Hot flashes are among the hallmark symptoms of menopause, and the May 2011 issue of "Obstetrics and Gynecology" reports that many women experience them for up to 11 years. Other symptoms include depression, fatigue, panic attacks, headaches and even elevated levels of cholesterol. Due to a shift away from the use of hormone replacement therapy due to its side effects in treating menopausal symptoms, pycnogenol has come under investigation as an alternative for women searching for natural options to help manage their symptoms.
Pycnogenol and the WHQ
The WHQ, or Women's Health Questionnaire, is a standard questionnaire used by medical professionals to help assess a woman's menopausal condition. It consists of the following symptoms graded on a scale of one to 10: somatic symptoms, depressed mood, vasomotoric symptoms, memory/concentration, attractiveness, anxiety, sexual behavior, sleep problems and menstrual symptoms. The WHQ was used to assess the severity of these symptoms in a June 2007 study published in "Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologia" to determine the efficacy of pycnogenol in alleviating said symptoms of women entering menopause.
The Trial
The researchers conducted the trial at Ham-Ming Hospital in Taiwan, and they enrolled 155 perimenopausal women as subjects. The women answered the WHQ and were then randomized to receive either 200 milligrams of pycnogenol a day or a placebo. The dosage was administered in 100-milligram units twice a day. The study participants visited the hospital for examination at one, three and six months following the start of the trial. At each visit, their body mass index, blood pressure, lipid profile and antioxidant status were measured. Improvement was noted at the one-month mark.
The Results
While the WHQ of the women in the placebo group showed no significant changes in symptoms, the pycnogenol group reported significant improvement in all symptoms recorded on the WHQ when compared to the start of the treatment. There were no reported side effects. After six months, LDL, or bad cholesterol, dropped by 10 percent, and patients had increased antioxidant levels compared to the placebo group. Importantly, there was significant improvement in vasomotoric symptoms, otherwise known as hot flashes.
About Pycnogenol Efficacy
According to the American Cancer Society, pycnogenol spelled with a capital "P" is a trade name for a pine bark extract. Otherwise, pycnogenol is the name of a group of compounds that contain proanthocyanidins taken from a number of natural sources in addition to pine bark, including grape seeds. The American Cancer Society cautions that the data from clinical trials supporting its menopausal health claims is limited. There are not enough data from clinical trials to support most of the health claims made for any form of pine bark extract, although interest in proanthocyanidins among medical researchers is growing.
References
- "Obstetrics and Gynecology"; Duration of Menopausal Hot Flushes and Associated Risk Factors; Ernest Freeman et al.; May 2011
- "Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologia"; A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial on the Effect of Pycnogenol on the Climacteric Syndrome in Peri-menopausal Women; Han Yang et al.; June 2007
- American Cancer Society: Pine Bark Extract
