Menopause Supplements

Taking Menopause Supplements

There are various reasons why women approaching the menopause choose to take a dietary supplement. The main reason is to prevent hot flushes, a key menopause symptom, but menopause supplements can also be used as a general alternative to HRT, and to guard against post menopause diseases such as osteoporosis.

Menopause Supplements for Hot Flushes

Here are a couple of the menopause supplement options used to treat hot flushes:

Black Cohosh is a menopause supplement that is widely used in Europe and the US. It can be taken as a pill on its own, as part of an herbal supplement, or as part of a hormone therapy treatment. Although it is considered very safe, there are many doubts about how effective it is at preventing hot flushes. A clinical trial in 2006 found that women taking black cohosh experienced as many hot flushes as women taking a placebo. If you are looking for a natural menopause supplement to decrease the severity of your hot flushes, it may be worth trying black cohosh, but it is unlikely to stop them altogether.

Soy and Red Clover is another menopause supplement used to treat hot flushes. It began to be used when scientists observed that women in Asian countries, where the diet contains more soy, experienced fewer hot flushes than western women. Theoretically, oestrogen-like compounds in this menopause supplement, known as isoflavons, should provide relief from menopause symptoms. However, the benefits of taking this menopause supplement are not medically confirmed. As isoflavons act like oestrogen, there may be an increased cancer risk, so talk to your doctor before trying this menopause supplement.

Vitamin E used to be recommended for treating hot flushes. However this practice has been widely discredited and it is believed that vitamin E menopause supplements have little impact on menopause symptoms.

Taking Menopause Supplements as an Alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy

Due to the potential risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy, there are now a wide variety of natural herbal remedies on the market that claim to reduce menopause symptoms without the risks. One of these is Macafem, a menopause supplement made from an Andean root, which is supposed to encourage your body to manufacture hormones more effectively and in a more balanced way.

Although these menopause supplements are proving very popular among menopausal women, a great deal of clinical testing is necessary to determine their actual benefits and safety. Always consult your doctor before trying any form of natural menopause supplement as these may react badly with other medications you are taking, or make an existing condition worse.

Taking Menopause Supplements to Guard against Osteoporosis

Many women choose to take a dietary supplement during perimenopause to ward off post menopause problems. One example would be supplements of vitamin D and calcium to prevent the onset of osteoporosis, a common post menopause disease.

Premenopausal women and postmenopausal women who use Hormone Replacement Therapy should consume at least 1000mg of elemental calcium and a minimum of 800 international units of vitamin D every day. Postmenopausal women not using HRT and all men and women over the age of 65 should aim for 1500mg of elemental calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D daily.

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