Soy Pills for Menopause

Soy products contain phytoestrogens, a plant compound with weak estrogen properties. Interest in soy and menopause emerged a decade ago when studies showed a higher breast cancer risk for women who took hormone replacement therapy, or HRT for short. The theory was that soy's phytoestrogens could alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause without increasing breast cancer risk. Although some studies have reported benefits, systematic reviews have found mixed results.

Soy Pills

When the large Women's Health Initiative, a National Institutes of Health-funded study, found that women taking HRT to manage their menopause symptoms had higher risks of breast cancer than women who did not, many immediately stopped taking HRT and looked to alternatives. It was believed that soy might serve that function. The active ingredients in soy products are isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen. Soy pills are dietary supplements containing concentrated levels of isoflavones.

Menopause

Menopause occurs when there is a loss of your body's natural production of estrogen. Its symptoms vary but may include hot flashes, trouble sleeping, vaginal and urinary tract problems, difficulty focusing and memory lapses, weight gain and loss of muscle tone. Until the Women's Health Initiative study results were reported, physicians routinely prescribed HRT, which was effective for most women. Given HRT's association with higher risks of breast cancer, however, many have sought alternative remedies.

Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are the most studied menopausal symptom, a symptom soy pills purportedly alleviate. The effectiveness of soy isoflavones for managing hot flashes has been studied in two groups of women. One is among menopausal women, generally. The second is among breast cancer survivors, for whom hot flashes are one of the treatment's side effects. Because breast cancers are often estrogen sensitive, meaning they grow in response to estrogens, interest in finding non-estrogen substitutes is high. Unfortunately, for neither group has research found soy isoflavones effective.

According to WomensHealth.gov, there is no clear proof that taking soy or any other source of phytoestrogens makes hot flashes any better. The site cautions that the risks of taking soy products like pills or powders is simply unknown. As a result, it recommends that if you are going to try soy, you should consume soy products like milk, tofu, and soy nuts.

For women with breast-cancer related hot flashes, the results are similar. In a study reported in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology," about a third of women studied showed a reduction in hot flashes whether they were taking soy isoflavone, a placebo, or nothing at all.

Overall Symptom Reduction

In an "Archives of Internal Medicine" report, which reviewed 70 randomized trials, researchers found no benefit of soy products on menopausal symptoms. The authors note that although individual trials may have shown benefits, the weight of the evidence did not support the effectiveness of any of the agents tested, including soy. Thus, they recommended further studies.

Considerations

The research to date has not shown the effectiveness of soy pills or any soy products on managing the symptoms of menopause. It should also be noted that the FDA does not regulate food supplements and there is little information on potential side effects of taking soy pills.