Exploring Psychedelics for Unmet Needs in Women's Reproductive Health.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) June 1, 2025 Sara Shoar, Alissa Bazinet, Chaitra Jairaj 2 citations
A narrative mini-review highlights a gap in understanding the safety of psychedelic use during critical stages of the female reproductive cycle, including menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, and menopause. Sex differences exist in users' subjective and physiological experiences of psychedelics. Interactions between psychedelics' mechanisms and female hormones suggest potential for addressing symptoms of menstruation, sexual dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain, menopause, and postpartum depression. Traditional indigenous use of psychedelics in healing rituals is noted. Risks during gestation and breastfeeding underscore the need for caution. Comprehensive research on women is lacking; public health messaging should promote risk reduction and culturally sensitive approaches.