Menstruation, a phase in a women's monthly cycle, is often accompanied by various side effects, such as feeling bloated, mood swings, headaches, abdominal cramps, and many more. Unfortunately, there has been no comprehensive scientific research on the effects of psychedelics on menstruation so far. However, many women psychonauts online ask, share experiences, and speculate whether or not it is safe to take shrooms during menstruation.
Please note that the content presented in this blog post is intended only for educational and harm-reduction purposes. We do not endorse the use or purchase of illegal substances in any way.
In this post, we will discuss how magic mushrooms may affect women during menstruation, provide testimonials of various women and discuss the safety and future potential for addressing symptoms associated with menstruation by using psilocybin.
Are Magic Mushrooms Safe To Use During Menstruation?
Currently, there is no substantial research supporting any statement regarding the safety of taking shrooms during menstruation. However, there are few anecdotal reports from women: some say they enjoy using shrooms during their periods, some do not recommend it, some argue that it would not be a good set and setting, while others mention that it made changes to their cycle.
Nevertheless, since we did not find any documented reports of fatalities or serious harm, as well as the fact that some women did mention online that they use shrooms for recreational purposes during their period, it might be possible to say that using shrooms during the menstrual cycle, is at the moment regarded by many users as a subjective experience.
So just like in many other situations, when it comes to shrooms, the safety of the user depends on many other factors, including dosage, set, setting, and individual conditions.
It should be noted that pregnant women should not use psychedelics. Therefore, if someone is considering getting pregnant, the best thing to do is stay away from shrooms and other psychedelic substances.
What Does Science Say?
Particular drugs can affect hormones - which directly impacts women's menstrual cycles. Using drugs/medicine may cause irregularity or absence of the period. Stimulant drugs such as caffeine and nicotine also affect menstrual cycles, although the data is mostly self-reported. Specifically, alcohol yields irregular periods. Opioids can also affect the regularity of the period, and cocaine can disrupt the menstrual cycle and alter sex hormone levels, resulting in ovulation suspension in some women.
Regarding psychedelic drugs, there is only one research so far that has investigated this topic. Natalie Gukasyan and Sasha K. Narayan conducted a case study in 2022 where they interviewed three women who used classical psychedelics during their menstrual cycles. The research found that one woman reported having her period after a long absence. Another woman indicated she had her period earlier than usual. The third woman, diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and suffered from irregular cycles, reported improved menstrual cycles after using psychedelics. The results from this study considered the experiences of only three women, and even though it looks promising, there is not enough data to establish any solid conclusion. Further research is needed to understand the reasons and mechanisms behind these effects.
How Does the Body React to Shrooms on Period?
The experience with psychedelics can vary from person to person. The same goes for menstrual cycles and how each woman's body reacts to menstruation symptoms. Therefore, what works for someone, might not work for another.
If you are curious about other women's experiences with taking shrooms during menstrual cycles, there are some anecdotal testimonials below:
A user named paulavemeyer says microdosing magic mushrooms helped her overcome migraines that are a side-effect of menstruation.
Another user named runtcunt does not recommend using psychedelics during the period.
Comment
by u/runtcunt from discussion Shrooms while on Period
in PsychedelicWomen
Can Magic Mushrooms Start Your Period?
There is another interesting discussion on Reddit about if magic mushrooms can start your period earlier. No research has proved this; however, some first-person experiences are worth sharing.
Various women state that magic mushrooms make their period earlier than usual. The reason behind this is unclear to many. Some speculate that it could be related to the shroom's effects on elevating mood and stress - often reasons for delayed periods. There are a lot of speculations on how shrooms start the periods earlier, but unfortunately, we do not have a real explanation yet.
User free_-_spirit indicates magic mushrooms initiated her period earlier than it was supposed to happen.
Another user named sunnimaria9 indicates - shrooms positively affect her menstrual cycle, and increase her libido and sensitivity.
User called Used_Ad_858 says shrooms helped her fix her mood and have her period earlier.
Are Magic Mushrooms Good for Reducing Period Symptoms?
PMS can have detrimental effects such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Period cramps
Often, doctors prescribe SSRIs to reduce these symptoms. However, now some women have come up with a new way of dealing with the symptoms and claiming that it is working for them. This new method involves microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms. This speculation is based on the fact that shrooms also interact with the serotonin receptors; they are thought to be helpful in reducing the psychological symptoms of menstruation, such as depression and anxiety. Many women report having mild or no premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms after microdosing mushrooms. However, there has been no scientific evidence or research to support this so far, which means that these experiences should be viewed as purely subjective and personal.
Learn more about how magic mushrooms can impact your mood and even change your personality traits.
Psilocybin is also known for having anti-inflammatory effects and the ability to reduce blood flow. The action on the body's inflammation might help eliminate fatigue, pain, cramps, and other symptoms. However, further research is needed to understand their effects on inflammation occurring during the menstruation phase.
Magic Mushrooms and PMDD
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a condition that exists in many women and has many severe side effects, such as depression, anxiety, and mood swings - often more irritable than the PMS symptoms.
Some women say that microdosing psychedelics have positive effects on their PMDD symptoms.
Username AlpineSoul says she has seen positive effects treating her PMDD with shrooms.
Learn more about microdosing and PMDD.
Magic Mushrooms and Pregnancy
There is little research on how magic mushrooms affect pregnancy and whether using them is safe. However, experts say that pregnant women should avoid using any kind of psychedelics during pregnancy.
Further, a growing number of women, specifically mothers, are microdosing with magic mushrooms. This method is used by mushroom moms as a self-treating form to overcome stress, loneliness, and anxiety. These women believe that shrooms are great for relaxing the mind and enhancing their positive moods.
Shrooms for Postpartum Depression
It is possible that In the future, psychedelics may play an essential role in overcoming postpartum depression - which happens after childbirth and includes drastic mood swings, insomnia, and more. Also, some self-reported experience supports their role in treating PPD.
Magic Mushrooms and Menopause
What about menopause? Do women benefit from psychedelics during their menopause era?
Menopause is when females have lower hormone levels, therefore, do not have menstruation anymore, and it often happens between the ages of 45 to 55. There are also strong side effects of menopause, such as changes in energy levels, body fat, mood switches, heat waves, sleep issues, slowed metabolism, and many more.
There are interesting online discussions where women going through menopause share their experiences. Specifically, some positive experiences from microdosing, such as reduced symptoms of menopause. Such as, writer Mindy Stern talks about her microdosing experience during menopause as helping her with social anxiety and being comfortable and accepting of the change.
Username Worth_Background_191 says she uses cannabis and shrooms, which helps ease the symptoms.
Also, when it comes to menopause, we only have self-reports that are not enough to claim that magic mushrooms are effective in treating these symptoms.
Final Thoughts: Taking Magic Mushroom During Your Period
There is no doubt that the consumption of magic mushrooms can have powerful effects on the body and mind, yet there is little information or research on how they interact with menstruation.
Based on what people write on online forums, there are both positive and negative experiences in regard to microdosing and tripping on shrooms during the period cycle. However, even though it may or may not work for some women, there is no way to be certain without conducting scientific research on whether it is 100% safe and effective for everyone. That is why we want to point out again that we do not support anyone doing any self-medical treatment or experiments on themselves.
In terms of harm reduction, please remember that "set and setting" are the golden rule of experimenting with psychedelics. Some people experience uncomfortable symptoms during their menstrual cycles, including severe mood swings and emotional distress. Symptoms like these can lead to a bad trip and end up being a terrible experience. Therefore, it might not be the best time to have a psychedelic experience.
To summarize, the effects of psychedelics on menstruation are not researched well enough. Based on anecdotal reports online, it appears they do produce an effect, but the scientific and medical community hasn't done enough to investigate it. Based on the different anecdotal reports, we can't even tell whether this effect is positive or negative.
Hopefully, future research will look further into this interesting topic and provide scientific data that can be used to expand the potential application of psilocybin for women's health.
