Can your vagina get HIGH? More couples are using cannabis to boost their sex life, but does it really work?

Most people aren't opting for psychoactive cannabis but instead are using cannabidoil to relax their muscles

By Andrea Downey, 

 

MORE couples are turning to cannabis to boost their sex life...but can your vagina really get high?

You'd be forgiven for thinking partners are smoking marijuana to help them relax in the bedroom, but actually more women are opting for cannabis sprays and creams applied directly down there.

Many claim the substance relaxes their vaginal muscles while providing "warmth and comfort" down there, leading to better and more intense orgasms.

They're dubbed "cannasexuals" - people who are using cannabis products, often non-psychoactive, in the bedroom to enhance sexual pleasure.

Adam and Dounia, whose names have been changed, have been including cannabis in their sex lives for the last three years.

"Sometimes I use it to get rid of my anxiety in the bedroom," Dounia told the BBC.

"One of my favourite products is actually non-psychoactive; it’s a spray I use on – and in – my lady parts. I feel a warmth and comfort down there that I wouldn’t without it."

The term cannasexuals was coined by sex counsellor Ashley Manta, from California, who begun a sex therapy and education practice using cannabis in 2013.

She also teaches clients to focus on specific topics like oral sex, body confidence and dirty talk to keep things fresh in the bedroom.

"Essentially, it is about combining cannabis and sex mindfully," she said.

"Choosing what products or strains you want to consume or apply to your body, in order to enhance pleasure and intimacy, and to increase comfort and confidence."

Most people aren't opting for psychoactive cannabis but instead are using cannabidoil to relax their muscles.

Feeling at ease in the bedroom is essential for a woman to reach orgasm, sex therapist Louise Mazanti told The Sun Online.

"I know that cannabis in itself can really help relax the nervous system, which is the gateway to experiencing pleasure," she said.

"But applied topically is not something that is well known.

"If we are tense and anxious our body is in contraction and we are on alert, for women our ability to experience an orgasm depends on whether we feel safe enough to relax.

"In the moment of orgasm we shut down our vigilance, so if a woman is tense and monitoring a situation she won't be able to relax into a natural orgasm.

"It would either be impossible or she will need a lot of stimulation and friction to be able to get there."

If you are having trouble reaching heady heights Louise suggests taking things a bit slower and focusing on plenty of foreplay, making sure there is no distractions when you're getting down and dirty and focusing on your breathing to help you relax.

Although marijuana isn't legal in the UK, products containing cannabidoil (CBD) are and can be bought from some shops on the high street.

It's substances containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the stuff that gets you high - that are illegal.

Canada has just become the second country in the world to legalise recreational cannabis and the UK government is promising a review on the laws on medical cannabis.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has backed the legalisation of cannabis in the wake of the ordeal of epileptic Billy Caldwell, after his supply was confiscated at Heathrow Airport last Monday despite the 12-year-old having used the banned substance since 2016 to control his seizures.

Last year the World Health Organisation declared CBD safe to use with no risk of addition.

The problem with using cannabis oils you-know-where is that the effects haven't been studied.

Some studies have linked smoking cannabis to erectile dysfunction, but directly applying cannabis products is somewhat of an unknown territory.

We don't know how the vagina absorbs the substances, or even if it can.

That means controlling the dose is difficult and it's almost impossible to tell if the substances are having a negative effect on your vaginal health.

Dr Jen Gunter, a Canada-based gynaecologist, said it's hard to substantiate any claims about cannabis products used down there because there is limited research.

"Oral and mucosal delivery of THC is different from smoking. Mucosal delivery (like vaginal suppositories or an oral spray) is a slower reveal to the brain than smoking," she wrote on a blog on whether cannabis can ease period pain.

"Vaginal THC and CBD could affect the vaginal ecosystem (the good bacteria). Again, untested. One study has linked marijuana use with colonization of the vagina with yeast."

In other words, there is no telling how a cannabis product put on your vagina will affect your vaginal health.

Most gynaecologists will tell you that using a product down there that isn't specifically designed for a vagina can damage your levels of good bacteria and leave you at risk of infections.