Menopause: What Vitamins Should I Take?

Menopause: What Vitamins Should I Take?

What You’ll Learn: In this blog, we will take a deeper dive into what menopause is, why it occurs, the symptoms of menopause and what vitamins you should consider taking to help manage your menopause symptoms and bring about more comfort during this transition.‡

Women undergo many stages of life. Some are incredibly enjoyable while others may require some adjustments. One stage that might be more of a feminine challenge is menopause. Menopause is a natural part of life, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Those common but annoying symptoms of hot flashes, cold or night sweats, low energy, sleep disturbances, palpitations, weight gain, occasional mood swings and the inability to concentrate often lead to roughly 90% of women seeking medical support during their menopause transition.1

In this blog, we’ll discuss what menopause is, why it occurs and what supplements you can take to better help manage your menopause symptoms and facilitate more comfort during this time of transition.‡

What Is Menopause?

Menopause refers to the period in a women’s life that marks the end of her menstrual cycles. While there’s no set age at which this change occurs and varies depending on the woman, it generally occurs after a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual period and can happen anywhere between the ages of 40 to 50. For most women in the U.S., the average age for the onset of menopause 51.2

While menopause is a natural biological process, it can impact a woman’s health journey in many ways. With the onset of menopause comes the fluctuations in her hormone levels as she adjusts to this new normal, and with it, a combination of potential for new symptoms.

The loss of ovarian-produced estrogen and progesterone is primarily responsible for those uncomfortable menopause symptoms. While more conventional ways look to restore these declining hormones to premenopausal levels, the issue with this is that mimicking the exact ovarian function and hormonal rhythms of a healthy premenopausal woman is not currently possible. For this reason, many women resort to other options to support female health throughout their menopausal years.

Instead of thinking of menopause as a race with an end goal in mind, it might be helpful to consider it as a process that is different for all who go through it. When it comes to menopause, it’s about the journey, not the destination. Let’s talk more about some things to avoid during menopause and which vitamin supplements are good for supporting menopausal comfort.‡

Why Metabolism Slows Down During Menopause

As a dietitian, one of the most common complaints I hear from women is that once they’ve hit menopause, their metabolism slows down. While it’s frustrating, it’s also natural. During perimenopause, your estrogen levels start to decline. That hormonal shift ultimately slows your metabolism. You might be finding that the foods you could previously eat with no problem in your 20s and 30s may no longer be working for your metabolism in your 40s and 50s.3

It’s important to understand the physiological changes that drive menopausal symptoms in women. Menopause is the natural aging process and decline of ovarian production of estrogen and progesterone. Prior to the onset of menopause, estrogen is high, and progesterone is low. As the process continues into menopause, these hormones flip flop. This decline in estrogen and increase in progesterone triggers those pesky menopausal symptoms. As the process continues and the hormones stabilize, progesterone is elevated, and estrogen remains low, ultimately affecting the efficiency of your metabolism.4

While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been a conventional method used to help restore hormonal balance in menopausal women, there are some limitations as this method won’t be able to recreate the hormonal status of a healthy premenopausal woman. Don’t worry, supplements could be a useful tool to further help support symptoms. Keep on reading to learn about what supplements to take during menopause.‡

Certain therapies, such as HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, may be appropriate and should be used under the recommendation of a qualified healthcare professional for managing menopause symptoms. Dietary supplements are not intended to replace the use of such therapies or pharmaceuticals.

However, if you’re looking for a way to potentially manage menopause symptoms, the following supplement recommendations may be worth considering.

Best Supplements to Support Menopause

There are many nutrients that aid with supporting menopausal comfort and help moderate uncomfortable symptoms women experience during this transition.‡

One-Stop-Shop for Menopause Support
If you’re looking for a single product that encompasses all the goodness needed to support your menopause symptoms, MenoVive could be a great product to consider. It contains HMRlignan™, which has been associated with a healthy estrogen-to-progesterone ratio and cellular health.5 It’s been found that lignans have demonstrated supportive roles in moderating hot flashes as well as promoting breast, uterine, cervical, bone and cognitive health.‡

Not to mention, our MenoVive contains the proprietary Lifenol® hops extract which offers support for menopausal discomfort, night sweats and hot flashes.6,7 

Herbs for Menopause
If you’re open to taking multiple products to help meet your specific needs, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola rosea and Maca extracts are adaptogens offering support for relaxation during times of occasional stress. We know our patience gets a little thin with the onset of menopause, so any help in this department may be beneficial On a separate note, maca has been found to support sexual function.8,9 Additionally, Rhodiola may support menopausal comfort by acting as an estrogen receptor modulator to help support cognitive, cardiovascular, and bone health related to menopause.10,11‡

Vitamins for Ovarian Support and Feminine Health

Let me introduce you to an important vitamin to help support ovarian health: Inositol.‡

Inositol is a component of the B-complex family. The predominant form of inositol in the body and central nervous system is myo-inositol. Optimal levels of inositol have been associated with positive mood, emotional wellness and help lessen occasional nervous tension, which may come in handy when we are dealing with those occasional moments of feeling overwhelmed.12 D-chiro inositol is another form of inositol. The combination of myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol helps to support healthy ovarian function and reproductive system function.13 Our Inositol Complex contains 550 mg of myo-inositol and 150 mg of D-chiro inositol per serving.

How to Support Healthy Aging During Menopause

While going through menopause might be challenging, it’s important to know that it’s possible to age healthily. Menopause doesn’t need to be a negative experience. Being aware of potential factors that can impact a woman’s health post-menopause and taking action to help nourish our changing bodies are just a few ways we can encourage aging gracefully.

With the decline of estrogen and the increase in progesterone, there are some health-related complications that pose risks to women as we age. Estrogen receptors are found all over the body and play vital roles in regulating countless physiological functions. It makes sense that the sudden fluctuation of estrogen during menopause might have additional health risks.14

Two of the most common and arguably most important health concerns associated with post-menopausal women are cardiometabolic health concerns and bone health.

Cardiovascular health is already a concern among women.15 For menopausal women, the risk could be greater, with postmenopausal women experiencing cardiovascular concerns at four times the rate of premenopausal women.15,16

Our PhytoBalance II contains grape seed extract which has been shown to support cardiovascular and cognitive health. Research suggests the proanthocyanidins from grape seed promote menopausal comfort, as well as vascular integrity to support healthy blood flow.18‡

Changes in bone metabolism are 4 times more likely to affect women than men, especially women over 50 years of age.17 Studies have shown that women can lose up to 20% of their bone density during the 5–7 years following menopause.4

This makes calcium more crucial than ever in a woman’s life.‡ In fact, calcium needs are so important for women as they naturally age that in the late 1990s the Institute of Medicine panel raised the recommendation for calcium intake from 800 mg to 1,200 mg a day for menopausal and postmenopausal women over the age of 50.19

Our Women's Nutrients is designed with helping women achieve healthy aging in mind. One serving of our Women’s Nutrients provides 200 mg of elemental calcium and other bone support nutrients like 500 IU of Vitamin D, 50 mg of magnesium and 7.5 mg of zinc to help maintain healthy bones throughout our life’s journey.‡

Supporting a Healthy Menopause Journey

As women, it can be challenging to cope with the natural changes that occur as we age. Menopause is not only the loss of fertility and periods but also a huge metabolic shift. Recognizing that makes us better equipped to support our overall well-being for the long run.

Here at Pure Encapsulations, we offer a wide variety of Women's Formulas specifically designed to support women’s health, comfort and wellness goals across every stage of life.‡ Check it out today!

  1. Guthrie JR et al. Climacteric 2003;6:112–117
  2. Mayo Clinic. (2023, May 25). Menopause - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
  3. Menopause Weight Gain Isn’t Inevitable. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-can-i-do-to-avoid-weight-gain-at-menopause
  4. Davis, S., Lambrinoudaki, I., Lumsden, M. et al. Nat Rev Dis Primers 1, 15004 (2015).
  5. Udani JK, et al. J Am Coll Nutr. 2013 Dec; 32(6): 428–435.
  6. Erkkola R, et al. Phytomedicine. 2010 May;17(6):389-96.
  7. Heyerick A, et al. Maturitas. 2006 May 20;54(2):164-75.
  8. Gonzales GF, et al. Andrologia. 2002 Dec;34(6):367-72.
  9. Brooks NA, et al. Menopause. 2008 Nov-Dec;15(6):1157-62.
  10. De Bock K, et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004 Jun;14(3):298-307.
  11. Gerbarg PL, Brown RP. Phytomedicine. 2015 Dec 12. pii: S0944-7113(15)00368-2
  12. Gambioli R, et al. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021 Jan;25(1):438-446.
  13. Monastra G, et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 Apr 6;12:660381.
  14. Adapted from Exper Rev Endocrinol Metab® 2011 Expert Reviews Ltd
  15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC Wonder Online Database, released in 2020. Accessed October 15, 2021.
  16. Davezac M eta l. Front Aging. 2021 Sep 24;2:727380. doi: 10.3389/fragi.2021.727380. PMID: 35821994; PMCID: PMC9261451.
  17. National Osteoporosis Foundation. What Women Need to Know. Accessed June 2021.
  18. Park E, et al. Br J Nutr. 2016 Jan;115(2):226-38.
  19. How much calcium do you really need?(2015, July 15). Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-calcium-do-you-really-need
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