Women aged 45 to 52 are naturally going through menopause and fight for its symptoms. Hormonal changes during premenopausal are the indicator for each woman to do something for the menopause phase. Menopause comes with many symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disorders, night sweats, osteoporosis, mood swings, skin issues, vaginal dryness, weight issues, etc. To deal with all these health issues you must consult your doctor to prescribe some menopause supplements.
Also Read: Women must adopt healthy lifestyle changes to stay healthy and fresh in their later years.
14 Best Menopause Supplements
A healthy lifestyle, along with proper diet management helps the women to fight actively the symptoms of menopause. However, the use of supplements can further make this transitional phase easier for women. Read this article if you are either at the premenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal stages to learn about the benefits of supplements in these phases.
1. Flaxseed
Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, and workable supplement for menopause. Add ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil to your smoothies, tea, cereal, rice, or any other meal. Flaxseed is helpful to treat the following symptoms:
- Hot flashes
- Mood swings
- Joint and muscle pain
- Lower cancer risk
- Heart problems
- Night Sweats
2. Black Cohosh
Black cohosh is the oldest supplement used to treat menopause. Native Americans have used it, a century ago for premenopausal effects on the body, menopause, and during childbirth. It is an herb that has many chemicals that have a positive impact on the body. Moreover, it also acts like estrogen in females to deal with certain hormonal changes and their side effects. Several studies concluded that it is fruitful to improve bone density, for better mental fitness, to treat sleep disorders, helps to reduce mood swings, is best for hot flashes and night sweats, and overcome virginal dryness. They aid in treating menstrual irregularities during perimenopause and are also good for skin care.
3. Red Clover
Many women use red clover before and after menopause to avoid harmful impacts on their bodies. Extracted from the red clover plant and one can consume it as tablets or as tea. Red clove has isoflavones (phytoestrogen), which are similar to female estrogen. It helps to reduce hot flashes along with night sweats. Older women who have sleep problems can use it to overcome this problem. It is an excellent option to reduce stress and anxiety disorder. It can also slow down the aging effects on the skin.
4. Soy
Many studies and research suggest that the more you add soy-rich food to your meals; the more your body gets isoflavones(estrogen) which are supporting your body to reduce the impact of symptoms of menopause. Women who use it are less worried about the symptoms of menopause. Tofu is one of the best soy supplements.
The benefits of soy are:
- Reduce Hot flashes
- Lower cholesterol level
- Control weight gain
- Improve bone density and reduce the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis
5. Calcium Supplements
Calcium is essential for many body functions such as nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, blood clotting, and above all, the health of bones. In menopause, the estrogen level of women decreases, which as a result makes their bodies unable to get calcium from dietary sources; thus, their bones become weak due to the lack of plasma calcium concentration. Therefore, doctors always recommend the intake of calcium supplements especially for females to prevent calcium depletion and maintain bone mass. If you want to protect yourself from bone diseases and osteoporosis, then start taking any good supplement of calcium with the consultation of your doctor.
6. Vitamin D
If women in their 40s and 50s have symptoms like fatigue, low immunity, joint pain, muscle aches, depression, mood swings, weight gain, bone fracture, and damaged cognitive function (memory loss) along with hormonal disturbance, then they need to check their vitamin D level. You can get it naturally through sunlight and diet, but due to menopause, the skin and digestive system become more sensitive, so you need to go for Vitamin D supplements. You can take it either in tablet or capsule form according to your choice and your doctor’s advice.
7. Wild Yam
Wild yam is also an excellent alternative hormone therapy for menopause. It is a plant that contains diosgenin, which is an alternative for the female hormone estrogen. The benefits of wild yams are:
- Reduce Virginal dryness
- Treat Premenstrual syndrome
- Decrease the risk of bone diseases
- It can also help females to tackle mood swings, hot flashes, and anxiety
- It is beneficial to deal risk of insomnia
- In its cream form, it is useful for skin problems
8. Ginseng
Ginseng is another herbal remedy widely used to treat symptoms of menopause. Red and white ginseng are the most frequently used ginseng for menopause symptoms. It helps to improve overall health, not only menopause symptoms. Ginseng Supplements are excellent medicines to treat stress and anxiety. Moreover, ginseng has a good effect on the immune system in the postmenopausal period of females. It can also function as an adaptogen to revamp physical and mental health. The risk of cancer, diabetes, and hypertension is low in women who are regular users of ginseng in menopause.
9. ST.John’s Wort
Because of its magical qualities, this flowering plant has an extraordinary impact on mental health during menopause. ST. John’s Wort is also recommended as the best alternative for antidepressant medicines. Women in their postmenopausal are advised to use 900-milligram tablets of ST. John’s Wort to improve their menstrual cycle and relieve the severe symptoms of PMS. Some women in their menopause period complain about skin inflammation and other skin issues, which can be eliminated by its antibacterial properties.
10. DHEA Supplements
Some adult and older women lack DHEA hormones, which cause many physical and psychological problems. So DHEA supplements are best used to balance the amount of DHEA hormones. Some other benefits of DHEA supplements are:
- Low Libido
- Overcome hot flashes
- Enhance sexual function
- Improve the cognitive function of the brain
11. Dong Quai Female Ginseng
Dong Quai is used for medicine preparation in China, Japan, and Korea a century ago. It is also known as female ginseng. Supplements made from its roots are commonly used to treat menopause symptoms such as inflammation, immune deficiency, headaches, osteoarthritis, hot flashes, and risk of breast cancer.
12. Sage
Sage is an herb generally used in many food recipes as well as in dietary supplements, also known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Other than these, it aids in treating menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings.
13. Evening Primrose Oil
EPO is extracted from seeds of the evening primrose plant and is used to overcome pain and discomfort during menopause. As it contains a high concentration of fatty acid (gamma-linoleic acid), helpful in hormonal production. Moreover, this oil helps diminish menopause symptoms such as anxiety, hair loss, hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, mood swings, and night sweats.
14. Sea Buckthorn Oil
Chinese have been using sea buckthorn oil, extracted from orange berry-like fruit, thousand years ago for skin and virginal health. It keeps your skin hydrated and acts as an anti-aging supplement, it also helps to combat virginal dryness along with other virginal issues.
The shared menopause supplements have some implications and side effects along with benefits, so before taking any supplement discuss with your doctor or pharmacist to avoid any health hazards.
Also Read: Along with taking supplements, women must take care of their diet and focus on a healthy eating plan.
