Can CBD really improve your sex life?

Sex changed for Heather Huff-Bogart when she had her IUD removed. The once fun, pleasurable experience now left her “curled over in pain with cramps.” Eager to find a solution to the problem, she decided to try a personal lubricant infused with cannabidiol (CBD) about six months ago, and noticed immediate improvements.

“It helped reduce the pain and inflammation I have during intercourse. My husband noticed that I don’t complain as much about pain, and it’s been beneficial for both of us,” says Huff-Bogart.

While relatively new to the mainstream market, CBD is widely available in a variety of forms — from oils and tinctures to topical creams and beverages. Lately, CBD has also made its way into the bedroom. The substance can be found in a variety of products, all aimed at helping to improve users’ sex lives. These products include:

• personal lubricants
• massage lotions
• oral sprays
• edibles

But can CBD really improve your sex life?

Here’s what you need to know about the science of CBD and sex, as well as the intimate experiences people have had with cannabidiol.

How CBD can help improve sex

Folks look to CBD for sex for a number of reasons, including pain from chronic conditionsTrusted Source like endometriosis.

Other reasons include:

• increasing pleasure
• easing stress and anxiety, including performance anxiety
• setting the right mood

When it comes to issues of lubrication during sex, Alex Capano, medical director for Ananda Hemp and faculty member at the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University, explains that CBD may help.

“There are so many cannabinoid receptors in reproductive organs and sexual tissue. CBD increases blood flow to tissues, which increases sensitivity and promotes the body’s own natural lubrications,” says Capano.

For individuals like Allison Wallis, CBD helps foster relaxation for sex. Wallis has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that causes joint subluxations and severe muscle spasms. She explains that she’s experienced the benefits of CBD firsthand when she tried a lubricant infused with cannabidiol.

“It relaxes my muscles and allows for much more enjoyable sex,” she says, adding that the lube induces a “feeling of warmth and relaxation.”

“I was surprised by how well it worked. It allowed me to focus on the intimacy of the act instead of my muscle spasms.”

It’s hard to say just how many people are using CBD in the bedroom, but a recent survey of 5,398 Americans from Remedy Review, a website that focuses on CBD and natural health remedies, found that 9.3 percent of respondents have taken CBD for sex like sex gummies. The majority of those respondents said their orgasms were more intense after taking CBD.

What’s more, CBD might just put some people in the mood for romance. ResearchTrusted Source shows that CBD may be effective at reducing stress and anxiety. That relaxation can, in turn, reduce the distractions and worries that can hinder a positive sexual experience.

“There’s an important component of calming the mind and really focusing on enjoying,” says Capano.

“Especially for women in heterosexual couples, who often experience the pressure of needing to orgasm.”

While CBD doesn’t have psychoactive affects, it may boost your mood by enhancing a neurotransmitter called anandamideTrusted Source.

“Anandamide is our bliss neurotransmitter, and it’s also associated with oxytocin [also known as the ‘cuddle hormone’],” says Capano. “CBD helps increase the natural neurotransmitters and endorphins that we make on our own that ultimately lead to a better sexual experience.”