Menopause Supplements Review - ConsumerLab.com (2025)

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Save to favorites Summary Do soy isoflavone supplements reduce symptoms of menopause? Do red clover isoflavones reduce symptoms of menopause? Black cohosh for menopause? Progesterone for menopause? Bluebonnet Non-GMO Soy Isoflavones Emerita Progest Body Cream Estroven Maximum Strength Nature's Bounty Black Cohosh Nature's Way Black Cohosh Root One a Day Menopause Formula Oona For Menopause Options Healthy Woman Soy Supplement Promensil Menopause Puritan's Pride Black Cohosh Remifemin Menopause Relief Rexall Black Cohosh Solgar Black Cohosh Root Extract Plus Source Naturals Natural Progesterone Cream Spring Valley Soy Isoflavones Swanson Superior Herbs High-Potency Red Clover Extract Vitamin World Black Cohosh Whole Foods Soy Isoflavones Join to unlock the full report and get full access to over 1,400 reviews Latest Clinical Research Updates for Menopause Supplements Shatavari for Strength? Herb for Menopause? Red Clover For Menopause? Black Cohosh Concern Soy for Wrinkles? Soy & Infertility? Soy & Breast Cancer? Statin Interaction Siberian Rhubarb for Menopause? Soy Isoflavones & Breast Cancer Risk Soy Can Affect Thyroid Delaying Menopause Which Menopause Supplements Really Work? Soy Isoflavones Maintain Bone Calcium Soy for Menopause Symptoms Black Cohosh Improves Menopause Symptoms and Decreases Fibroid Size Related CL Answers (10) References

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Choose the Best Menopause Supplement. Find Out Now Which Soy Isoflavone, Red Clover, Black Cohosh, and Progesterone Products Have the Active Compounds You Want!

Latest Update

Shatavari for Strength?

Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated January 23, 2025 ⓘ Published July 24, 2015

Summary

Do soy isoflavone supplements reduce symptoms of menopause?
Soy isoflavones have a mild estrogenic effect and can modestly reduce menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes. Products providing at least 50 mg of soy isoflavones daily or of specific soy isoflavones (15 mg of genistein or 28 mg of daidzein) may be important for these effects and require treatment for several weeks before experiencing improvement. Higher doses are typically used to help maintain bone density (see Soy Isoflavones —What It Does).

Product labeling typically does not provide details about the specific forms of isoflavones, but ConsumerLab determined these from testing, You can check amounts of isoflavones in products by looking at the 4th column of the Results Table below -- amounts known to be effective are in bold.
Be aware that only about 1/3 to ½ of women may benefit from isoflavones, depending on whether or not they convert isoflavones into active forms in their gut (seeSoy Isoflavones —What It Is).

Do red clover isoflavones reduce symptoms of menopause?
Red clover isoflavones may also have benefit in menopause, particularly in reducing night sweats, but it is recommended that products provide at least 40 mg daily of total isoflavones. Both products tested in this review provided this amount or more (see What CL Found).
Black cohosh for menopause?
Unlike soy isoflavones, black cohosh does not have general estrogen-like actions, but may act like estrogen only in certain places, such as in the brain and the vaginal epithelium, providing no or modest benefit for symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness (see Black Cohosh —What It Does). The frequently recommended dosage of black cohosh is 20 mg of standardized extract once or twice a day, manufactured to contain at least 1 mg of triterpenes per day, although some products provide much larger amounts (see the 2nd and 4th columns in the Results Table below) and some products, like Remifemin, may work despite containing no triterpenes.
Progesterone for menopause?
Progesterone cream may decrease menopausal hot flashes but does not provide enough progesterone to prevent bone loss or improve bone density (see Progesterone —What It Does). The progesterone creams tested by ConsumerLab were found to contain the amounts of progesterone they claimed (see Progesterone Results Table).

+— 41 sources

In addition the results of its expert testing, ConsumerLab uses only high-quality, evidence based, information sources. These sources include peer-reviewed studies and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine. On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced. All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable. The following sources are referenced in this article:

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Alphabetical list of menopause supplements and creams compared in this review

Bluebonnet Non-GMO Soy Isoflavones

Emerita Progest Body Cream

Estroven Maximum Strength

Nature's Bounty Black Cohosh

Nature's Way Black Cohosh Root

One a Day Menopause Formula

Oona For Menopause

Options Healthy Woman Soy Supplement

Promensil Menopause

Puritan's Pride Black Cohosh

Remifemin Menopause Relief

Rexall Black Cohosh

Solgar Black Cohosh Root Extract Plus

Source Naturals Natural Progesterone Cream

Spring Valley Soy Isoflavones

Swanson Superior Herbs High-Potency Red Clover Extract

Vitamin World Black Cohosh

Whole Foods Soy Isoflavones

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Latest Clinical Research Updates for Menopause Supplements

Shatavari for Strength?

January 23, 2025

Did taking shatavari (wild asparagus) help increase muscle strength in women doing resistance training in a recent study? Find out in the Shatavari section of our Menopause Supplements Review.

Also see our article: Best Supplements to Prevent Age-Related Muscle Loss

Herb for Menopause?

November 27, 2024

Does the herb shatavari (commonly known as wild asparagus) alleviate menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats? Find out what a recent study showed in our Menopause Supplement Review, which also discusses the effects of soy, red clover, kudzu, black cohosh, ipriflavone, Siberian rhubarb, and progesterone cream.

Red Clover For Menopause?

September 13, 2024

Did taking red clover isoflavones reduce menopausal symptoms or improve cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women? See what a recent study found in our Menopause Supplements Review.

Black Cohosh Concern

March 26, 2024

Use of black cohosh (taken to reduce menopausal hot flashes) may have caused slowed heart rate, according to a recent report. Get the details in our Menopause Supplements Review.

Soy for Wrinkles?

October 03, 2023

Did taking soy protein with isoflavones reduce wrinkles, pigmentation, or dry skin in postmenopausal women? Find out what a recent study showed in the Soy section of our Menopause Supplements Review.

Also see our article about supplements for tightening skin as well as our Top Pick collagen supplement for skin.

Soy & Infertility?

March 07, 2023

Does high intake of soy foods or soy isoflavones make it harder to get pregnant? See what a recent study found in the Concerns and Cautions section of our review of soy isoflavone supplements.

Soy & Breast Cancer?

November 01, 2022

Supplementing with soy isoflavones prior to menopause was shown to reduce dense breast tissue, which is associated with breast cancer, according to a recent study. Get the details in the Soy isoflavone section of our Menopause Supplements Review.

Also see our CL Answer about vitamins or supplements that may reduce breast cancer risk.

Statin Interaction

June 14, 2022

Supplementing with soy isoflavones was found to reduce the activity of a cholesterol-lowering drug in some people. Get the details in the Concerns and Cautions for soy section of our Menopause Supplements Review.

Also see our article about supplement interactions with statin drugs.

Siberian Rhubarb for Menopause?

April 22, 2022

Can supplementing with Siberian rhubarb extract (as found in Menopause 731 by Life Extension, and Estrovera by Metagenics) relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause? Find out what research shows in our Menopause Supplements Review.

Also see if there are any supplements you should avoid if you are taking estrogen replacement.

Soy Isoflavones & Breast Cancer Risk

March 06, 2019

Soy isoflavones, which have estrogen-like effects, are used by women hoping to reduce menopausal symptoms. A new study suggests this use may raise the risk of breast cancer in some women butlower it in others. For details, see theWhat It Does section of the Soy Isoflavone Supplements Review.

Soy Can Affect Thyroid

November 20, 2018

Daily intake of soy isoflavones (as found in soy protein and soy isoflavone supplements) can affect thyroid hormone levels — even in people with normal thyroid function, according to a recent study. For details, see the "Concerns and Cautions" section of the Menopause Supplements Review and the Protein Supplements Review.

Delaying Menopause

May 05, 2018

A new study found that diet may influence the age at which menopause occurs in women. This is important because later menopause has been associated with lower risk of many health conditions. Find out which foods are associated with later or earlier menopause in the Background section of the Menopause Supplements Review. (Also see what we found in supplements intended to treat menopause symptoms.)

Which Menopause Supplements Really Work?

June 25, 2016

Certain supplements may be better than others for hot flashes, vaginal dryness or night sweats according to a recent analysis of clinical studies. Get the details for soy, red clover and black cohosh in the "What It Does" section of the Menopause Supplements Review >>

Soy Isoflavones Maintain Bone Calcium

September 16, 2015

A new study showed that soy isoflavones can reduce loss of calcium from bones in postmenopausal women. Certain formulations were more effective than others, although none was as effective as drug therapy. For details, see the Menopause Supplements Review >>

Soy for Menopause Symptoms

December 14, 2014

Many studies have shown that soy isoflavones, in the right dose, can reduce hot flashes in women experiencing menopause. A recently published study of soy looked at additional urogenital symptoms of menopause and found some benefit. For more about this, and to find supplements which deliver a proper dose, see the Menopause Supplements Review >>

Black Cohosh Improves Menopause Symptoms and Decreases Fibroid Size

October 05, 2014

A popular black cohosh supplement significantly improved symptoms of menopause and decreased the size of fibroids, according to a new clinical study. Among women who, instead, took a hormone replacement drug, menopausal symptoms also improved, but the size of fibroids slightly increased. Get the details, including the brand and dose, in the update to the Menopause Supplements Review >>

Related CL Answers (10)

Are Hormone Harmony and other Happy Mammoth Supplements Worth Taking? Are the supplements Hormone Harmony, Hormone Harmony Plus+, Prebiotic Collagen Protein, or Bloat Banisher by Happy Mammoth likely to be beneficial for menopause symptoms or digestive health? Find out.

Is soy in supplements good or bad for you? Find out about the health benefits and/or safety concerns related to soy constituents (including soy isoflavones, soy protein, soy lecithin, and soybean oil), and learn how you can avoid soy in supplements if necessary.

Are there vitamins or supplements that can reduce my risk of breast cancer? Do any increase cancer risk? Find out if certain vitamins, supplements and foods such as fish oil, olive oil, vitamin C and others, can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. ConsumerLab.com's answer explains.

Are there any supplements I should avoid when taking acetaminophen (Tylenol)? Find out if there are any supplements that should be avoided when taking acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Which supplements and foods can help lower or control blood sugar? Find out which supplements can help lower or control blood sugar. Supplements including turmeric/curcumin, fiber, cinnamon, and ginseng are believed to help lower blood sugar.

Which supplements can help to lower blood pressure? Supplements to lower blood pressure, including CoQ10, vitamin C, fish oil, and olive oil, are all explored to find out what works.

Are there supplements that interact with estrogen-replacement therapies like Premarin and Estrace? Estrogen hormone replacement therapy pills, creams, and tablets, such as Premarin, Estrace, Imvexxy, Ogen, and Vagifem can interact with certain supplements and foods, including St. John's wort and grapefruit juice. Learn more.

Do any supplements or diets help prevent or treat osteoporosis? If you have osteoporosis, you may be interested in supplements or diets for bone health. Find out which can increase bone strength and density.

I have low blood pressure. Are there any supplements I should avoid? Find out which supplements can cause decreases in blood pressure, including melatonin, arginine, magnesium, and calcium.

I have been having dizziness for the past few months and am wondering if it could be a side effect of supplements I take. Which supplements cause dizziness? Find out which supplements that may cause dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance, including garlic, melatonin, saw palmetto, and red yeast rice.

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Additional Information

Tested through CL's Quality Certification Program prior to, or after initial posting of this Product Review.

The "Updated" date indicates when new clinical or product information was most recently added. In the full review (available to CL members), the newest information is highlighted in yellow and, if a new product is added, it is footnoted in the results table, showing the date added to the review.