Best Menopause Supplements For Weight Loss. I’m going to describe about some ultimate menopause supplements that work fast. One more thing, it’s important to know the cause of discomforts and check with your doctor if you think the medicines you’re taking may be causing any side-effects.
What is menopause?
Menopause occurs when your menstrual cycle stops because your body no longer releases an egg every month. You are born with all of your eggs inside your ovaries, which produce estrogen and progesterone. These hormones control your menstrual cycle, inducing periods and ovulation. Once your reproductive years end, your hormone levels change and menopause begins.
It typically starts after age 40 (usually between 45-55) and presents several symptoms, including:
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Missed periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Sore breasts
- Frequent urination
- Sleep issues
- Mood swings
- Libido changes
- Weight gain
- Hair loss
Those approaching or in menopause may also experience fatigue, depression, headaches, joint and muscle pain, or increased heart rate.
use Supplements: 10 Best Vitamins to Manage Symptoms
A healthy diet—lots of veggies and fruit, lean protein, legumes and beans, healthy fats and carbs—is one of the best ways to manage your hormones and minimize menopausal symptoms. But sometimes you need a little more, like supplements, to keep your body strong and well. Additionally, your nutrient needs may change as you age, requiring more of some things (protein and calcium) and less of others (iron and folic acid).
Here’s a rundown of 10 key nutrients you want to make sure that you’re getting. When you’re eating right and taking appropriate supplements, you’ll feel more like you’re thriving—instead of battling—through this transition stage of life.
NOTE: You should discuss any changes to your diet with your doctor, particularly if you’re taking medications which may interact. Be sure your doctor has the full list of supplements and medications you’re taking. Even the “natural” stuff can be dangerous if mixed with the wrong medications.
Vitamin C
For decades, vitamin C has been touted as a remedy for the common cold. While research shows it won’t stop you from catching a cold, it may shorten its duration and severity if you regularly take supplements.
Why you need it: Heals wounds, maintains bones and cartilage, helps with the absorption of iron. It’s an antioxidant that protects against aging-related conditions and diseases.
How it can help during menopause: Vitamin C is important for maintaining bone density, which protects you against fractures later in life. It may also help ease hot flashes. And its antioxidant effect may help ward off heart disease which is more common after menopause.
Recommended daily intake: 75 mg
Good food sources: Guava, kiwi, red peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, papaya.
Caution: Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Don’t take more than 2,000 mg a day.
Calcium
Calcium loss accelerates as estrogen declines, so this important mineral becomes even more vital as you enter perimenopause.
Why you need it: Keeps bones strong, maintains proper functioning of muscles and the nervous system.
How it can help during menopause: Calcium is essential to slow bone loss. As you age, your bones become porous (a condition known as osteoporosis) and can weaken, making fractures more likely.
Recommended daily intake: 1,000 mg for women age 50 and younger and 1,200 mg for those 51 and older.
Good food sources: Milk, yogurt, cheese, tofu, calcium-fortified orange juice, spinach, black-eyed peas, sardines, salmon, trout.
Caution: Too much calcium in supplement form may cause gastrointestinal symptoms and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. High intakes may also affect the absorption of other vitamins. Calcium from supplemental forms is best absorbed in smaller doses of 500mg or less. Aim to get the majority of your calcium from food and supplement where neeeded. If you’re 51 or older, limit your intake to no more than 2,000 mg total per day.
Vitamin D
It’s nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin” because your body can make vitamin D from sunlight, the UVB rays, in particular. But even if you get outdoors a lot, you may not be getting enough. Sunscreen, pollution, clothing, and age reduce your body’s ability to produce vitamin D from the sun.
Why you need it: Helps the body absorb calcium, a building block for strong bones; important for proper functioning of muscles; supports heart health, neurological function, blood sugar regulation and immunity.
How it can help during menopause: It’s necessary for keeping bones strong and to stave off osteoporosis, thinning of the bones which can predispose you to fractures. It may also help to support brain function, decrease cognitive decline and fight off menopause depression.
Recommended daily intake: 600 IUs
Good food sources: Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and trout; cremini and portabella mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight; fortified foods like milk, tofu, yogurt, orange juice, and cereals, pork, eggs. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, meaning the body absorbs it better if it’s eaten with a little fat, preferably the healthy, plant-based kind (olive and canola oil, fatty fish, nuts and seeds, avocados).
Caution: It can be difficult to get enough vitamin D from food and sun alone. If you’re not getting enough, look for a supplement containing vitamin D3. Avoid exceeding 4,000 IUs a day.
Omega 3s
Many women don’t get enough Omega 3s, yet every cell in your body needs them – especially the eyes and brain. Omega 3s are also important for muscle activity, immune function, digestion and fertility.
Why you need it: Important for heart and brain health, involved in the function of the immune and endocrine (hormones) system, and helping the body manage inflammation.
How it can help during menopause: Risk of heart disease increases after menopause. Omega 3s may help keep triglyceride levels in check. They may also help with psychological issues, depression, and hot flashes.
Recommended daily intake: The National Institutes of Health recommends women consume 1100mg of omega-3s and for men to consume 1600mg. Consuming fish twice per week, supplementing, or a combination of the two can help to reach these levels.
Good food sources: Fatty fish like salmon, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, firm tofu, beans, canola oil, avocado.
Caution: Omega-3s can thin the blood, so if you’re on blood thinners, talk with your doctor before adding a supplement.
Probiotics
Your gut is a garden. Really! You have trillions of microorganisms hanging around inside your body, doing useful stuff like helping you digest, supporting mental health, and allowing you to use your food to support physiological function.
Why you need it: Life is hard on these critters: antibiotics, poor diet, illness, and stress can kill them off by the millions, leaving you susceptible to harmful bacteria and the diseases that come with them. Probiotics are live beneficial microbes that re-colonize the flora in your body.
How it can help during menopause: Probiotics can help with digestive issues many women confront around this time (bloating, gas, constipation), and they also support vaginal health by contributing to the optimal bacteria of the gut.
Recommended daily intake: There is no recommended amount. Look for probiotic supplements with at least 10 billion CFUs and at least five different bacteria strains.
Good food sources: Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, kimchi, sourdough bread and some cheeses.
Caution: Read the label of supplements to ensure that you store any probiotic properly; some may need to be refrigerated.
Turmeric
This one is a bit of an outlier being a spice vs. a nutrient, but there’s enough good evidence of its anti-inflammatory properties to make it worth considering. Plus, it’s delicious.
Why you need it: Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, can boost heart health, decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and may even reduce depression.
How it can help during menopause: Along with protecting you against diseases that are more likely after menopause, turmeric’s anti-inflammatory effect may also help with joint pain.
Recommended daily intake: More research is needed to determine recommended daily intake.
Good food sources: Curry dishes, tumeric teas, add tumeric to flavor smoothies, soups and stews.
Caution: It’s tough to get enough turmeric from food to have an effect, so supplements are usually needed. If taking in supplemental form, take with food to avoid gastrointestinal upset. If you’re taking blood-thinning medications, consult with your doctor before taking a curcumin supplement, as it can act as an anti-coagulant.
Menopause supplements: top considerations
We’ve evaluated our top picks based on five criteria: cost, ingredients, effectiveness, safety, and convenience. This helps us provide a comprehensive look at each product to help you make the best decision.
Cost
Winner: NOW
The cost of a menopause supplement varies depending on ingredients and targeted issues. For example, our top picks in this guide range from $15-$88 for a 30-day supply. However, when we evaluate the cost of products, we don’t look only at the price. Instead, we consider what you’re getting for your money and the value of your purchase.
Our winner in this category is NOW Menopause Support. Not only is it the most budget-friendly option on our list, but it includes an impressive amount of effective ingredients, including dong quai, red clover, and wild yam. NOW also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and free shipping on orders over $50.
Ingredients
Winners: Thorne and Estroven
There are common ingredients you’ll often see in menopause supplements because of their efficacy. When we evaluate components, we look at the thoughtfulness of the formulation — does it effectively combine ingredients to produce desired results? We highly rate supplements with clinically tested ingredients that deliver the intended effects.
Estroven Menopause Relief Weight Management and Thorne Meta-Balance are our winners in this category. Estroven includes CQR-300 as one of its ingredients, a plant extract shown in clinical trials to help participants reduce weight. Meta-Balance contains black cohosh, chaste tree, wild yam, and French maritime pine bark. These all-natural ingredients have shown promise in treating menopause symptoms like hot flashes and hormone imbalances.
Effectiveness
Winners: Nutrafol and HUM
When shopping for a dietary supplement, one of your first concerns is invariably its effectiveness. You want to make sure that it will deliver on its promises. One of the best ways to verify that a menopause supplement is effective is to look at evidence from clinical trials using that supplement. As dietary supplementation becomes more popular, more and more supplements are going through this rigorous testing to verify their efficacy.
Two of our top picks — Nutrafol and HUM — have undergone clinical testing demonstrating their effectiveness. The first study of Nutrafol showed improvements to thinning hair within 3-6 months, and the second study showed improvements in hair thickness and strength after six months of consistent use. Participants in HUM’s clinical trial reported fewer hot flashes after four weeks.
Safety
Winner: Thorne
It’s essential to know that a supplement is safe before taking it. Because there are no FDA regulations for supplements like there are for food and prescription drugs, we pay attention to supplements that have generally safe ingredients and high manufacturing standards.
Thorne Meta-Balance is our winner for safety because it contains all-natural ingredients and no known allergens. The supplement is manufactured in a cGMP- and NSF-certified facility, and the product undergoes a rigorous four-step testing process to ensure purity, safety, and quality.
Convenience
Winner: One a Day
All of the menopause supplements on our list come in capsule or tablet form, but the directions for taking them vary. Some supplements must be taken with food or at certain times of the day to be the most effective. You may also have to take multiple pills per day. When we evaluate convenience, we consider how easy the dosage instructions make it for you to remain consistent with taking the supplement.
Our winner for convenience is One a Day Women’s Menopause Formula Complete Multivitamin. The reason is in the name — you only have to take one tablet per day with a meal to reap the full benefits of this potent multivitamin.
How our top recommendations compare
| Thorne | Nutrafol | One a Day | HUM Nutrition | Estroven | NOW | |
| Single bottle cost | $39 | $88 | $15 (price varies by retailer) | $40 | $20 | $20 |
| Price per capsule | $0.65 | $0.73 | $0.30 | $1.30 | $0.67 | $0.22 |
| Money-back guarantee | 60-day | 30-day | N/A | 30-day | 90-day | 30-day |
| Subscribe & save? | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Vegan? |
The Best Menopause Supplements for Women
Smoky Mountain Naturals DIM + BioPerine Estrogen Metabolism Support
BEST VEGAN MENOPAUSE SUPPLEMEN
3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM), is derived in the body from plant substances found in cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale, and has been found to support the body’s estrogen metabolism and balance — something most menopausal women need. Just one capsule of this vegan-certified concoction per day helps reduce night sweats, hot flashes, and maintain weight levels. “Great product,” reads one of the reviews. “Feeling much more energetic with less mood swings. Will happily buy again.”
Amberen Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief
TOP-RATED MENOPAUSE SUPPLEMENT
With over 5,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, this menopause relief supplement regulates hormones and improves mood and energy levels. Using a special blend of antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamin E, it also reduces hot flashes and night sweats. “Amberen has made all the difference in dealing with menopause,” reads Laura’s review. “For almost 2 years I’d been dealing with horrible hot flashes and sharp changes of moods. With a considerable amount of doubt I tried Amberen … I was shocked when my hot flashes stopped and my mood swings were far less! I sound like an advertisement but being able to sit next to my husband and hold his hand without feeling like I’m going to melt is very welcome! That guy still frustrates me, but the mood swings are minimal, making marriage better!”
O Positive MENO Menopause Vitamin Capsules
BEST HORMONE-FREE SUPPLEMENT FOR MENOPAUSE
HRT doesn’t work for every women, and some of us rather fight menopausal symptoms naturally. MENO, the newly released supplement from O Positiv, is loaded with ingredients approved by Mother Nature — and science! It has black cohosh to help temperature regulation when hot flashes strike. Its chasteberry balances estrogen and progesterone, so you experience less mood swings and hormonal weight gain. The two-pill a day supplement also features the adaptogen Ashwagandha for stress, and vitamin D6 and B3 promote bone health and immunity. People are already raving about their improved symptoms, with one happy customer stating it’s helped her “sleeplessness, anxiousness, and sweating out of nowhere.” Along with being hormone-free, MENO doesn’t include soy, is vegan friendly, and is good for those avoiding gluten.
One A Day Menopause Formula
BEST MULTIVITAMINS FOR MENOPAUSE
No more setting reminders to take your pills. With just one tablet a day, you can reduce the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, and get in your daily multivitamin dose, too! Vitamins C, D, E, B6, B12, plus calcium, magnesium, and soybean isoflavones are packed into these capsules to alleviate hot flashes and mood swings, promote healthy skin, keep bone health intact, and increase energy levels. “I love this product,” Sonya wrote of this Amazon choice pick. “I have felt such a difference in my hot flashes and night sweats within 3 weeks of taking this product.”