Endometriosis: cannabidiol therapy for symptom relief

Lucy H R Whitaker, Lucy Whitaker, Clive Page, Charles R. Morgan, Charles Morgan, Andrew W Horne, Philippa T K Saunders
Trends in pharmacological sciences · 2024 · vol. 45(12) , pp. 1150–1161 · doi:10.1016/j.tips.2024.10.014 · PMID:39547915 · W4404378506
review OA: hybrid CC0 ⤵ 3 in-corpus citations
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review examines data from patient samples and animal models on endometriosis pathophysiology and the potential of cannabidiol (CBD) formulations for symptom relief, considering pharmacokinetics and ongoing clinical trials.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Endometriosis is a common, chronic, incurable condition the hallmark of which is the presence of lesions (tissue resembling endometrium) in sites outside the womb, with symptoms including chronic debilitating pain and fatigue. However, current therapeutic options are limited. Recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the development of lesions and pain experience in endometriosis as well as surveys of patients have increased interest in testing recently approved formulations containing cannabidiol (CBD) in this patient group. In this review, we summarise data from patient samples and animals models focussed on the pathophysiology of endometriosis, including pathways where CBD has activity. We consider the available formulations of CBD-containing products, their pharmacokinetics (PK), and their use in ongoing clinical trials in endometriosis and other pain conditions.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Cannabidiol Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Animals Animals Animals Animals

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (91)

Cited by (3)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-11T06:19:48.454388+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-16T00:32:02.878706+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK