Menopause occurs when you no longer get your monthly period due to lower hormone levels. It is a typical indicator of ageing and the end of your reproductive and fertile years. Usually, menopause starts in your late 40s or early 50s. As you age, your reproductive cycle, which has been running consistently since puberty, slows down and eventually stops.
As menopause approaches, your ovaries produce less oestrogen. When this happens, your menstrual cycle (period) changes. The process through which your body adjusts to various hormone levels might also result in physical changes.
Stages of Menopause
For those going through natural menopause, the process is gradual and is divided into three phases:
Perimenopause
Perimenopause can start eight to ten years before menopause and the ovaries begin to gradually release less oestrogen. It typically begins when you are in your 40s. Perimenopause lasts until menopause when the ovaries stop producing eggs altogether.
In the final one to two years of perimenopause, the gradual decrease in oestrogen levels begins to quicken. Somewhen will exhibit full menopause symptoms at this time, however, you can still become pregnant and will be having menstrual cycles.
Menopause
Menstrual periods end when you reach menopause. Most of the oestrogen and eggs that were being released by your ovaries have stopped. You are said to be in menopause when it has been 12 months since your last menstrual cycle.
Postmenopause
Postmenopause refers to the period following menopause. When you reach postmenopause, your monthly cycle has been absent for more than 12 months. You are no longer ovulating (releasing eggs).
Many women may experience a reduction in menopausal symptoms during this phase, including hot flashes. However, a decade or longer following the menopause transition, some women still suffer menopausal symptoms.
During menopause, oestrogen levels fall. At this stage, estrone (produced in body fat) replaces estradiol (produced by your ovaries) as the main oestrogen in your body. Due to lower oestrogen levels, postmenopausal women are more susceptible to several illnesses, including osteoporosis and heart disease.
Signs and Symptoms of Menopause
Most women who are close to menopause will start to experience vasomotor symptoms (VMS), commonly known as hot flashes or night sweats. A hot flash is a warm sensation that spreads over the upper body, frequently accompanied by blushing, a racing heart, and sweating. Most women see these flashes as light, while others experience severe ones.
Other menopausal symptoms include:
- Irregular or missed periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Emotional changes
- Dry mouth, eyes, or skin
- Anxiety
- Sore breasts
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Irritability
- Changes in libido
- Headaches
- Hair loss
- Aches and pains in muscles and joints
- Weight gain
- Having more frequent urination
- Difficulty sleeping
How long do symptoms of menopause last?
In general, the symptoms of perimenopause last about four years, although menopause symptoms might last months or years, and change over time. The symptoms and severity of those symptoms will be unique to each woman.
For instance, you might experience fewer hot flashes and night sweats, but you might subsequently experience depression and anxiety. After your period stops, some symptoms, such as joint pain and vaginal dryness, may persist.
Can supplements help with menopause?
Menopause symptoms can be managed with supplements to make the transition easier. But many people will react to them in various ways. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any menopausal supplements, especially if you are already on prescription medication, as menopause supplements may interact with your medications.
Menopause capsule ingredients
Knowing what a supplement contains is essential when deciding which one to take for menopause. We've listed the ingredients included in our menopause capsules below, so you can better understand what they are and how they can help.
Vitamin B6
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Vitamin B6 is essential for proper metabolism, immunological function, and the body's capacity to control inflammation. Vitamin B6's ability to enhance serotonin may help prevent menopausal depression and boost energy.
The science
Vitamin B6 may also help women who are going through menopause-related mood changes. Chemical messengers in the body such as serotonin and dopamine help you stay calm. These messengers respond to brief stressful situations with a positive attitude. During menopause, their levels decrease.
As the body approaches the end of its reproductive years, alterations in these neurotransmitters or variations in oestrogen levels cause menopause which can cause mood swings. The good news is that pyridoxine can aid in synthesising dopamine, oestrogen, and serotonin.
Panax Ginseng
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Traditional medicine uses ginseng as an adaptogen, aphrodisiac, and nourishing stimulant. Ginseng is frequently used as an energiser, to treat symptoms of menopause, and to cure sexual dysfunction.
The science
Postmenopausal women participated in a single double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT to examine the effectiveness of ginseng for menopause symptoms.
Magnesium
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Magnesium is essential for improving heart health, lowering blood pressure, lowering the risk of diabetes, combating osteoporosis, and, especially if you take magnesium citrate, alleviating constipation—all of which worsen with menopause.
In particular, magnesium glycinate may aid in reducing anxiety, reducing joint pain, enhancing sleep, and reducing both hot and cold flashes.
The science
Magnesium supplements appear to enhance elderly individuals' subjective indicators of insomnia, such as ISI score, sleep efficiency, sleep time, and sleep onset latency, as well as objective indicators of insomnia, such as serum renin, melatonin, and cortisol concentration.
Additionally, there is promising data about the relationship between postmenopausal women's bone mineral density and magnesium or zinc intake. More research needs to be conducted.
Ginkgo
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Ginkgo leaves have been used in Chinese traditional medicine to improve circulatory issues, improve memory, and encourage overall lifespan. Today, ginkgo is mostly used to improve memory, and sexual function, and increase focus due to its supposed nootropic effects.
The science
In a triple-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled experiment, 80 menopausal healthy females were given ginkgo and placebo for 30 days. The findings indicated that ginkgo had a beneficial influence on sexual desire in menopausal women; consequently, these findings confirm the good effect of GBE ginkgo on menopausal women's sexual function.
Vitamin B12
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Vitamin B12 is essential for producing red blood cells, boosting energy, safeguarding your heart and brain, promoting digestive health, and supporting the proper functioning of your nervous system and eyes. B vitamins may also help reduce hot flashes and insomnia. They are also essential for cognitive processes.
The science
Lack of vitamin B12 may be a significant osteoporosis risk factor
Vitamin B12 should be included in a diet to prevent potential neurological symptoms brought on by a vitamin B12 shortage,
Vitamin K2
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Vitamin K2 (menaquinones) is essential for bone density, which decreases with age and raises the risk of fractures. It might also be beneficial for severe period bleeding.
The science
A recent meta-analysis of seven studies found that high-dose vitamin K1 and K2 supplementation enhanced measures of femoral neck bone strength and reduced the occurrence of clinical fractures in postmenopausal women.
Sage
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Sage is an evergreen shrub used to treat menopausal symptoms, excessive cholesterol, and problems with memory and cognition. It is also used to treat a variety of other ailments, including pain following surgery, lung cancer, sore throat, and sunburn.
Sage has mild phytoestrogenic activities. Plant-based substances known as phytoestrogens act as the body's oestrogen substitute. Sage and other phytoestrogens have grown in popularity due to their potential benefit during perimenopause.
The science
A study wherein 71 menopausal women from Switzerland who took a fresh sage preparation reported fewer and less severe hot flashes (also known as hot flushes). For eight weeks, they consumed sage capsules once a day.
Another study involved giving individuals a daily dose of 100 mg of sage extract for four weeks and comparing the severity of the participants' symptoms before and after the supplementation period. After receiving the sage treatment, there were substantial differences in the severity of hot flashes and nocturnal sweats.
Zinc Powder
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Zinc is required for the action of the enzyme known as aromatase, which transforms androgens into estrogens, the primary type of oestrogen after menopause. Zinc also has a significant impact on improving libido, sexual function, and satisfaction in postmenopausal women.
The science
Most available research points to a beneficial relationship between improved zinc levels and cognitive and emotional performance.
In one trial, 51 postmenopausal women were assigned to one of two treatment groups for eight weeks: placebo or zinc (50 mg/day). The zinc group's folate levels significantly increased between the baseline and follow-up tests. In the inter-group analysis after the intervention, homocysteine levels decreased.
Although both groups' B12 levels were affected equally by the zinc intervention, higher folate levels and vitamin B12 were associated with reduced homocysteine levels in the zinc group after the intervention.
Primrose Powder
What is the purpose of the ingredient?
Many women take evening primrose oil to ease menopause symptoms. Although the oil does not reverse menopause, it does help people manage its usual adverse effects. Evening primrose oil is supposed to help with hot flashes, relieve joint discomfort, reduce hair loss, improve anxiety symptoms and reduce insomnia.
The science
A triple-blind clinical trial with 100 postmenopausal women experiencing menopausal symptoms was done, with both medication and placebo groups participating. Subjects consumed a placebo or 1g per day of evening primrose oil for a month.
The study's findings showed that the evening primrose group significantly reduced flushing, sleep difficulties, and musculoskeletal symptoms, compared to the placebo group.
In a 2019 randomised controlled trial, postmenopausal women were divided into two groups: one took one capsule of evening primrose oil (1,000 mg) twice daily, while the other received the same placebo.
The findings revealed that neither group's hot flash severity considerably decreased following the intervention compared to before it, and no statistically significant difference was seen. However, the intervention group experienced statistically significant variations in the frequency and intensity of night sweats compared to the control group following the intervention.