Translated from our German original by AI. The German text was researched, written, and edited by the Psychedelia Foundation team and remains the authoritative version.
A study at the University of Exeter is examining whether and how women have used psychedelic substances as a coping strategy in connection with perimenopause and postmenopause. The project “Mapping the Menopause Experience: Symptoms, Wellbeing and Coping Strategies in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women” is being carried out by the MSc students Kristina Lunemann and Holly Worton on the Psychedelic Studies program, supervised by Prof. Celia Morgan.
The anonymous online survey covers menopausal symptoms, sleep, mood, perceived stress, cognitive function, and mental wellbeing. Participants with relevant experience are also asked about their use of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca, and about frequency and the effects they perceived.
The researchers want to find out in particular whether psychedelic experience is associated with the health and wellbeing measures recorded. The study does not examine therapeutic efficacy, and its survey design cannot establish cause and effect.
Women aged 18 and over who are currently perimenopausal or postmenopausal can take part. Women with no psychedelic experience are expressly invited as well. The questionnaire is available in German, English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese and takes roughly 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the answers given. The target is 400 to 500 participants.
The University of Exeter is the sponsor of the study, and the researchers state that it receives no external funding. The project was reviewed by the university’s Psychology Research Ethics Committee (reference 9793453). The results are to feed into two MSc dissertations and may be published in a scientific journal.
