Four trials that were not combined in meta-analyses suggested that extracts with high ( > 30 mg/d ) levels of genistein consistently reduced the frequency of hot flushes .
BACKGROUND Vasomotor symptoms , such as hot flushes and night sweats , are very common during the menopausal transition .
Hormone therapy has traditionally been used as a highly effective treatment , but concerns about increased risk of some chronic diseases have markedly increased the interest of women in alternative treatments .
Some of the most popular of these treatments are foods or supplements enriched with phytoestrogens-plant-derived chemicals that have estrogenic action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy , safety and acceptability of food products , extracts and dietary supplements containing high levels of phytoestrogens when compared with no treatment , placebo or hormone therapy for the amelioration of vasomotor menopausal symptoms ( such as hot flushes and night sweats ) in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .
Vaginal, endometrial, and reproductive hormone findings: randomized, placebo-controlled trial of black cohosh, multibotanical herbs, and dietary soy for vasomotor symptoms: the Herbal Alternatives for Menopause (HALT) Study
Objective : To evaluate vaginal , endometrial , and reproductive hormone effects of three herbal regimens compared with placebo and hormone therapy ( HT ) . Design : This was a 1-year , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial of 351 women , ages 45 to 55 , with two or more vasomotor symptoms per day . Women were r and omly assigned to ( 1 ) black cohosh , ( 2 ) a multibotanical containing black cohosh , ( 3 ) the same multibotanical plus dietary soy counseling , ( 4 ) HT , or ( 5 ) placebo .  Women were ineligible if they had used HT in the previous 3 months or menopausal herbal therapies in the previous month . Data on vaginal cytology and dryness were collected ( at baseline and 3 and 12 mo ) . Daily menstrual diaries were maintained by 313 women with a uterus , and abnormal bleeding was evaluated . Serum estradiol , follicle-stimulating hormone , luteinizing hormone , and steroid hormone-binding globulin were assessed ( baseline and 12 mo ) among 133 postmenopausal women . Gynecologic outcomes of the five groups were compared . Results : The five groups did not vary in baseline vaginal cytology profiles , vaginal dryness , menstrual cyclicity , or hormone profiles . The HT group had a lower percentage of parabasal cells and vaginal dryness than the placebo group at 3 and 12 months ( P < 0.05 ) . Abnormal bleeding occurred in 53 of 313 ( 16.9 % ) women . There were no differences in frequency of abnormal bleeding between any of the herbal and placebo groups , whereas women in the HT group had a greater risk than those in the placebo group ( P < 0.001 ) . Among postmenopausal women , HT significantly decreased follicle-stimulating hormone and increased estradiol ; none of the herbal interventions showed significant effects on any outcomes at any time point . Conclusion : Black cohosh , used alone or as part of a multibotanical product with or without soy dietary changes , had no effects on vaginal epithelium , endometrium , or reproductive hormones
Four trials that were not combined in meta-analyses suggested that extracts with high ( > 30 mg/d ) levels of genistein consistently reduced the frequency of hot flushes .
BACKGROUND Vasomotor symptoms , such as hot flushes and night sweats , are very common during the menopausal transition .
Hormone therapy has traditionally been used as a highly effective treatment , but concerns about increased risk of some chronic diseases have markedly increased the interest of women in alternative treatments .
Some of the most popular of these treatments are foods or supplements enriched with phytoestrogens-plant-derived chemicals that have estrogenic action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy , safety and acceptability of food products , extracts and dietary supplements containing high levels of phytoestrogens when compared with no treatment , placebo or hormone therapy for the amelioration of vasomotor menopausal symptoms ( such as hot flushes and night sweats ) in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .