The 4 Best Supplements for Menopause To Reduce Hot Flashes, Night Sweats and More
These natural remedies help balance your hormones and ease symptoms
When you’re approaching or experiencing menopause, it’s likely you’ll be dealing with symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, hair loss and more — and they can be taxing. If you don’t want to or can’t use hormonal treatments, then you need an easy alternative to alleviate discomfort. That’s why experts also recommend taking supplements for menopause. Here, the best natural supplements, how often to take them and how they can help your physical and mental health.
The 4 best supplements for menopause
During menopause, you’ll likely experience drastic shifts in hormone levels that can impact various systems in the body. These changes can affect both your physical and mental health.
“Supplementing with these nutrients not only alleviates symptoms, but also supports overall health and well-being during this transitional phase,” says Gina Nick, NMD, PhD, a licensed naturopathic physician with a focus on hormone balance and women’s health.
1. Magnesium
Taking magnesium is great when you need to improve your sleep. But it also helps menopausal women with stress management and hormone regulation.
“It supports healthy cortisol levels, helps improve sleep and reduces muscle tension and headaches,” says Nick. “For women going through menopause, magnesium plays an important role in mitigating vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.”
You should take magnesium daily to get the health benefits. Holiday Durham, PhD, MS, a registered dietitian at AMWAY, suggests aiming for 320 mg. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is between 200 and 400 mg.
2. Vitamin D
Our bodies need Vitamin D at any age, but it’s “essential for bone health, especially in postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis,” says Durham. Vitamin D also aids in calcium absorption and supports bone mineral density.
You should make sure you’re getting 1,000-2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, whether from foods or supplements. “Ensuring that vitamin D is part of your daily regimen can help promote longevity, hormone balance and cognitive health during and after menopause,” adds Nick.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids
To improve your health and menopausal symptoms, it’s important to take a combined dose of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) daily. These are two important types of omega-3 fatty acids, and they’re often found in seafood.
Nick notes that “omega-3s are vital for reducing inflammation, which can contribute to menopausal symptoms like joint pain and cognitive changes.” They also support heart health, which is important for women in postmenopause as their risk for cardiovascular disease increases.
4. Phytoestrogens
Since your hormones are fluctuating during this time, it’s important to find ways to balance them to help ease symptoms of menopause. If hormone replacement therapy isn’t for you, Durham recommends taking phytoestrogens such as “rhapontic rhubarb extract, soy isoflavones and others.”
“These are plant-based compounds that mimic the effects of estrogen and may help alleviate hot flashes and other menopause symptoms,” she explains. Doses vary depending on which one you use, but they should be taken daily. Durham notes you’ll feel a difference after approximately three months of taking these plant estrogens.
While most supplements can’t entirely correct hormone imbalances associated with menopause, “certain phytoestrogens have mild estrogen-like effects that can provide some symptom relief,” adds Durham.
What to know before taking supplements for menopause
Supplements can offer relief from menopausal symptoms, but it’s important to note that effectiveness will vary from person to person. It’s also important to talk to your doctor or healthcare professional to find out which supplements will work best for you.
Additionally, Alyssa Dweck MS MD FACOG, Chief Medical Officer of Bonafide Health, says there are five things to ask yourself before starting a new supplement.
- Is it backed by science? Dr. Dweck points out that “Bonafide’s Relizen has been developed alongside physicians using a rigorous scientific discovery and development process that mirrors the pharmaceutical industry.”
- Do customers confirm it works?
- What about prescription drugs? Currently, there are new hormone-free medications that can minimize vasomotor symptoms, but Dr. Dweck says these options are expensive and could have unwelcome side effects.
- Does the company invest in research and development?
- Where is the supplement manufactured? “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate the safety or effectiveness of supplements the same way that it monitors drugs,” Dr. Dweck notes. “This means that there’s no guarantee that a supplement is produced according to specified quality standards or that it remains consistent from batch to batch.”
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