Menopause supplements: what's worth your money, and what isn't

Filipinas on Reddit ask "40s women, ano supplement nyo?" and swap long lists of brands, often from iHerb. We get it. Supplements feel safer, need no prescription and are right there at Watsons.

Here is what the evidence says, in plain terms:

• For hot flashes and night sweats: The Menopause Society 2023 nonhormone position statement reviewed herbal remedies and soy products and did not recommend them. Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment (Menopause Society 2022), and several non-hormonal prescription medicines and talking therapies do have good evidence. See non-hormonal treatments and HRT for menopause.
• For bones: calcium and vitamin D matter, ideally from food first.
• For sleep, mood and energy: a few supplements are popular, but the evidence in menopause is limited.

Every supplement sold in the Philippines is registered as a food supplement, not a medicine, and its label carries "No approved therapeutic claims". That is the Philippine FDA's way of saying it has not been shown to work for any condition. The Eveprim evening primrose listing at Watsons shows exactly this line (Watsons).

If you decide to try one, that is your call. Give it 8 to 12 weeks, track your symptoms in the symptom diary, and stop if nothing changes. Tell your doctor what you take, especially if you are on blood thinners, thyroid medicine, antidepressants or treatment for breast cancer.

We use the same five labels across the site:

• Strong evidence: good-quality trials and guideline support.
• Some evidence: helpful in some studies, or supported for a related reason (such as bone health).
• Limited evidence: small or mixed studies.
• Not enough evidence: too little research to say.
• Not recommended: a major guideline reviewed it and advised against it for that use.

Ratings for hot flashes follow The Menopause Society 2023 nonhormone statement. Ratings for bone and sleep follow The Menopause Society 2022 statement and NICE NG23 (2024 update) where they speak to it. Want a quick lookup? Try the supplement checker.

Femarelle (Recharge, Unstoppable, Rejuvenate). Not recommended for hot flashes. Femarelle is built on DT56a, a soy-derived extract, distributed in the PH by DKSH and launched here in March 2024 (Tribune). Because it is a soy product, it falls under the 2023 statement's "not recommended" for hot flashes. The company cites its own studies; we have not seen independent guideline support. Price: ₱2,000 per box of 56 (Watsons).

LAC Women's Menopause Relief. Not recommended for hot flashes. A blend of red clover, soy, ashwagandha and chasteberry (LAC). Every one of those is a herbal or soy ingredient, the group the 2023 statement does not recommend. Despite the product name, there is no approved therapeutic claim. Price: ₱3,050 per bottle of 60 (LAC Philippines). LAC lists a lower member price.

Healthy Options Menopause Formula. Not recommended for hot flashes, and read the black cohosh warning below. Contains black cohosh, dong quai, vitex, wild yam, kudzu and hops (Healthy Options). A six-herb mix means six chances for side effects or interactions, and none has guideline support for hot flashes. Dong quai may increase the effect of the blood thinner warfarin (National Cancer Institute). Price: ₱895 per bottle of 30 (Healthy Options).

USANA PhytoEstrin. Not recommended for hot flashes. A plant-based "phytoestrogen" formula sold through USANA distributors. A PH reseller listing shows soy isoflavones, black cohosh, chasteberry, licorice root and dong quai (listing); check the label on your bottle, as formulas change. Soy and herbal blends fall under the 2023 statement's "not recommended" for hot flashes, and the black cohosh warning below applies. Price seen on a reseller listing (an estimate): ₱2,200 per bottle of 90 (approx.) (Reseller listing).

Prices checked October 2026.

Black cohosh. Not recommended for hot flashes. Liver warning. The most studied menopause herb, with mixed results, and not recommended in the 2023 statement. Cases of liver damage, some very serious, have been reported in people taking black cohosh products. They are rare, and it is not certain the herb caused them (NCCIH). Do not take it if you have liver disease, and stop and see a doctor if you get yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, unusual tiredness or pain under the right ribs. It is in Healthy Options Menopause Formula and many iHerb products.

Soy isoflavones (and tokwa, taho, soy milk). Not recommended for hot flashes. Soy foods are fine as part of a normal Filipino diet. Soy extracts and isoflavone capsules were reviewed in the 2023 statement and not recommended for hot flashes. If you have had breast cancer, ask your oncologist before taking concentrated soy or any herbal product.

Evening primrose oil. Not recommended for hot flashes. One of the most searched supplements in the PH, and a favourite on Reddit. The Watsons listing itself carries "No approved therapeutic claims". It falls under the herbal group the 2023 statement does not recommend. Price: ₱36.50 per softgel (Watsons).

Red clover. Not recommended for hot flashes. A source of plant isoflavones, found in LAC Menopause Relief. Grouped with the herbal and soy products that the 2023 statement does not recommend.

Ashwagandha. Not enough evidence. Popular for stress and sleep, and in LAC Menopause Relief. There is not enough menopause-specific evidence to rate it. Rare cases of liver injury have been linked to ashwagandha supplements, and it may interact with thyroid hormone medicines (NCCIH). Skip it if you are on thyroid medicine without asking your doctor.

Magnesium (glycinate and others). Limited evidence for sleep. Filipinas on Reddit often name magnesium glycinate for sleep. A 2026 review of trials rated the evidence for magnesium and sleep as low or very low certainty and did not support it as a routine insomnia treatment (J Diet Suppl 2026). It is generally low risk at usual doses for people with healthy kidneys, but high doses cause diarrhoea. For sleep, CBT for insomnia has better evidence (NICE 2024).

Vitamin D and calcium. Some evidence, for bones. Estrogen loss speeds up bone loss, so calcium and vitamin D matter after menopause. Food first: dilis, tuyo, sardinas, malunggay, tokwa and milk. Use the calcium calculator to see if you fall short, and supplement the gap. They do not affect hot flashes. Price: ₱397.25 per bottle of 30 (Watsons). A vitamin D blood test costs ₱2,830 per test (Exact Check), but many women do not need one; ask your doctor. For osteoporosis itself, see bone loss and the bone density test.

Omega-3 (fish oil). Not recommended for hot flashes. In a 12-week trial, omega-3 capsules did no better than placebo for hot flashes, sleep or mood (Cohen et al. 2014), and the 2023 statement does not recommend supplements for hot flashes. Eating fish is good for your heart anyway.

Prices checked October 2026.

"Natural" does not mean harmless. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement if you:

• have had breast, womb or ovarian cancer, or take tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor
• have liver disease (skip black cohosh and ashwagandha)
• take blood thinners such as warfarin
• take thyroid medicine, antidepressants or seizure medicine
• are on HRT already (many herbal products have plant estrogens, and doubling up has not been studied)

Never use a supplement to put off checking a red flag. Bleeding after menopause, a breast lump, chest pain, a sudden severe headache or a swollen leg need a doctor, not a capsule. See bleeding after menopause.

If hot flashes are why you are here, these have stronger evidence:

• Hormone therapy (HRT): Strong evidence. The most effective option (Menopause Society 2022). See HRT for menopause and what it costs.
• Non-hormonal prescription medicines: Strong evidence for paroxetine and other SSRIs or SNRIs, and gabapentin (Menopause Society 2023). See non-hormonal treatments.
• CBT and clinical hypnosis: talking therapies with evidence for hot flashes and sleep (Menopause Society 2023, NICE 2024).

Not sure where you stand? The symptom checker gives you a summary to bring to a doctor, and find a doctor lists menopause-literate OB-GYNs and teleconsults. Read more on the hot flashes page.

Buy from a pharmacy or the brand's official store, check the FDA registration on the box, and avoid sellers who promise results. Medical claims, such as promising to get rid of hot flashes, are not allowed for food supplements in the PH.

• Watsons: Femarelle, Eveprim, Caltrate and other calcium and vitamin D products. Shop Watsons women's health.
• Healthy Options: their Menopause Formula and magnesium. Shop Healthy Options.
• iHerb: the PH Reddit default for magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3 and imported brands. Check shipping and customs, and that the product is not banned locally. Shop iHerb.
• LAC: LAC stores and lac.com.ph for Women's Menopause Relief.
• USANA: through distributors only.

We never link to marketplace listings for anything prescription, and we never sell HRT or other prescription medicines.