{"id":18547,"date":"2024-05-29T13:29:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T18:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=18547"},"modified":"2024-08-22T07:53:25","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T12:53:25","slug":"menopause-supplements-should-women-take-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/menopause-supplements-should-women-take-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Menopause supplements: Should women take them?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a woman approaching or going through menopause, you may find yourself experiencing some uncomfortable symptoms. These can include hot flashes, night sweats and irregular periods, just to name a few.<\/p>\n<p>There are many supplements on the market for easing these symptoms, but which ones make sense for you to take?<\/p>\n<h2>What exactly is menopause?<\/h2>\n<p>Menopause is the timeframe when a woman permanently stops having menstrual periods and can no longer become pregnant. It usually begins between the ages of 45 and 55 and can last 7-14 years.<\/p>\n<p>During this time, a woman\u2019s ovaries are slowly and naturally beginning to fail and make lower levels of two key hormones: <a href=\"https:\/\/healthlibrary.osfhealthcare.org\/Search\/85,P00559\">estrogen<\/a> and progesterone. Estrogen controls the menstrual cycle, and progesterone supports pregnancy.<\/p>\n<h2>Additional menopause symptoms<\/h2>\n<div class=\"alignright cta\">\n<p>Need relief from menopause symptoms?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/providers?distance=50&amp;specialties=Obstetrics%20and%20Gynecology\">Talk to your provider about menopause relief<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>As estrogen and progesterone decrease, the body reacts in various ways. In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, a woman may also experience things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mood swings<\/li>\n<li>Vaginal dryness<\/li>\n<li>Changes in sexual desire<\/li>\n<li>Trouble concentrating or with memory<\/li>\n<li>Urinating more often<\/li>\n<li>Headaches<\/li>\n<li>Trouble sleeping<\/li>\n<li>Joint and muscle aches<\/li>\n<li>Heavy sweating<\/li>\n<li>PMS-like symptoms<\/li>\n<li>Thinning hair<\/li>\n<li>Dry skin<\/li>\n<li>Weight gain<\/li>\n<li>Loss of breast fullness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cSome women also lose their sense of wellbeing during menopause,\u201d said Dennis Sands, MD, a gynecologist at OSF HealthCare. \u201cIn these cases, they just don\u2019t feel right. They no longer feel good about their lives or themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Best menopause supplements<\/h2>\n<p>Several over-the-counter medications are touted as being able to help with some or all of these symptoms. But women should be cautious before believing these claims.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn general, a lot of the at-home remedies are marketed very well. They are promoted as cure-alls or things that will work for the most common complaints, like hot flashes,\u201d Dr. Sands said. \u201cHowever, we\u2019ve discovered that most of them don\u2019t work, and there\u2019s often no data that shows they work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlso, many of these medicines, including natural menopause supplements and remedies from plants, are marketed as dietary supplements, not pharmaceuticals. This provides manufacturers with wiggle room to make claims about their benefits that don\u2019t require FDA approval.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, two effective supplements are low-dose estrogen and progesterone hormones. They\u2019re usually recommended for women who are under 60 years of age or within 10 years of the start of menopause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are currently the best menopause supplements because they\u2019re the only ones that have been studied and proven effective,\u201d Dr. Sands said. \u201cThey come in the form of a patch or cream that is applied to certain parts of the skin. They also come in pills that are very safe in most patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Menopause vitamins and minerals<\/h2>\n<p>As a woman\u2019s natural estrogen level falls, her risk of bone loss increases. This can be helped by getting more calcium, vitamin D and magnesium. However, it\u2019s best to get these nutrients through food instead of relying on supplements.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest reason for getting these things through food is improving absorption through the digestive system,\u201d Dr. Sands said. \u201cWhile some nutrients in supplements are absorbed into the body, a lot of them aren\u2019t. Instead, they just go out in your urine. A lot of folks won\u2019t tell you that, but it\u2019s reality. This is one reason why a balanced diet is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Supplements for bloating and belly weight<\/h2>\n<p>During menopause, a woman may experience <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/why-youre-bloated-and-how-to-get-fast-relief\/\">bloating<\/a> and increased belly weight. But instead of turning to supplements, much of this is better addressed in other ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBloating is caused by the body retaining water, which can be caused by sodium,\u201d Dr. Sands said. \u201cYou can decrease the amount of sodium in your diet by avoiding chips, not adding salt to food, etc. Exercising two to three times per week \u2013 20 to 30 minutes each time \u2013 can also help quite a bit because you burn off salt by sweating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith regard to weight, our metabolism slows as we get older. However, menopause also causes it to slow down. So, avoiding polyunsaturated fats and saturated fats as well as exercising regularly can help you lose weight.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The impact of overall health<\/h2>\n<p>While some recommended menopause supplements can help symptoms in healthy women, they\u2019re not cure-alls or effective for everyone. This is why it\u2019s important to talk to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/providers?query=gynecology\">gynecologist<\/a> to find out what\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n<p>And even though treatments vary, one piece of advice every woman is likely to hear is the importance of maintaining her overall health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve noticed that women who exercise, get the right amount of sleep, have good relationships and are in good overall health will generally do pretty well in the menopausal transition,\u201d Dr. Sands said. \u201cOn the other hand, it seems that a lot of women have more difficulty when they\u2019re under more stress, don\u2019t get enough sleep and just aren\u2019t as healthy as they should be. So, getting the right balance in your life can help decrease menopausal symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A health care provider can also determine if other medications you\u2019re taking are making your menopause symptoms worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re struggling, see your health care provider and review all the options,\u201d Dr. Sands suggests. \u201cThere are some great options that are effective and safe. Generally, they\u2019re only used for a short time to get people through the transition. If you find a supplement that you want to try, talk to your doctor first. Some things may not be harmful, but they also may not be beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a woman approaching or going through menopause, you may find yourself experiencing some uncomfortable symptoms. These can include hot flashes, night sweats and irregular periods, just to name a few. There are many supplements on the market for easing these symptoms, but which ones make sense for you to take? What exactly is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":18566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[887,1045,1128],"coauthors":[1034],"class_list":["post-18547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-women","tag-aging","tag-menopause","tag-supplements"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Menopause supplements: Should women take them?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are many supplements on the market for easing menopause symptoms, but a woman should talk to her doctor before taking any of them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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