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Slightly stoned sex is not a traditional field of study for scientists. But a new piece of research has sought to unravel the theory that marijuana can help enhance sexual experiences and orgasms, especially for women.
The new study found that women who used marijuana before sexual activity were 2.1 times more likely to report satisfactory orgasms.
Writing in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, a team of gynecologists and behavior scientists led by Saint Louis University School of Medicine asked 373 women, 176 of whom were regular cannabis users, about their use of marijuana and sexual experiences.
The researchers' questions quizzed the respondents about their relationship with marijuana, as well as many different "sexual domains", including sexual drive, the intensity of orgasm, lubrication, pain during intercourse, and overall experience. After accounting for certain variables, they then compared the experience of sex following marijuana use with sex not under the influence of the drug.
“Among those who reported using marijuana before sex, 68.5 percent stated that the overall sexual experience was more pleasurable, 60.6 percent noted an increase in sex drive, and 52.8 percent reported an increase in satisfying orgasms,” the study’s authors wrote.
Bear in mind, self-reported studies such as this have a whole bunch of problems when it comes to reliability. Respondents might not necessarily be totally honest or they might be telling the researchers what they think they want to hear. On top of that, it could be suggested that people with a more open attitude towards experimenting with marijuana might also have different attitudes when it comes to sex, which could sway the results.
It's still unclear why marijuana use appears to improve sex for women, although the researchers did point to other studies on mice that have suggested a link between cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and the hormones and neurotransmitters that affect sexual behavior.
“Although there is less data on human subjects, some studies have measured patients' perceptions of the effects of marijuana on sexual function,” the researchers wrote.
“Marijuana appears to improve satisfaction with orgasm,” the study concludes. “A better understanding of the role of the endocannabinoid system in women is important, because there is a paucity of literature, and it could help lead to development of treatments for female sexual dysfunction.”
