For many women, menopause brings unique challenges. During this phase, your estrogen levels drop, causing hot flashes and night sweats.
When it comes to natural remedies for menopause symptoms, there have been conflicting opinions as to the pros and cons of soy and soy products. Studies have shown, however, that soy doesn’t cause hot flashes, but in fact may help prevent them.
What causes menopause symptoms?
Menopause refers to a phase in which the body gradually stops producing estrogen and releasing an egg every month. This change in hormones can cause symptoms including:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Mood swings
- Lack of focus
- Fatigue
- Vaginal dryness
- Trouble sleeping
One treatment method for menopause symptoms is hormone replacement therapy, which involves taking estrogen to help compensate for the drop in estrogen levels. However, hormone replacement therapy comes with several serious health risks.
Because of this, some women turn to natural remedies to manage symptoms, such as incorporating plant-based estrogen foods such as soy in their diet. This is because soy contains isoflavones, which are thought to have estrogen-like effects that could be effective against menopause symptoms.
What are isoflavones?
Isoflavones belong to a group of chemicals called phytoestrogens. They act like a weaker form of estrogen in the body.
Genistein and daidzein are the main isoflavones in soy, and these break down in the intestines and may bind to the same receptors as estrogen and mimic their effects. When this happens, the isoflavones may reduce hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.
Which foods are rich in isoflavones?
Isoflavones are mostly found in soy-based products:
| Food type | Isoflavone amount (mg) |
|---|---|
| Soybeans, green, raw isoflavone | 151.17 |
| Soy flour (textured) isoflavone | 148.61 |
| Soybeans, dry roasted isoflavone | 128.35 |
| Instant beverage soy, powder, not reconstituted isoflavone | 109.51 |
| Miso soup mix, dry isoflavone | 60.39 |
| Soybean chips isoflavone | 54.16 |
| Tempeh, cooked isoflavone | 53.00 |
| Soybean curd cheese isoflavone | 28.20 |
| Tofu, silken isoflavone | 27.91 |
| Tofu, yogurt isoflavone | 16.30 |
| Soy milk isoflavone | 9.65 |
Can soy supplements reduce hot flashes?
While studies have shown that isoflavones from soy can modestly reduce the number and severity of hot flashes, they do not work as quickly or as effectively as hormone replacement therapy. For some women, it may take several weeks to reach half of its maximum effect. In many women, it may not work at all.
In addition to this, the effectiveness of consuming soy-based foods for menopause symptoms depends on how the body processes isoflavones.
As with any diet or supplement, it’s best to talk to your doctor about your concerns and to follow their recommendations.
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Woods J. Is Soy A Remedy For Menopausal Symptoms? University of Rochester. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ob-gyn/ur-medicine-menopause-and-womens-health/menopause-blog/march-2015/is-soy-a-remedy-for-menopausal-symptoms.aspx
Levis S, Griebeler ML. The Role of Soy Foods in the Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms. J Nutr. 2010;140(12):2318S-2321S. https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/140/12/2318S/4630730
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What happens during menopause? At what age do menopause symptoms start? Women in their 40s or 50s may begin to have hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep problems as they enter menopause. See what triggers some menopause symptoms. Get tips for relief through treatment.
9 Signs of Perimenopause
Perimenopause occurs before menopause as estrogen levels begin to change. This can cause menopause like symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, heavy bleeding, weight gain, vaginal dryness, and changes to libido. Pregnancy is still possibly during perimenopause.
Natural Remedies for Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are experienced by many women, especially at night. However, not all women undergoing menopause experience hot flashes. What causes hot flashes? A hot flash is a feeling of warmth that spreads over the body. Treatment for hot flashes include hormone replacement therapy and alternative prescription medications such as:- SSRIs (Effexor, Paxil, Prozac),
- clonidine (Catapres),
- megestrol (Megace),
- and gabapentin (Neurontin).
Bijuva (estradiol and progesterone)
Bijuva is a prescription medication that contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which is used after menopause to reduce hot flashes. The most common side effects of Bijuva include breast tenderness, headache, vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, and pelvic pain. Do not take Bijuva if you have had your uterus (womb) removed (hysterectomy).
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes (or flushing) is the most common symptom experienced by a woman prior to and during the early stages of menopause, and often is described as the feeling of warmth that spreads over the body, often starting at the head accompanied by sweating. Symptoms of hot flashes include flushing, excessive sweating, anxiety, and palpitations.
How Bad Is Soy for You?
Soy products like tofu, tempeh, soy milk, miso, and edamame come from soybeans. Soy is not bad for you and may in fact help guard against breast cancer and inflammation and boost kidney function, heart health and bone health.
Is Soy Milk Bad for You?
Soy milk is not bad for you provided it is consumed in less than three servings per day and you do not have a soy allergy. Over the years, soy milk and other soy products have been conceived as bad for health. This is largely attributed to the animal studies that have reported soy in bad light.
What Happens During Menopause?
Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop, also called the "change of life." Menopause symptoms and signs include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular vaginal bleeding, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, weight gain, and emotional symptoms such as mood swings. Treatment of menopausal symptoms varies, and should be discussed with your physician.
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The Menopause Quiz challenges your knowledge about the time in a woman’s life when menstruation ceases. Menopause can bring many physical, mental and sexual challenges to maturing women, but they don’t have to be limiting. Take the Menopause Quiz to learn the causes, symptoms and treatments of what’s known as "the change of life."
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Night Sweats
Night sweats are severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. The causes of night sweats in most people are not serious, like menopause in women, sleep apnea, medications, alcohol withdrawal, and thyroid problems. However, more serious diseases like cancer and HIV also can cause night sweats. Your doctor will treat your night sweats depending upon the cause.
You may experience other signs and symptoms that are associated with night sweats, which depend upon the cause, but may include, shaking, and chills with a fever caused by an infection like the flu or pneumonia; unexplained weight loss due to lymphoma; women in perimenopause or menopause may also have vaginal dryness, mood swings, and hot flashes during the day; and low blood sugar in people with diabetes.
Other causes of night sweats include medications like NSAIDs (aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), antidepressants, sildenafil (Viagra), and abuse of prescription or illegal drugs and drug withdrawal; hormone disorders like pheochromocytoma and carcinoid syndrome; idiopathic hyperhidrosis; infections like endocarditis, AIDs, and abscesses; alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal; drug abuse, addiction, and withdrawal; and stroke.
A doctor or other health care professional can treat your night sweats after the cause has been diagnosed.
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What Foods Are High in Estrogen?
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What Happens When Estrogen Levels Are Too High or Too Low?
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When to Be Concerned About Night Sweats?
An individual should be concerned about night sweats when they have been ongoing for two weeks or longer.