which is highly prevalent in people who are peri-and postmenopausal, by helping to facilitate improved intimate partner communication and body image.
It may help address trauma responses; a history of trauma is linked to worsened menopausal symptoms.
By boosting neuroplasticity in the brain, psilocybin may help people engage in desired behavior changes, such as reducing alcohol consumption, changing diet, and more—all of which may help ease the menopause transition.

Takeaway

You can find detailed info on these topics and more regarding psilocybin and women’s health in my book. But I hope these nutshell insights have given you a good glimpse into the potential of microdosing magic mushrooms.

To give microdosing a try, you can lean on Mabel’s trusted mushroom microdosing products and its app experience. I love the app’s mindful microdosing program and ability to track/journal your experiences along the way. The journal component helps you gauge whether and how microdosing is having an impact on your symptoms.

As always, feel free to DM me on socials (@jenchesak) if you have questions related to the potential for psilocybin to help with women’s health. I can’t give medical advice, since I’m not a doctor, but I may be able to point you in the right direction or to more information. Best of luck with your journey!