I’m a menopause expert and these are the products I would never buy

Are so-called menopause-friendly products worth the hype? We sift through the ones claiming a wealth of benefits, from chocolate to skincare

The menopause conversation has grown louder over the last decade, particularly in the last five years, and it is good news for women. I’m a leading menopause specialist with more than 25 years of clinical experience. I’m also a former chair of the British Menopause Society, and the author of Menopause: The One Stop Guide. 
Like many clinicians, I’ve watched with interest as the market for menopause-friendly products has grown. And I’ve often questioned whether there is a degree of exploitation going on by brands who see the menopause as a great opportunity. On a recent trip to the supermarket, for example, I noticed an entire menopause section devoted to products claiming to cure everything from hot flushes to low mood.
Many of them do help, and have the science to back up their claims, but many don’t. So, which ones are really worth it? 
Holland & Barrett recently attracted criticism for selling a bag of chocolate-covered “menopause almonds” for £3.79 that offer “a treat that will satisfy your tastebuds and support your mood”.
It’s taken a while for these almonds to hit the media, including on social media where people have called them “patronising and profiteering”, but they’ve been around for a few months and when those of us who work in clinical practice first saw them we thought, “Oh for goodness sake”. Of course chocolate lifts our mood and makes us feel good – that’s been well established for years. But a small amount of reasonably priced chocolate does the job. It’s a shame because Holland & Barrett is a good, reputable brand, and I often direct women to their supplements.
When it comes to diet, there is no magic menopause bullet. I advise women to ensure they’re getting enough calcium, found in dairy products and green vegetables, to look after their bones. The menopause affects our bone health because the hormone oestrogen keeps our bones strong and healthy, and levels decrease during the menopause. There is also evidence that the Mediterranean diet – rich in colourful fruits and vegetables, nuts, flaxseeds, fish and olive oil, and low in saturated fats – is particularly good for menopausal health. 
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Lastly, rethink your alcohol intake. It’s not good for our bones, it increases hot flushes, and can exacerbate common menopause symptoms such as poor sleep and anxiety.
The global menopause supplement industry is expected to reach $22.7 billion by 2028 according to a report by Grand View Research. Largely, I think, because many women who don’t want to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) see supplements as an alternative. However, while we have strict licensing agreements in this country as to what claims can be made, some of them still have very little evidence. For example, a manufacturer can’t say something is good for hot flushes if the science isn’t there, but they can say their product is aimed at menopausal women without properly explaining why, and therefore implying something that isn’t proven.
So, what do I advise? Interestingly, vitamin D is really important for menopause because it protects your bone health and immunity, yet it’s rarely marketed as a menopause product. Similarly, St John’s Wort is good for low mood, but you don’t see it marketed at menopausal women. Then there are the supplements like Phytoestrogens and Black Cohosh, which is a herbal supplement derived from a North American wildflower said to ease hot flushes and was recently linked to fewer sleep disturbances in menopausal women.
Lastly, studies show that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can also help with sleep during menopause. While a recent study from The University College London found that CBT can help reduce the impact of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, low mood and anxiety.
As women go through the menopause, they might need to use slightly different products on their skin. It becomes drier, and studies show it can lose up to 30 per cent of its collagen during the first five years of menopause. 
There are some brilliant skincare products that have the word “menopause” on the front that can really help. But here’s the thing: they’ve been around for years, they just didn’t have the word “menopause” emblazoned on the front, but rather words like “mature”, “pro-collagen” or “anti-wrinkle”. So, by all means buy skin creams that work for your skin and, crucially, wear SPF to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, which will also prevent premature skin ageing.
There are a lot of female celebrities speaking out on the menopause, doing a great job of raising awareness and continuing the conversation. However, they’re not clinicians, and they often quote somebody else, who has quoted somebody else, who has quoted somebody else.
What I’ve also noticed is that, while back in the early 2000s there was a lot of fear about a possible link between HRT and breast cancer, now the pendulum has swung towards people claiming HRT is entirely risk-free and that if you don’t take it, you’re putting yourself at risk. A complex thing, dependent on several factors such as family history and personal risk, has been squeezed into a catchy, one-line caption on Instagram. The reality is that while it’s true the older studies that claimed a link between HRT and breast cancer have been re-evaluated, with HRT being deemed very low risk for most women, it’s still a medication and therefore still carries an element of risk to some.
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A lot of this of course is due to the fact it can be incredibly difficult to access a GP to talk to you for long enough and in enough depth to get the information you need to decide if HRT is right for you. This has driven lots of women to Instagram to get their information, but while there are a number of good clinicians on the platform, there are also many people offering unqualified advice. So be careful who you follow, and always check their credentials in their bios.
This is important at all ages, but particularly so during the menopause when it becomes harder to maintain a healthy weight. Research also shows that exercise can help improve sleep quality, mood, energy levels and stress, while the NHS states that physical activity can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and reduce your risk of early death by up to 30 per cent.
In terms of menopause, weight-bearing exercises are good for bone density and preventing osteoporosis. The best way to keep bones strong and healthy is to lift weights, or with body weight exercises such as lunges, squats and press-ups. High-intensity exercise is also said to be good for helping to reduce hot flushes, and it’s good for your heart, bones and wellbeing too. That said, any kind of exercise is good for these things, including gardening, a dog walk or yoga. The key is to just keep moving – which will do you far more good than chocolate-covered almonds ever could.
As told to Maria Lally
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