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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies

I wonder if anyone has any information about the benefits of soy products for menopausal symptoms?

I recall I ate more soy beans a few years ago to see if helped but I was on HRT at the time so that may have obscured any benefits.

I have now been without gel for seven weeks and physically I feel okay however my emotional ups and downs have continued.

Any comments will be gratefully received as ever.

Take care ladies.

K.

[VioletAquarius]

Seeds are supposed to be good for hormone balancing.

If you Google seed cycling.

I no longer have periods so I just take a mouthful of sesame seeds a day and put a mix of ground seeds on my porridge (flaxseed, sunflower, pumpkin & chia).

[Kathleen]

Hello VioletAquarius


Thank you for responding,  you make a good point about the seeds and I will check out seed cycling on Google.

I already have ground flaxseed with my breakfast and sprinkle various seeds on my lunchtime salad but I will take a look at what
 I am eating and perhaps make some changes.

Thanks again and wishing you well.

K.

[chopsuey]

I took a concentrated soy supplement for a year or so before starting HRT. It helped a bit with the flushes but ultimately was not potent enough to manage all my symptoms.

It is said that Japanese women experience fewer menopausal symptoms, which is partially thought to be due to the large amount of soy in the diet - tofu etc- so it is worth trying.

[KaraShannon]

It is said that Japanese women experience fewer menopausal symptoms, which is partially thought to be due to the large amount of soy in the diet - tofu etc- so it is worth trying.

I'm interested in this again.  I have read a lot of scare stories about soy in the past but I want to bring tofu back into my diet.  Maybe some soy milk occasionally, not all the time.

I am also wondering about whether taking red clover would have any negative effects if already on hrt.  I have a feeling a lot of these herbs and nutrients might contain complex molecules that can help in lots of different ways, ie synergy but there appears to be no answers from the conventional medical community or the alternative health community as to whether these things can be combined safely.

[chopsuey]

I found this article; a systematic review, looking at isoflavones and menopause symptoms.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893524/

There are no clear cut conclusions, due to mixed results and poor study designs,other than there does seem to be an effect on hot flushes. It's an interesting read though and does talk about a few other herbal options.

There have been discussions on here, one quite recently, about whether the phytoestrogens compete with HRT, due to blockage of the receptors. I don't know what the evidence base is for this but some on here have found high soy intake affected their VA and seemed to make their topical oestrogen creams/pessaries less effective. 

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Chopsuey - I think there is evidence that soy isoflavones help to some extent which is why they are included in supplements. The problem of course is whether the  effect is strong enough. Thank you for finding some research and I will read the link when I have more time.

KaraShannon - I am also looking at Red Clover supplements. Strangely they were suggested to me by a GP years ago but I dismissed the idea at the time.

I also wonder if all these ' gentler ' options are more effective when we are not on HRT?

Thanks for your responses ladies, much appreciated as ever.

Take care.

K.