The acceptance of Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD) as a condition treatable with cannabis, is gaining acceptance in the United States and, according to some activists, is redefining women’s health.
According to the Mayo Clinic, FOD, also known as Anorgasmia, is delayed, infrequent or absent orgasms — or significantly less-intense orgasms — after sexual arousal and adequate sexual stimulation. Women who have problems with orgasms and who feel significant distress about those problems may be diagnosed with anorgasmia.
Among all women, the frequency and intensity of orgasms vary. Also, for any individual, orgasms can be different from one time to the next. The type and amount of stimulation needed to have an orgasm also varies.
Multiple factors may lead to anorgasmia. These include relationship or intimacy issues, cultural factors, physical or medical conditions, and medicines. Treatments can include education about sexual stimulation, sexual enhancement devices, individual or couple therapy, and medicines.
According to a legal memorandum filed with the Oregan Medical Marijuana Programme ahead of a hearing next week, FOD affects up to 41% of women and has no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments.
Research shows strong links between orgasm difficulty and trauma, anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that cannabis improves orgasm function, reduces sexual distress, and enhances bodily awareness and relaxation.
Christina Caron a health expert for The New York Times says the bottom line is:
“It’s hard to say with certainty that cannabis will increase desire or improve your sex life, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the right dose of cannabis can make a woman’s orgasms more satisfying and increase sex drive.
“This is in part because cannabis can enhance the senses and also alleviate some of the symptoms that inhibit desire, like anxiety, sleeplessness or pain. It can have positive effects for men, as well, but also several negative ones, and women should be aware of its potential downsides, too.”
Dr Becky K Lynn, a sexual medicine and menopause expert and the founder of Evora Women’s Health in St Louis, US, was the lead author of a study published in 2019, that surveyed 373 women about cannabis. Of those, 34% reported having used marijuana before sexual activity and most of them said it resulted in an increased sex drive, improved orgasm and decreased pain.
Studies have also found that some women use cannabis to help manage menopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and vaginal changes, such as dryness, all of which may contribute to lower libido when untreated.
In addition, an online survey of more than 200 women and men who use cannabis found that nearly 60% said cannabis increased their desire for sex; almost 74% reported increased sexual satisfaction. But the study, which was conducted by researchers in Canada and published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, also said that 16% reported sex was better in some ways and worse in others, and a little under 5% said it was worse.
“The Oregon appeal hearing is now positioned to become a defining moment in women’s health policy, potentially establishing precedent for how sexual health conditions are evaluated in medical cannabis programs nationwide” according to petitioner Rebecca Anderson. She says there is no evidence that risks outweigh the benefits
“This is a defining moment for women’s medicine,” said Dr. Suzanne Mulvehill, Clinical Sexologist and Executive Director of the Female Orgasm Research Institute and Women’s Cannabis Project. “It is the moment when overlooked medicine is finally brought into recognition.”
The hearing will feature testimony from 12 nationally and internationally recognized experts spanning cannabinoid medicine, gynecology, psychiatry, neuroscience, sexual medicine, and women’s health. These experts will testify to the scientific validity of cannabis as a treatment for Female Orgasmic Disorder. Collectively, they represent decades of clinical practice and hundreds of peer-reviewed publications.
The hearing will take place February 3-5, 2026, before the Office of Administrative Hearings.
The memorandum states that the scientific record already establishes that cannabis is efficacious for the treatment of Female Orgasmic Disorder and that it may mitigate its symptoms, and that nothing in the administrative record demonstrates that the risks of medical cannabis outweigh the potential benefits for Female Orgasmic Disorder. It further argues that the Oregon Health Authority applied a standard that is inconsistent with Oregon administrative rules, which require only that cannabis may mitigate symptoms and that its benefits outweigh risks.
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