Supplements to Support Menopause
Here's what's on my radar these days ...
Hello from the hills of eastern Kentucky, where I’m spending the week with my family immersed in nature, exploring the surrounding area, and tackling a slightly wild (but hopefully fun) project at our little cabin here. Isn’t the area gorgeous?
As promised, here is your follow up post on supplements! Without further ado …
Do you know who Dr. Jen Gunter is? She’s an OBGYN who has written three incredibly informative books: The Vagina Bible, The Menopause Manifesto, and Blood: The Science, Medicine and Mythology of Menstruation. She also writes an amazing Substack called “The Vajenda” and wrote a fascinating post about how much money is in menopause supplements.
Dr. Gunter wanted to see how easy it would be to create her own line of supplements to sell, and it turns out it’s actually very, very easy. All you need is some start up capital. Manufacturers don’t care what your credentials are: you could be a doctor or a used car salesman - it truly doesn’t matter. As long as you have the money to fund the production costs, you're good to go!
Dr. Gunter ran the numbers based on the blend she picked for her fake line of supplements, and (no surprise here) it turns out selling supplements can - and does - make people a lot of money.
All this serves to remind you of what we talked about in last week’s email: the supplement industry is completely unregulated and has a lot of issues regarding false claims, safety, contamination, etc.
That said, I do think there are helpful supplements that you may want to consider taking in midlife. I am by no means a supplement expert, but here’s my rundown on the supplements that are currently on my radar that you might want to have on your radar too.
Anything you’re deficient in. I had no idea I was vitamin D and B12 deficient until I started getting annual blood work done at my doctor’s office. However, at my last visit my vitamin D was actually a little too high, which served as a reminder that it’s possible to overdo it. Be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations on dose and schedule follow up blood work to see if the dose needs adjusting.
Magnesium. Magnesium is calming, promotes better sleep, is vital to bone health (osteoporosis is a huge risk for post menopausal women), and can reduce migraine headaches, among other things. The NIH recommends 320 mg of magnesium for women aged 31 and older, and says that magnesium that dissolves well in water (like the supplement Calm) absorbs better in the body than other formulations.
Creatine. Creatine has been well researched generally, but not so much in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women. That said, we know creatine can be helpful not only for building strength, but for better sleep, fewer menstrual cycle symptoms and for gut and brain health in premenopausal women. I’m intrigued enough by the emerging science that I’m really trying hard to work this creatine into my daily routine. Appropriate dosing for women is 3g - 5g daily.
A joint health supplement. Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause affects a lot of women (frozen shoulder or achy joints anyone?). Estrogen may need to be part of the conversation for managing joint issues in menopause, but a joint health supplement like type I or type III collagen, glucosamine, egg shell membrane, or boswellia have all been shown to improve joint health. My husband has been taking Joint Health PLUS (which contains both egg shell membrane and boswellia) for his achy shoulders and knees and has found it really helpful. And I’m finally at that stage of perimenopause where it’s time to add a joint health supplement to my regimen as well. Sigh.
Protein powder: Sarcopenia (loss of lean muscle) accelerates in the final years of perimenopause, leaving women prone to frailty. We also don’t absorb protein as efficiently as we age. For some women, adding a scoop of protein powder to a smoothie or making a protein shake can be really helpful to support midlife protein needs.
Adaptogens: Dr. Stacy Sims makes a great case for using adaptogens (like ashwagandha, maca, holy basil, etc.) to ease menopause symptoms. There isn’t a lot of menopause specific data to support her claims, but I’ll admit to being intrigued. So I’m waiting to see how the science shakes out.
It’s worth noting that a lot of supplement blends include adaptogens, but often at a subtherapeutic dose, which means they won’t be particularly helpful. It’s also worth noting that adaptogens specifically (and supplements in general) can interact with medications, exacerbate existing medical conditions or cause liver injury in high doses. So do your homework and proceed with extreme caution. I believe Dr. Sims offers a microlearning course on adaptogens if you love this kind of stuff.
And here are a few supplements most people don’t need:
Powdered greens: There are no studies validating claims that powdered greens have any meaningful impact on your health. And in April of 2025, Consumer Labs posted an update that AG1 may be contaminated with lead and other heavy metals, which I know has also been a problem with other powdered greens brands as well. So proceed with enormous caution if you’re a powdered greens devotee!
Electrolytes: Most people get enough salt in the modern American diet that they don’t actually need electrolytes. If you are a regular electrolyte drinker, my cardiologist husband would like to remind you that electrolytes should be consumed in moderation. Otherwise, you can mess up the electrical signals that keep your heart beating regularly.
Probiotics: The research on probiotics is really mixed. Some studies show a probiotic can be helpful, some show they make no impact, and others show they can be harmful. Because of the mixed research and the fact that probiotics can be expensive, I recommend using food to promote good gut health instead. Eating a high fiber diet rich in whole foods along with foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and yogurt is probably going to be your best bet for promoting gut health.
Menopause blends: There are all kinds of menopause blends hitting the market and most of them (if not all) are basically snake oil - even the stuff promoted by high profile celebrities. You’re likely much better off using that money toward something that will actually make a difference in your menopause experience, like a fitness class you enjoy, a therapy session, or a night out with your perimenopausal partners-in-crime (which is it’s own kind of therapy).
No shade from me if you’re currently taking any of the supplements on this list - I’ve absolutely fallen prey to the very well-funded and influential marketing behind a few supplement brands. But also, you might find one of these supplements genuinely helpful and if so, I'm happy you've found something that's making a difference in your health and wellbeing.
Regardless of what you decide to put in your body, I highly recommend looking at a website like Consumerlab.com to determine what brands have been independently tested and are safe for consumers.
And that’s it from me this week!
Big hugs as you navigate this wild world we’re living in.
xo, Rebecca
P.S. My friend sent this to me with the note, “We’re supposed to apologize?” I don’t know. Are we? 😂