Estroven Review: Do Menopause Supplements Work?

Estroven Review: Do Menopause Supplements Work?


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Estroven is a women's health brand that sells supplements for the relief of menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. The brand claims that their supplements are "science-based" and provide "relief of all major symptoms" of menopause.

But is Estroven actually proven in clinical trials to be effective, and if so, to what degree? Does the supplement contain research-backed ingredients for the relief of menopausal symptoms? Does it cause side effects? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Estroven?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Estroven Complete (the brand's most popular supplement) and Estroven Weight Management (the brand's weight loss supplement) based on medical studies to give our take on whether they're likely to be effective or if they're a waste of money.

We'll share our concerns about Estroven's claims of clinical efficacy, explain whether the supplements cause side effects, and feature real, unsponsored Estroven user reviews.

Estroven Complete Review

Estroven Complete ingredients

Estroven’s most popular product is called Estroven Complete Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief, and its ingredients are shown above.

Rhapontic rhubarb root extract is the only active ingredient in this supplement. A clinical trial published in the Menopause journal tested the effects of rhubarb root extract on menopausal symptoms. After 84 days, the rhubarb extract reduced menopausal symptoms by 60%.

It's important to note that the participants in this trial were perimenopausal (the period before menopause).

Another clinical trial, this time with menopausal women as participants, found rhubarb extract to be similarly effective. The average menopausal symptom score decreased by over 50% over the course of the trial.

Titanium dioxide is a colorant and an inactive ingredient in this formulation that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid. As we referenced in our Yaz birth control reviews article, titanium dioxide is banned in the E.U. for use as a food additive due to concerns that it may damage DNA.

A YouTube creator named "Elevated Christian" has an unsponsored review of Estroven Complete:

Questionable Health Claims

Estroven clinical efficacy claims

Estroven's packaging claims that the product is "clinically proven" to work, and makes specific health claims about reductions in hot flashes and night sweats.

We find these claims to be highly questionable, because Estroven doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials. We can't locate any clinical trials on Estroven and the company doesn't appear to link to any on their website.

It's true that the active ingredient in Estroven Complete is clinically shown to be effective, but we find it to be confusing and unfair for a brand to make a claim of efficacy just because one of its ingredients is proven effective.

We recommend that consumers be wary of health brands making claims that their products are clinically proven to work without providing proof of such claims. 

Estroven Weight Management Review

Estroven Weight Management ingredients

Estroven sells a weight loss supplement called Estroven Weight Management, and its ingredients are shown above. It contains three active ingredients: black cohosh root extract, soy isoflavones and CQR-300.

Black cohosh root extract was shown in an animal study to reduce weight gain, but this doesn't necessarily prove the same in humans, and the equivalent dose was vastly higher than the dose in Estroven Weight Management.

We cannot find any human trials proving this ingredient effective.

Soy isoflavones were studied in a meta-review published in the Nutrition journal for their effect on weight loss. The supplement was found to cause weight loss and the most effective dose was under 100 milligrams (mg), making the 56 mg in Estroven an effective dose.

A medical review analyzed the chemical compounds in soy isoflavones, and concluded that they “could have health benefits in human obesity.”

CQR-300 is a trademarked extract of Cissus quadrangularis, which is a plant in the grape family that’s native to parts of Africa and Asia.

A clinical trial published in the Lipids in Health and Disease journal found that this ingredient reduced obesity “regardless of diet” which is impressive. However, the dose used in the study was 1,028 mg, or more than 300% of the amount in a serving of Estroven.

Another clinical trial, this time using the same dosage as in Estroven, found that Cissus was effective for weight loss. Study participants taking Cissus extract lost nearly 10% of their body fat over the course of eight weeks.

Overall, we consider Estroven Weight Management likely to be effective for weight loss because it contains two ingredients we consider effectively dosed based on a review of clinical studies.

We don't currently recommend the supplement due to the inclusion of titanium dioxide, which we discussed in the previous section.

Does Estroven Cause Side Effects?

Estroven hasn't been studied in any clinical trials to our knowledge, so it's impossible to say for certain whether or not the supplements cause side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on the active ingredients.

Rhubarb may be toxic to the liver according to a 2021 medical review on the plant, however the dose in Estroven (4 mg) is vastly lower than any supposed toxic threshold.

Black cohosh may cause dizziness and vomiting at high doses based on a 2022 medical review, but again we would not categorize the amount in Estroven as anywhere near a high dose.

We do not consider Estroven likely to cause side effects to the average consumer, because its active ingredients appear safe and well-studied. There is no mention of side effects on Estroven's website.

Where to Get the Best Price

Here's a price breakdown of the two Estroven supplements we reviewed at the time of updating this article:

Estroven Complete

Walgreens: $29.99 (link)

CVS: $29.49 (link)

Walmart: $29.97 (plus shipping, link)

Brand website: $19.99 (link)

Amazon: $17.26 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)

Estroven Weight Management

CVS: $24.79 (link)

Walgreens: $19.99 (link)

Brand website: $18.99 (link)

Walmart: $18.68 (link)

Amazon: $17.88 (link to official Amazon listing)

Real Customers Review Estroven

Estroven's most-reviewed supplement on Amazon is Estroven Complete, which has been reviewed over 12,000 times with an average review rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars. We consider Amazon reviews to be a more honest resource of customer reviews than a brand's website.

The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Miss EO" who claims to have achieved symptom relief:

"I started noticing improvement within a few days: hot flashes went from too many to count to 2-3 a day, and they’re shorter and no actual sweating; I can sleep through the night, and no night sweats; my mood is more stable and more upbeat."

The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Alex" who claims that the supplement failed to provide relief:

"I have absolutely horrible hot flashes. They are 100 times worse at night. My sheets and clothes are soaked every night. I have not had my period in 3 months. My Dr. told me to try Estroven. I have been taking it for 1 month and no change. I have horrible hot flashes still. It did not work for me."

Estroven vs. Amberen

Amberen is another popular supplement brand for menopausal symptoms, so consumers are often curious about which is a better option.

Amberen uses a novel class of chemical compounds called succinates as active ingredients rather than rhubarb extract.

We would recommend Amberen over Estroven, because Amberen has been clinically proven to work in legitimate research trials published in scientific journals. This is the gold standard for product research.

We consider both supplements likely to relieve menopausal symptoms based on their respective formulations, but it seems logical to choose the supplement backed by clinical research when the price is similar.

Unfortunately, like Estroven, Amberen supplements contain questionable additive ingredients like titanium dioxide.

Can Ginseng Relieve Menopause Symptoms?

Panax ginseng, which is a plant native to Asia, has been studied in various clinical trials for its effects on menopausal symptoms.

A medical review published in the Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice journal analyzed data from 15 clinical trials on ginseng in menopausal women and concluded the following: "ginseng can significantly reduce hot flashes, menopausal symptoms, and quality of life in menopausal women."

Illuminate Labs sells a Panax Ginseng Extract Supplement which is third-party tested to ensure label accuracy, potency and purity, and which contains no questionable additive ingredients. Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract at this link to the product page on our website, where the supplement can be purchased for only $15 on a subscription basis.

Milk thistle is another research-backed plant supplement for menopause. A 2020 clinical trial found that milk thistle supplementation decreased the severity and frequency of hot flashes by 70% in menopausal women.

Future Kind Milk Thistle Extract is our top milk thistle supplement pick because it's effectively dosed and costs only $19.99. Interested consumers can check out Future Kind Milk Thistle Extract at this link to the product page on the official brand's website.

Both of the supplements recommended in this section are entirely free of questionable additive ingredients like titanium dioxide.

Pros and Cons of Estroven

Here are the pros and cons of Estroven as a brand in our opinion:

Pros:

  • Effective formulations
  • Affordable
  • Unlikely to cause side effects
  • Relatively favorable online reviews

Cons:

  • Questionable additive ingredients
  • Not clinically proven to work
  • Brand makes uncited health claims
  • Less research backing than Amberen
Stay up-to-date on our research reviews

Conclusion

We consider both Estroven Complete (for menopausal symptoms) and Estroven Weight Management (for weight loss) likely to be effective because both supplements contain research-backed ingredients at effective doses.

However, we do not currently recommend either supplement due to the inclusion of questionable additive ingredients like titanium dioxide which is banned in the E.U. for use as a food additive due to toxicity concerns.

Estroven's website claims that the supplements are clinically proven to work, but we can't find any clinical research on the supplement nor does the brand appear to link to any from the site.

We do not consider Estroven likely to cause side effects, and online customer reviews of the brand are relatively positive.

For consumers intent on purchasing Estroven supplements, Amazon currently has the best prices.




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