Wondering what Natural Supplements for Perimenopause you can take to stop suffering? Look no further- we can help you find the best support for your perimenopause symptoms!
21 Insanely Helpful Natural Supplements for Perimenopause
Perimenopause can be so disruptive and confusing! Symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, unexpected weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, acne, and more, can leave women feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. You don’t need to suffer alone- join me today as I go through the most helpful natural supplements for perimenopause that I use with my patients in my functional medicine practice.
By the end of this article, you will know what supplements help most with certain perimenopause symptoms, and what you may want to add or avoid. You will learn how to support healthy sleep, moods, skin, and hormone balance.
*This post contains links, that at no additional cost to you, may provide me with a small commission. I only recommend products I trust and use regularly with my patients. Always discuss anything you start taking with your healthcare provider.
Perimenopause, just to review, is the years leading up to menopause. Menopause is the actual day when you’ve gone 12 months without a period.
Perimenopause can start as early as your late 30s, though it is more common in the mid to late 40s. It can last 2 to 10 years and the symptoms can vary greatly from woman to woman.
The years before perimenopause are called premenopause, and the years after are technically called post-menopause.
One thing I like to consider is what stage you’re in when we’re talking about perimenopause. There are two stages I talk with my patients about.
The first stage, where you spend a lot of your time, is estrogen dominance. In this initial stage, estrogen may be surging and dropping. Progesterone, on the other hand, is steadily dropping throughout perimenopause.
The first few natural supplements for perimenopause will be to support you during phase 1, while the others can help in all phases.
Natural Supplements for Perimenopause
Before we begin, it’s essential that you talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment for perimenopause, including these natural supplements.
FemGuard Balance from Designs for Health
This is my go-to blend for perimenopause, particularly in the early to mid stages, but it can provide support in the late stages also.
Femguard Balance provides key ingredients like:
B-vitamins-
B vitamins support methylation and proper hormone detoxification.
Calcium D-glucarate-
This nutrient, which is not calcium though it contains a small amount, helps with hormone detoxification and getting rid of excess toxic recirculating estrogen
Black Cohosh-
Often used to support phase 2 of perimenopause, black cohosh can support healthy estrogen balance in both phases, particularly when balanced with these other herbs. It’s best to limit the use of this herb to 12 months, then take a break, and resume if needed.
DIM-
3’3′-Diindolylmethane is the official name for DIM, which comes from broccoli. But you’d have to eat a heck of a lot of broccoli to reach the amount that you would get from a DIM supplement! This nutrient is very helpful for reducing estrogen dominance, which can show up as acne, mood changes, weight gain, and/or insomnia- to name a few symptoms.
Chrysin-
This is a flavonoid, meaning derived from anti-oxidant rich foods, that can lower anxiety and reduce androgen effects (think hairy lip, irritability, rage)
Chaste Tree Extract-
We’ll take more about this below but it is an herbal extract that can improve progesterone, which is low in perimenopause.
Green Tea Extract-
The extract from green tea can help with metabolism, energy, and detoxification.
Broccoli Blend-
Another broccoli mention! Broccoli is a superfood when it comes to hormones, and the blend in this supplement is no exception. The compound known as sulforaphane is a powerful detox agent and estrogen metabolizer.
Trans-resveratrol-
This is a powerful anti-oxidant that can boost capabilities and help to promote healthy hormone balance, as well as be a potent anti-cancer nutrient.
Magnesium and Calcium-
FemGuard Balance also has magnesium and small amounts of calcium to help support bone health.
- FemGuard Balance Complex for Women - FemGuard + Balance contains classic women's health-supportive herbs in the form of vitex, polygonum and black cohosh root, along with DIM and chrysin.*
- Promotes Healthy Estrogen Metabolism - Includes 100 mg of DIM (diindolylmethane) to promote the production of the more beneficial estrogen metabolites over the potentially toxic estrogen byproducts to support estrogen balance for women and optimal health. Calcium-D-glucarate promotes the proper elimination of excess estrogens.*
- Mood Support & More - Black Cohosh supports hormone balance, especially during menopause, and the normal production of neurotransmitters that also offer mood support. Chaste tree extract (vitex supplement for women) supports estrogen and progesterone levels.*
- Premium Nutrients & Botanicals - Features nutrients and phytochemicals to further support overall health and estrogen metabolism, including bioactive B12 folate, P5P vitamin B6, magnesium, resveratrol, green tea extract (EGCg), and broccoli seed extract.*
- Clinically-Trusted Care - DFH is the #1 practitioner supplement brand recommended by functional medicine professionals and the #1 practitioner supplement brand personally trusted by functional medicine professionals.**
DIM Detox
Speaking of DIM, DIM detox by Pure Encapsulations is another really great product. It is used in phase 1, the estrogen-dominant phase. You should always confirm this with labs, this involves checking estradiol and progesterone.
Waking up between three and four in the morning and not being able to go back to sleep, really significant mood changes or irritability, mood swings, weight gain, and acne can all be signs of early to mid perimenopause.
It overlaps with FemGuard Balance as it includes:
- DIM
- Calcium D Glucarate
- Broccoli
It also contains other helpful ingredients for lowering unhealthy estrogen levels and supporting the liver through detoxification. These include:
Alpha Lipoic Acid
This powerful nutrient can help with detoxification of toxic estrogen, as well as lower blood sugar. Insulin resistance and poor blood sugar control can often raise their ugly head in perimenopause and menopause.
N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine
NAC, the abbreviated name for this nutrient, helps us create what we call the master antioxidant- glutathione. Glutathione helps us detoxify toxic estrogen that might recirculate when estrogen levels are high.
Milk Thistle
Another super helpful detox agent, milk thistle is a powerful herb that can help your liver. Help your liver, help detoxify bad estrogen!
L-Methionine, Glycine, and Taurine
Ditto for these amino acids, they are key nutrients to help us detox!
- Liver Support: DIM Detox promotes healthy cell cycle function and hormone metabolism to support the liver's natural detoxification process and cellular health.*
- Healthy Detoxification Support: The glucosinolates in broccoli, including indole-3-carbinol, and sulforaphane, help support healthy detoxification BioResponse DIM provides 25 mg per serving of a highly absorbable form of diindolylmethane, an important metabolite of indole-3-carbinol.*
- Antioxidant Support: Silymarin, alpha lipoic acid and n-acetyl-l-cysteine act to support phase II detoxification enzyme activity in the liver and offer antioxidant support for cellular function.*
- Pure Quality: Our supplements are made with only premium ingredients sourced from trusted suppliers and guided by our nutritional experts, then carefully manufactured and tested to verify their potency and purity.
- Pure Difference: What makes us different isn't just our process or what goes into our supplements -- what we leave out matters, too. Pure Encapsulations products are free from wheat, eggs, tree nuts & peanuts, gluten, artificial colors, flavors & sweeteners, coatings and shellacs, GMOs, and unnecessary binders, fillers & preservatives.
Melatonin
Another option to consider when sleep is interrupted is the hormone melatonin. Our melatonin levels do drop as we get older and they can significantly drop during that later stage of perimenopause.
Melatonin levels can actually be tested through the DUTCH test (dried urine testing for complete hormones). I love this test as it helps me dive deep into a woman’s hormone balance state and help her individualize her perimenopause plan.
This hormone has very few side effects, but one key side effect is sleepiness (of course). Typically, you just need small amounts to replace what your body would normally make.
Methyl B-12 and Folate
B-12 and Folate in the methylated form are unique types of B vitamins that can help process estrogen in a healthy way. They are found naturally in foods like greens for Folate and animal products for b-12. The supplemental forms of these vitamins can be a powerful way to not only provide estrogen detoxification but also support healthy detoxification in general, and energy levels.
L-theanine
This powerful is another compound that’s super, super helpful with the stress and the sleep problems that go along with perimenopause.
It is without significant side effects, can lower cortisol, and has anti-cancer and neuroprotective effects (i/e helps your brain).
Maca
Women in perimenopause often have low testosterone, and fatigue. Maca root can help with both, as well as a healthy estrogen level.
I find this helps women improve their libido and their cortisol (stress hormone) response. However, it may be too stimulating for some women so if you are prone to anxiety be cautious with taking it. It’s best to take it earlier in the day also, in case it interrupts your sleep.
Zinc
I like zinc to support not only your immune function but also your hormone balance. Zinc is very helpful for your gut, too.
However, zinc can cause a copper deficiency if you overdo it. So, it’s best to choose a blend of zinc and copper together, if you plan on taking any more than 15 mg. The link above is to my favorite zinc and copper supplement, Zinc Balance by Jarrow.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
I’ve seen a lot of women that I work with greatly benefit from getting their omega-3s levels up, both through diet and supplementation.
Omega-3s can help your mood, like depression, anxiety, perimenopause mood swings, PMS mood changes, and irritability. These essential fatty acids can be super helpful in reducing inflammation in your gut also.
It is important to be careful when choosing an omega-3 supplement as many that are marketed for health benefits only give you a small amount of what you need to see improvement.
The goal for omega 3 fatty acids when it comes to hormone balance and fighting inflammation is 1000 to 2000 mg of EPA + DHA per day. Read the labels and be sure you can get that amount in a reasonable number of pills.
The link in the heading is a good example of this. Pure Omega Ultra Soft Gels by Pure Encapsulations have 1,392 mg of EPA and DHA total in just 1 softgel. Another great Omega 3 is Omegagenics by Metagenics.
- May support overall health and wellness
- May promote healthy cell membrane structure
- Triglyceride form for easy absorption
And don’t worry- if you’re a vegetarian you can get your omega 3’s from non-fish sources like marine algae based omega 3 supplements, or flax or chia seeds. You will just need to take a higher amount of pills or seeds to get that therapeutic dose.
Chaste Tree Extract
Chase tree extract, as mentioned above, is helpful when the progesterone is dropping. And you can use that on its own or in combined products like FemGuard Balance, or Happy Mammoth Hormone Harmony.
Chaste Tree Extract is also known as vitex, and it can help with irregular periods, poor sleep, spotting in between periods, and even night sweats. If you have frequent periods or a shortened luteal phase Chaste Tree may help too.
Always check with your provider to be sure this herb or any of the above nutrients are safe for you, and if you take chaste tree it’s wise to take breaks from it every 3 to 6 months.
Supplements can be just that, supplementary to a good overall wellness plan when it comes to managing perimenopause symptoms. The above 21 Natural Supplements for Perimenopause are often helpful for my patients, but we don’t use all of them with each woman who is in perimenopause. Every woman’s experience with perimenopause is unique so take a look at the symptoms above, and check out some of our other blogs and videos to find out what can help you the most!
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Dr. Shelley Meyer is a board-certified family physician and Institute of Functional Medicine-certified functional medicine physician, as well as a Registered Dietitian. She is passionate about helping women navigate the roller coaster of perimenopause and postmenopause. She has her own Functional Medicine Practice in Denver, Colorado.
[…] Supplements: There are many, many options when it comes to natural support. The most common are Black Cohosh, Soy Isoflavones, and Maca root. Other helpful options include Ashwagandha and Rhodiola. Check out our blog on natural supplements for perimenopause to learn more. […]