Best Menopause Supplements

Consider this scenario — you're in your 40s or 50s, navigating through daily life when, seemingly out of nowhere, your body starts to change. Hot flashes become an unwelcome companion, sleep begins to elude you, and mood swings transform even the simplest tasks into emotional rollercoasters. If this sounds familiar, know that you aren’t alone; across the United States, approximately 1.3 million women become menopausal every year, and two-thirds of them develop frustrating symptoms associated with this hormonal shift.1

Before and during menopause, you may notice many changes to your body, including the aforementioned hot flashes, mood changes, and sleep disturbances, but additional symptoms like night sweats, vaginal dryness, weight fluctuations, and thinning hair are also common.2 These symptoms are uncomfortable and often inevitable, but not all hope is lost. Making lifestyle changes through diet and exercise might help.3 4 5 And some women may be able to find relief through hormone therapy (HT). But when hormone therapy is too expensive,6 feels too extreme, or you want to try over-the-counter options first, supplementation could be an ideal solution.7

Menopause supplements are designed to help alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause, potentially making the transition less stressful and uncomfortable. Many include ingredients that target specific issues like hot flashes, hair loss, and mood swings. But do these supplements work? We evaluated dozens of menopause supplements and chose our top seven picks based on their efficacy, safety, cost, and convenience.

If you don’t have time to read the whole guide, take a look at our recommendations below.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

Our team has spent well over 1,000 cumulative hours researching and testing products and services intended for menopause support and symptom relief. For this guide to the best menopause supplements alone, we dedicated around 120 hours to reading 150+ scientific articles and journals on menopause and the safety/effectiveness of common menopause supplement ingredients. We also personally purchased and tested a wide variety of menopause supplements (including our top picks) in order to bring you first-hand information that only real customers could know.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.

We evaluated menopause supplements based on four customer-centric criteria: efficacy, safety, cost, and convenience. These are often make-or-break details that matter the most to customers when choosing whether or not to purchase a supplement — and different details matter more or less to different people, making them all important factors worthy of consideration.

Let’s see how our top picks fared.

Efficacy

Advantage: It depends on your goals

When shopping for a dietary supplement, one of your first concerns is likely its effectiveness. You want to make sure that a menopause supplement (or any supplement) will deliver on its promises and provide you with the benefits or relief that you’re seeking. But since everyone who goes through menopause experiences it differently, the supplement that’s most effective for one person may not be the best for someone else. Because of this, we feel that the ultimate “winner” of this category really depends on your needs.

All of our picks should be generally effective based on existing research, but some of them have more evidence to support them than others. For example, two of our top picks — HUM and Nutrafol — have undergone clinical testing demonstrating their potential effectiveness. The first study of Nutrafol found improvements in thinning hair within 3-6 months, and the second study showed participants had better hair thickness and strength after six months of consistent use.113 114 And the subjects in HUM’s clinical trial investigating Fan Club experienced fewer hot flashes after four weeks, tolerated the supplement better than a placebo, and reported no adverse effects related to the supplement.45

It’s important to note, however, that self-funded studies like these have the potential for biased results, and the researchers are often affiliated with the company selling the product. Though this research may not have existed at all without company funding, it’s still something to keep in mind.

Outside of those two products, our other picks also have a fair bit of scientific data supporting their efficacy. For example, the vitamin D3 content in Sleep Support may reduce emotional and genitourinary symptoms of menopause while also improving sleep quality.127 140 And our recommendation for most people, Thorne Meta-Balance, contains an ingredient called Pycnogenol (a branded French maritime pine bark extract) that has shown promise in reducing the severity of multiple menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, libido issues, vaginal dryness, and more.123 124 125

Safety

Advantage: HUM Nutrition Fan Club

It’s essential to know that a supplement is safe before taking it. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements like it does food and prescription drugs, it’s important to choose supplements from companies that go the extra mile through testing, certifications, and good manufacturing practices.

While all of our picks should be safe for most healthy adults, HUM Nutrition stands out in a few ways. Besides being third-party tested — just like Innerbody Labs Sleep Support, Nature’s Craft Menopause Support, O Positiv MENO, Nutrafol, and our picks from Thorne — HUM Nutrition’s double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effectiveness and safety of Fan Club resulted in no adverse reactions. HUM is also certified by the Clean Label Project and Non-GMO Project, and the company avoids ingredients that it’s dubbed “The Ick List” (formerly “The Tricky 12”), which includes:

• Titanium dioxide
• Artificial preservatives
• Artificial flavors
• Hydrogenated oils
• Artificial colors
• Artificial sweeteners
• High-fructose corn syrup
• EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; a chelating agent)142

Similarly, Nutrafol’s hair growth supplements are NSF Contents Certified. However, many of the company’s products contain fish allergens, meaning they don’t quite hit the same safety threshold as HUM’s generally major-allergen-free, vegan supplements.

Ultimately, though, no matter how safe a supplement looks, it’s always important to speak with your doctor before adding it to your regimen. They’ll be able to help you determine whether or not it’s safe for you, specifically.

More information on the safety of common menopause supplement ingredients and each product can be found throughout this guide (and under the products’ dedicated sections).

Cost

Advantage: Nature’s Craft Menopause Support

The cost of a menopause supplement can vary quite a bit. For example, our picks in this guide range from around $20-$90, but others on the market can be as low as $15 or as high as $100, depending on where you look. Our choice for cost is Nature’s Craft Menopause Support due to its nice selection of (mostly) research-supported ingredients being offered at a relatively affordable price. Here’s how the one-time purchases and one-month subscriptions of our top picks compare:

With the lowest up-front and per-serving prices of our top picks, Nature’s Craft stands out as a good option for those on a budget. The company also offers a generous 60-day satisfaction guarantee. O Positiv has a similar guarantee, but it only applies to your first purchase.

The runner-up for cost is Thorne Hormone Advantage, which offers the second-best price per serving of our picks — and it’s the only one of our recommendations that’ll last you for two months instead of just one. But, on the downside, the initial cost of Hormone Advantage is about double that of Nature’s Craft Menopause Support.

Convenience

Winner: O Positiv MENO Menopause Gummy Vitamins

O Positiv offers the most convenient option of our top picks. The company’s menopause supplement — MENO — is available as both a gummy and a capsule, both at the same price, allowing you to decide which form is better suited to your lifestyle.

If you make a purchase over $45, you also have the option to break up the cost into four interest-free payments with Afterpay. O Positiv is the only brand on our list that offers this kind of payment flexibility, and it’s a large factor in our choosing it as our winner for convenience. The product isn’t exactly cheap — a one-time purchase of a single bottle costs about $42.00 — so the ability to split the cost into smaller amounts can make the product more accessible to a wider audience. Of course, this does mean that you’ll have to purchase more than just a single bottle of MENO to qualify for Afterpay installments, but this would still result in having to pay less at a time. For example, a one-time purchase of two bottles of MENO is about $74 (because of bulk purchasing discounts), which means that each Afterpay installment would be $18.50, or less than half the price of a single bottle.

Lastly, only adding to the convenience for some people: if you’re an Amazon Prime member and do most of your shopping there, you can save a few dollars more on MENO.

The chart below compares our top picks based on their star ingredients, pricing (for single-unit one-time purchases and one-month subscriptions), notable allergens, return policies, and more. More pricing details — such as bulk deals with O Positiv and Innerbody Labs — can be found under each product’s dedicated section.

Note: To provide a more direct comparison to the other products, we based the pricing for Nature’s Craft Menopause Support on the 60-count, 30-serving bottle (the lowest count is 30 capsules, or 15 servings).

Menopause, derived from the Greek words pausis (“pause”) and mēn (“month”), literally means “end of monthly cycles.”16 It’s a natural part of aging for women assigned female at birth (AFAB) that’s marked by 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle (i.e., you’ve gone a whole year without having a period or spotting). This happens because your ovaries are no longer releasing eggs, and your body’s production of estrogen and progesterone significantly declines. In addition to changes in hormone production, your body begins to use energy in different ways, and the distribution of your body fat changes.8

As your body undergoes these changes, your risk of cardiovascular disease and bone loss increases due to decreases in estrogen production.12 13 (Estrogen plays a major role in supporting your heart health and maintaining bone strength.)85

The phases of menopause

Even though the entire process tends to be called “menopause,” there are actually three distinct parts of the transition. In fact, the symptoms most often associated with menopause — hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, libido changes, etc. — typically occur during perimenopause, the years leading up to menopause itself.

Below, we break down the three phases of menopause, including their unique signs and effects on your body.

When does menopause typically start?

The symptoms of menopause (the start of perimenopause) most often begin around your mid-40s, while menopause itself (periods stopping) typically occurs around the age of 52.17

However, in some cases, women may experience menopause:

• Before the age of 45 (early menopause)9
• Before age 40 (premature menopause)9
• After age 55 (late-onset or delayed menopause)10

As explained in a 2023 case report, “Delayed or late-onset menopause is rarely mentioned or reviewed in literature.” The authors note that the increased estrogen exposure of later menopause could potentially elevate a patient’s risk of certain cancers (e.g., breast, endometrial) and blood clots.102 So, if you’re over age 55 and have yet to experience any signs of menopause, it may be worth speaking with your doctor.

On the other hand, the causes and effects of premature and early menopause have been more thoroughly studied. While some of the potential causes are fairly “benign,” like a family history of early menopause or getting your first period before age 11, other causes may be health-related. These include, but aren’t limited to:9

• Cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy or radiation therapy)
• Having an oophorectomy or hysterectomy (surgical removal of the ovaries or uterus)
• Chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., fragile X, Turner syndrome)
• Autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, Crohn’s disease)
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
• HIV or AIDS
• Certain infections (e.g., mumps)
• Smoking

In up to half of cases, however, there is no discernible cause of early or premature menopause (it’s “idiopathic”).

Additionally, some people may experience a rare condition called primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), or primary ovarian failure (the former term is often preferred, since women with POI may still occasionally ovulate).87 This is a health condition where your ovaries stop working before age 40, and it’s different from early menopause. With premature menopause, your periods stop before age 40-45, and you can no longer get pregnant; with POI, some patients still have an occasional period and may be able to become pregnant.89

While menopause is caused by the natural changes of aging, POI may be due to problems with ovarian follicles — tiny, fluid-filled sacs in the ovaries that each contain an immature egg — but more research is needed to confirm this.89 90

What are the symptoms of menopause?

As you enter perimenopause, which typically lasts about 4-8 years,11 you’ll start to notice irregularities in your menstrual cycles and can experience a host of other signs and symptoms that your hormone levels are changing, including:2 17

However, it’s important to remember that not everyone experiences frustrating symptoms during perimenopause or the surrounding stages, and your symptom types and/or severity may fluctuate over time.8 If you’re ever concerned about what you’re experiencing (or not) or if you’re worried about the pace of your menopause transition, it’s important to reach out to a trusted healthcare professional.

Menopause supplements can be a potential option for any generally healthy AFAB woman — not pregnant or breastfeeding — who’s experiencing frustrating symptoms from the menopausal transition. As long as you don’t have any contraindicating health concerns or take any medications that could be interfered with by a supplement, then they could be worth a try (with your doctor’s permission).

Some menopause supplements are intended for general support, while others are intended to help with specific symptoms. These may include supplements for:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Weight concerns
• Low libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Hair thinning or loss
• Skin changes

So, if you’re experiencing any of these (or other) menopause symptoms and your doctor gives you the okay, then menopause supplements may be for you.

Who should look elsewhere for support?

Menopause supplements aren’t for everyone. For some people, the symptoms can interfere with daily life to the point that prescription treatments may be more appropriate. If you’re experiencing severe hair loss, for example, a supplement might not be enough. Fortunately, there are multiple well-researched and generally safe prescription options on the market that may be able to help. We discuss a few of our favorite menopause supplement alternatives, including prescription services, under the “Alternatives to menopause supplements” section later in this guide.

As mentioned previously, some menopause supplements are intended to support your overall health, while others are designed to treat specific concerns, such as:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Hair loss
• Weight concerns
• Sleep difficulties
• Low libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Hair or skin changes

These supplements often include vitamins, minerals, and botanicals, while some may contain hormone-regulating ingredients, like phytoestrogens. A phytoestrogen supplement uses plant hormones to try to correct hormonal imbalances.30 These compounds typically include isoflavones (found in foods like soy and red clover), lignans (sesame, flaxseed), coumestans (split peas, lima beans), and stilbenes (grape skin, peanut). Another common hormone-regulating ingredient is 3,3′-diindolylmethane, or DIM, which may help regulate your body’s estrogen metabolism.80

Overall, while several complementary therapies, like supplements, have shown benefit in trials, the results are sometimes mixed.31 32 This means that, as with most supplements, your results may vary. For example, while black cohosh may work for you, another person may see no benefit, or vice versa. And some people may be better off with lifestyle changes or a prescription treatment. This is one of many reasons why keeping in touch with your doctor and discussing your options is important.

Common ingredients in menopause supplements

Certain ingredients are often found in menopause supplements. The breakdown below provides information on some of these ingredients and what they aim to treat or support.

Of course, there are many other key ingredients in the wide range of menopause products available on the market, including some of those found in our top picks. The above information only covers some of the most common ingredients; more information on the formulas of our individual recommendations can be found under their dedicated sections.

Most menopause supplements should be generally safe for healthy adults to take. In fact, 40-50% of women choose to use complementary therapies, like dietary supplements, instead of prescription treatments, like hormone therapy.27 Often, this is because supplements are a more affordable alternative to prescription medicines or hormone therapy.

However, like hormone therapy, supplements come with their own unique set of risks. Indeed, certain ingredients in supplements may still cause significant issues for some. These include, but aren’t limited to:

• Black cohosh: This ingredient can impact liver toxicity, and supplementation should be avoided by those with liver disease.54
• St. John’s wort: It may interact poorly with antidepressants.55
• Red clover: This botanical may increase your risk of bleeding and can interact with blood thinners.65
• ERr 731: An ingredient derived from rhubarb, which may increase your chances of liver toxicity or kidney issues.48 49
• DHEA: Doses up to 50mg may be safe for use up to two years, but higher doses or longer-term use may increase the risk of side effects. It can affect hormone-sensitive conditions, interfere with insulin, lower “good” HDL cholesterol, interact with mood disorders, and alter the effectiveness of blood thinners, hormone therapies, cancer treatments, and antidepressants.69
• Dong quai: It may not be safe to take long-term, and has caused rare reactions like bloating, appetite loss, diarrhea, photosensitivity, and hypertension. It can also interact with blood thinners, ACE inhibitors, clozapine, and other drugs.61
• Soy isoflavones: Unsafe to take if you have a soy allergy or a hormone-sensitive condition.71

To say the least, more research is needed on many of the ingredients used in menopause supplements (especially since studies on some ingredients, like black cohosh, have had varying results).28

Additionally, according to the FDA, the agency “does NOT have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness, or to approve their labeling, before the supplements are sold to the public.”29 This means that it’s crucial to purchase supplements from reputable manufacturers with good safety protocols. A company that subjects its products to third-party testing and has transparent results is ideal.

Ultimately, be sure to consult your doctor before taking any new supplement and ensure the supplement’s ingredients do not interact with your current medications. This is especially important if you live with a chronic condition, take medication daily, or are pregnant or nursing (which can still happen during perimenopause, though it’s unlikely).

Best for most people

Thorne is a wellness brand that offers a wide variety of products intended to support your health goals, whether you’re an athlete, gut health enthusiast, just starting your wellness journey, or a woman going through menopause.

Our choice for the best menopause supplement for most people is Thorne Meta-Balance. (It’s also the best option for menopause in our guide to the best female hormone balance supplements).

Based on current research, many of the ingredients in Meta-Balance should be able to help quite a few women dealing with some of the most common menopause symptoms. The only ingredient with little positive data behind it for menopause is wild yam. Though some older, small studies found that yam extract might enhance cognition, sex hormones, and lipid profiles, experts say that large-scale human trials and studies are necessary to determine whether or not yam actually has any benefit for menopause.67 107 108

However, besides wild yam, the ingredients in Thorne Meta-Balance are promising (we wouldn’t recommend it, otherwise). Let’s go over some of the research behind them:

Due to this formula's potential to support women with various menopause symptoms, we chose it as the best option for most people seeking a menopause supplement.

Pricing details

Thorne, like many other supplement makers, offers a one-time purchase option and a subscription option. However, unlike most other companies, any subscription discount you might get from Thorne only applies to subsequent orders — not your first one. So, whether you subscribe or make a single purchase, you’ll always be paying the one-time price on your first buy.

Here’s how the prices work out:

• One-time: $45.00 ($1.50 per serving)
• Subscription (10% off): $40.50 ($1.35 per serving)

Compared to our other picks, this supplement has a middle-of-the-road cost. It’s not as expensive as Nutrafol’s ($88.00, or $2.93 per serving), but it’s not as affordable as our choice from Nature’s Craft ($23.00, or $0.77 per serving).

Best budget pick

Nature’s Craft Menopause Support supplement earned our pick as the best menopause supplement for those on a budget due to its combination of affordable pricing and a formula with six potentially beneficial herbal ingredients, vitamins, and minerals — some of which can support bone strength.

Available in quantities of 30, 60, 90 (mini capsules), and 120 capsules (or 15, 30, and 60 servings), this Menopause Support supplement includes:

• Vitamin D3: 20mcg (100% daily value)
• Riboflavin (B2): 3mg (231% daily value)
• Vitamin B6: 1mg (59% daily value)
• Magnesium: 31.25mg (7% daily value)
• Dong quai root: 400mg
• Lemon balm extract: 300mg
• Red clover: 80mg
• Chasteberry: 50mg
• Soybean extract: 50mg
• Black cohosh root: 30mg

Let’s take a look at what these ingredients can potentially do to relieve menopause symptoms or support your bone health.

While none of the ingredients in Nature’s Craft Menopause Support have definite, undeniable evidence supporting them (like with most supplements), they generally all have positive research suggesting that some people may find symptom relief from them. This, of course, doesn’t guarantee that Menopause Support will help you, but the variety of ingredients in this complex may raise your chances of seeing results.

Pricing information

Nature’s Craft Menopause Support is available in four capsule quantities: 30, 60, 90 (mini capsules), and 120. It may be confusing at first glance, but those numbers don’t directly translate to serving quantities. Technically, this supplement is available in 15-, 30-, and 60-serving bottles. So, if you want a month’s worth of Menopause Support (like with most of our other picks), you’ll have to go for the 60- or 90-count bottle. But if you’re interested in trying it first, then the 15-serving 30-count bottle could be a nice place to test the supplemental waters.

The chart below breaks down the pricing for one-time purchases, subscriptions, and the cost per serving of each quantity.

As is common with supplements available in various quantities, the largest quantity of Menopause Support nets you the most savings — especially when you subscribe. Interestingly, though, despite both the 60- and the 90-count bottles having the same number of servings, the latter is quite a bit more affordable. If you’re comfortable taking three mini capsules instead of two “normal” ones, then the 90-count may be worthwhile.

When it comes to returns and refunds, Nature’s Craft has recently improved its policy. In the past, the company had a 30-day policy and only accepted unopened items. Now, Nature’s Craft has a 60-day 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of its products, whether opened or unopened. This is similar to O Positiv’s guarantee, but it doesn’t seem to come with the same “first purchase only” restriction.

Best for menopausal weight concerns

Previously known as DIM Advantage, Thorne Hormone Advantage is our choice for women with menopausal weight concerns. Like our other top pick from Thorne, this supplement has a good variety of ingredients supported by positive research. Each single-capsule serving contains:

• Diindolylmethane (DIM): 150mg
• Pomegranate extract: 100mg
• Sulforaphane glucosinolate: 25mg

Now, let’s go over how those ingredients may help support women with menopause-related weight concerns:

So, to summarize the above information:

• DIM may help balance the hormones that can influence metabolism during menopause.
• Pomegranate appears to improve common menopause symptoms, BMI, and weight, while helping you feel full after meals.
• Sulforaphane glucosinolate may reduce your risk of certain estrogen-related concerns if you happen to have overweight or obesity.

Of course, more research is needed to confirm these properties, but the existing information is promising.

Perhaps the biggest downside to this supplement, however, is a lack of a bioavailability enhancer. DIM has “limited bioavailability” due to being highly insoluble in water and oil.79 This means that, on its own, DIM neither absorbs nor metabolizes very well in your body.105 We hope to see Thorne either add a bioavailability enhancer to this supplement (such as piperine) or swap out the current crystalline DIM for the branded, more bioavailable BR-DIM (the form used in most research).

Pricing details

As with Thorne’s Meta-Balance supplement, Hormone Advantage is available as a one-time purchase or a subscription (but the latter’s discount only applies to subsequent orders). Here’s how the pricing works out:

• One-time purchase: $47.00 ($0.78 per serving)
• Subscription (10% off): $42.30 ($0.71 per serving)

Because of this supplement’s 60-count supply and single-capsule serving size, its price per serving is one of the lowest among our top picks. In fact, the one-time per-serving cost of $0.78 is only one cent more than that of the 60-count Menopause Support from Nature’s Craft (our budget pick).

Best for hot flashes and night sweats

HUM Nutrition Fan Club uses a probiotic formula and a fairly unique list of ingredients for alleviating some of the most common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, namely the severity and frequency of hot flashes.

The formula contains three key ingredients:

• Grape seed extract: 300mg
• Lactobacillus plantarum: 50mg
• Siberian rhubarb (ERr 731) extract: 4mg

Grape seed extract,122 probiotics,91 and Siberian rhubarb (ERr 731) all have shown potential benefit in the treatment of menopause symptoms, particularly for hot flashes and night sweats.45

A clinical trial of Fan Club found that, after four weeks, perimenopausal participants reported fewer hot flashes and an overall higher quality of life.45 There were no adverse side effects reported, and the supplement was tolerated better than a placebo. A separate study on ERr 731 (the patented form of Siberian rhubarb extract) found the ingredient to be “effective and safe” for the long-term treatment of menopausal symptoms in women, with participants experiencing an average of 1.4 fewer hot flashes a day.46 Rhubarb, however, can potentially cause liver toxicity issues and should be avoided by those with liver disease or similar concerns.48

When it comes to probiotics, researchers point to “the pivotal role of microbiota in postmenopausal women” in a 2023 review. They note that a healthy microbiome may support intestinal calcium absorption (preventing osteoporosis), lower the risk of breast cancer and endometrial hyperplasia, reduce gingival inflammation and menopausal periodontitis, and positively impact “multiple cardiometabolic risk factors.”91

Pricing

Previously, HUM supplements could only be purchased as a subscription. However, that has since changed, and now customers can buy the company’s supplements on either a one-time or a subscription basis.

At the time of this writing, Fan Club costs $40.00 for a one-time purchase or $32.00 (20% off) when you subscribe. HUM offers free shipping on subscriptions as well as orders over $50. For one-time orders less than $50, you’ll owe an additional $5.95 for shipping in the U.S.

HUM’s return policy is pretty standard: within 30 days, you can return unopened products for a full refund, or you’ll get store credit for opened products. While we prefer policies like the 60-day satisfaction guarantee from Nature’s Craft, this is still better than the “unopened only” return policy from Nutrafol.

Best for trouble sleeping

After finding that most supplements on the market don’t quite hit the mark when it comes to using promising ingredients at effective doses, our team decided to formulate some of our own supplements. Tapping into our thousands of hours of cumulative research and hands-on experience testing supplements, we created Sleep Support to help promote sleep quality and duration through stress reduction and better recovery.

One of the many side effects of the menopause transition is difficulty sleeping. In fact, the National Institute on Aging has an entire page dedicated to menopausal sleep problems. Whether it’s insomnia or trouble sleeping because of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats), not getting a good night’s rest can have a major impact on your daily health and well-being. It can worsen irritability and depression, cause forgetfulness, or even raise your risk of falls. All of this is to say: proper sleep is important.139

Sleep Support contains ingredients that can not only promote healthy sleep but also potentially relieve certain other menopause symptoms. A few of these multipurpose ingredients are:

• Vitamin D3 (38mcg): Higher vitamin D levels may correlate with reduced emotional and genitourinary menopause symptoms.127 It also significantly improved sleep quality in subjects receiving supplementation.140
• Magnesium (127mg): Magnesium can support bone health and lower osteoporosis risk,95 96 while also improving self-reported measures of sleep quality and anxiety.141
• Lemon balm extract (400mg): Lemon balm appears to be effective at reducing stress and improving sleep, including in menopausal women.101 131

To learn more about Sleep Support — including details on the other ingredients, like Lactium, Shoden ashwagandha, and lycopene — check out our dedicated review.

Pricing and subscriptions

Sleep Support is available as a one-time purchase or on a subscription basis. A one-time purchase is $65.00 ($2.17 per serving). The subscription intervals have different bulk purchasing options, with the six-month one offering the lowest price per bottle (and price per serving). The chart below breaks down the details.

All purchases come with free U.S. shipping and are covered by the same 30-day return policy. If you’re unhappy with the product, just reach out to customer service to initiate the process (it doesn’t have to be an unopened bottle or your first purchase).

Best for hair loss

Designed for women aged 45+, Nutrafol Women’s Balance may help grow and strengthen hair at any stage of menopause through ingredients like marine collagen peptides, tocotrienol extract, curcumin, saw palmetto, and more.112 This supplement may also help with other menopause symptoms, like hot flashes, due to ingredients like ashwagandha.51 According to the company, this formulation targets specific issues that can cause hair thinning, including:

• Hormones
• Stress level
• Lifestyle
• Metabolism
• Diet
• Aging

Two clinical studies have shown the efficacy of Nutrafol Women’s Balance. The first study showed that women over 45 years old with thinning hair saw significantly improved hair thickness, volume, and growth rate in 3-6 months.113 The second study recruited 30 women with a mean age of 55.114 After six months, all participants reported improved hair thickness, texture, and strength as well as less shedding. When they were reevaluated after nine months, all participants showed continued improvement in hair length, shine, and texture. Women in both studies reported enhanced mood and better quality of life after taking the supplement.

Of course, it’s worth noting that these studies were funded by Nutrafol and several of the researchers are (or were) involved with the company. This doesn’t necessarily mean the findings are null and void, but it does introduce the potential for biased results. As with most supplements, it’s important to maintain realistic expectations and remember that your personal results may vary.

Studies aside, Nutrafol Women’s Balance contains a good variety and quantity of active and supportive ingredients. These include:

• Protein: 1g
• Vitamin A: 1500mcg RAE
• Vitamin C: 100mg
• Vitamin D: 62.5mcg
• Vitamin E: 2.6mg
• Biotin: 2,500mcg
• Calcium: 40mg
• Iodine: 225mcg
• Zinc: 20mg
• Selenium: 200mcg
• Potassium: 10mg

Along with the vitamins and minerals, Nutrafol also includes two proprietary blends:

• Synergen Complex Plus (1.96g): Maca powder, saw palmetto, Sensoril ashwagandha, hydrolyzed marine collagen, turmeric extract, palm extract, and Haematococcus pluvialis
• Nutrafol Blend (480mg): L-lysine, L-methionine, L-cysteine, horsetail extract, Japanese knotweed extract, black pepper extract, and cayenne extract

Below, we’ve highlighted some of the research behind a few of the blends’ ingredients.

Pricing

You can purchase a single bottle of Nutrafol one time for $88.00 (plus $6.95 shipping), or you can opt for a subscription to get free shipping, save between 10% and 20%, and get a few extras, including wellness coaching, hair mineral analysis testing, and a membership to Headspace (a mental wellness app with a focus on meditation). The chart below details the cost of each subscription option, as well as associated savings.

Previously, Nutrafol had a 30-day guarantee. Unfortunately, unlike Nature’s Craft, Nutrafol has done the opposite and implemented a policy that’s not very customer-friendly. The new policy states that you have 30 days to return your product, but it needs to be unopened.

Easiest to take

O Positiv's MENO Menopause Gummy Vitamins should be easier to take than our other picks, especially if you have issues swallowing pills (even smaller ones like those from HUM). Being able to chew two Life Savers-sized gummies without needing a drink to wash them down also adds a layer of convenience — you can take these wherever and whenever.

These gummies don’t have very many ingredients in them, but the ones it does have are promising. Each serving includes:

• Vitamin D: 15mcg
• Vitamin B6: 2mg
• KSM-66 ashwagandha: 150mg
• Black cohosh extract: 40mg
• Chasteberry extract: 40mg

Since we’ve covered all of these ingredients earlier in this guide, here’s a quick rundown of how they could potentially help you during the menopause transition:

• Vitamin D can strengthen bones.93
• Vitamin B6 may treat depression symptoms and improve energy levels.86
• Ashwagandha might help with vasomotor and psychological symptoms.51
• Black cohosh has shown some evidence of reducing hot flashes.52
• Chasteberry could help regulate your hormones and improve menstrual regularity.76

All in all, MENO gummies have a short ingredient list, but the purported benefits of these ingredients may help some of the most frustrating menopause symptoms.

Also, when it comes to taste, our testers agreed that the texture and taste (“Berry Breeze”) was almost exactly like Swedish Fish. Some testers felt that the fruity taste transformed into a lingering bitter one, but this opinion wasn’t universally shared.

O Positiv MENO Gummy pricing

The chart below breaks down the pricing of MENO gummies, the subscription options, and serving costs.

Interestingly, the prices of these gummies have actually gone down a dollar or so since we last checked on them — but only for the one- and two-bottle quantities.

If the prices feel a bit steep to pay all at once, O Positiv allows you to pay for purchases over $45 in four interest-free installments through Afterpay. And if you want to return your MENO Menopause Gummies, the company has a 60-day refund policy. You can only take advantage of this guarantee once, though, so keep that in mind if you purchase from O Positiv in the future.

Also, it’s worth pointing out that some of the best prices for this supplement can actually be found on Amazon. If you’re a Prime member, we suggest you take advantage of saving about $5 on a single bottle (for both one-time buys and subscriptions).

Since menopause is a natural process, there is no cure. However, a multitude of treatment options exist that can help lessen the impact of the transition on your daily life. The options are as varied as the symptoms you might experience, and you’ll likely find that some treatments fit your lifestyle and preferences better than others.

If menopause supplements don’t seem like the option for you, or if you’re just curious to see what else is out there, we break down a few different options below.

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)

Considered the most effective treatment option for symptoms like hot flashes,2 MHT involves taking medications that replace the hormones no longer produced by your body to help mitigate menopause symptoms.19 33 Depending on whether or not you’ve had a hysterectomy, your doctor will prescribe estrogen with or without progesterone. If you still have your uterus, progesterone is needed to reduce the risk of uterine cancer.19 20

Estrogen and combination therapy are available in a wide range of forms: pills, creams, vaginal rings, vaginal tablets, patches, sprays, etc. If vaginal dryness, discomfort with intercourse, or urinary issues are your most troubling menopause symptoms, then the more localized treatment options like vaginal estrogen creams, tablets, or rings may be ideal.2

Menopausal hormone therapy (particularly the whole-body or systemic type) comes with risks, however, such as:19 21 103

• Higher risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks
• Increased chance of gallbladder issues or gallstones
• If started later in life, an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
• Higher chance of breast cancer after long-term use of combination MHT
• Increased risk for urinary incontinence
• Higher chance of mortality from lung cancer if taking combination MHT

This data on adverse effects comes from randomized clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health as part of the Women’s Health Initiative.21

Additionally, while some people might not have issues affording hormone therapy, the costs can vary greatly (from $47 to over $800 annually), which can be a major drawback of this treatment option for many individuals.6 If cost — or a lack of insurance — is what’s preventing you from seeking MHT, we recommend looking into telehealth options.

Two of our favorite online providers for MHT are Alloy Health and Winona. There’s also Musely, an online dermatologist that offers a wide range of prescription skin and hair treatments for menopausal women, some of which contain supportive hormones.

Nonhormonal prescription medication

Over the years, doctors have utilized several prescription drugs to treat menopause symptoms,2 particularly antidepressants like Brisdelle (the first FDA-approved nonhormonal treatment for hot flashes and night sweats).22 23 In May 2023, the FDA approved Veozah, another hormone-free treatment for hot flashes and night sweats that works by “blocking the activities of the NK3 receptor, which plays a role in the brain’s regulation of body temperature.”24 Multiple studies have backed Veozah’s effectiveness and safety.25 26

Other nonhormonal drugs that have shown some effectiveness include the anti-seizure medication gabapentin,2 the high blood pressure treatment clonidine, and the nerve pain drug pregabalin.22 Your doctor might also prescribe vitamin D or other medications to prevent or treat osteoporosis since the menopausal drop in estrogen can reduce bone strength.2 8 13

Lifestyle changes and home remedies

Regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, practicing good sleep hygiene, and quitting smoking are just a few lifestyle changes that can help you mitigate some of the issues caused by menopause.2 If you’re experiencing urinary issues or incontinence, exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor — also known as Kegels — may help. (The Mayo Clinic offers a how-to guide on Kegels for women.) And products like over-the-counter personal lubricants can alleviate vaginal dryness.2

Revaree by Bonafide Health offers a hormone-free hyaluronic acid vaginal suppository that may be able to help women experiencing genitourinary symptoms.