Phytocombinations as a way to comfort: non-hormonal support for women in perimenopause

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2025.80.37-47

Keywords:

perimenopause, phytoestrogens, Lifemin® Intense, vasomotor symptoms, quality of life, MRS, PSM-25, PSQI, HADS, SF-36 scales

Abstract

Objective of the study: To compare a multicomponent herbal supplement Lifemin® Intense (multicomponent phytocomplex concluded Cimicifuga racemosa, Humulus lupulus, Pueraria lobata, Dioscorea villosa, Angelica sinensis, and Crocus sativus) with a cimicifuga-based product on clinical outcomes in perimenopausal women over 90 days.
Materials and methods. An open comparative study was conducted. It is included 60 women aged 45–58 years (mean age 52.3 ± 3.8 years) with moderate menopausal disorders and follicle-stimulating hormone levels > 20 mIU/ml. The participants were divided into two groups of 30 women each: the main group took Lifemin® Intense, the comparison group took the Cimicifuga preparation. The course of treatment was 90 days. Assessment was carried out on the 1st, 30th and 90th day using validated scales: MRS, HADS (A/D), PSM–25, PSQI, SF–36 (PCS/MCS), and body mass index (BMI). Minimal clinically important differences (MCID) was: MRS ≥ 4 points; HADS ≥ 1.5 points; PSQI ≥ 3 points; SF–36 (PCS/MCS) ≥ 5 points; BMI ≥ 5%.
Results. Baseline MRS score was 14.0 ± 1.7; the complaint profile was typical (hot flashes, insomnia, irritability, fatigue). After 90 days of treatment , the main group showed the following results: MRS -43%, HADS -26% (A and D), PSQI -45% reaching the clinical “normal” threshold (≤ 5), PSM–25 -12%, SF-36: PCS +21% and MCS +20%, BMI -6% (most changes exceeding MCID; p < 0.05). In the comparison group, the following data were obtained: MRS -29%, HADS -12%, PSQI -22%, PSM–25 -6%, SF-36: PCS +11% and MCS +7%, BMI stable.
The proportion of patients with clinically significant improvement in MRS scores in the main group was 80% versus 53% in the comparison group; the relative risk of symptom remission was 1.52 (95% confidence interval: 1.14–2.03).
Key correlations supported multidomain recovery: HADS-A↔PSQI r = 0.66; HADS-D↔PSM–25 r = 0.72; HADS-Total↔SF-36 MCS r = -0.68 (p < 0.001). The largest gains were observed in sleep latency and efficiency (PSQI) and in the SF-36 Vitality and Mental Health domains.
Conclusions. Lifemin® Intense provides a more pronounced and complex effect compared to Cimicifuga monoextract: faster dynamics (as early as day 30), deeper reduction of vasomotor and psychoemotional symptoms, improved sleep, quality of life, and mild metabolic stabilization (reduced BMI). Findings align with contemporary evidence on phytoestrogens and support combined phytotherapeutic strategies for perimenopausal symptom control.

Author Biographies

S.O. Shurpyak, Lviv National Medical University named after Danylo Galitsky, Lviv

MD, professor, Department of Family Medicine, Cardiology and Emergency Medicine, FPDE

V.I. Pyrohova, Lviv National Medical University named after Danylo Galitsky, Lviv

MD, professor, head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology FPDE

References

  1. Taku K, Melby MK, Kronenberg F, et al. Extracted or synthesized soybean isoflavones reduce menopausal hot flash frequency and severity: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Menopause. 2012;19(7):776–90. DOI: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3182410159.
  2. Chen MN, Lin CC, Liu CF. Efficacy of phytoestrogens for menopausal symptoms: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Climacteric. 2015;18(2):260–9. DOI: 10.3109/13697137.2014.966241.
  3. Ramyashree S, Veigas J, Kanagal D. Severity of menopausal symptoms on quality of life among working women. J Educ Health Promot. 2024 Feb 7:13:35. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_802_23.
  4. Santoro N, Roeca C, Peters BA, Neal-Perry G. The menopause transition: signs, symptoms, and management . J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021;106(6). DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa764.
  5. Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL, et al. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women’s Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288(3):321–3. DOI:10.1001/jama.288.3.321.
  6. Stuenkel CA. Menopausal hormone therapy: current сonsiderations. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2015 Sep;44(3):565–85. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecl.2015.05.006
  7. Davis SR, Pinkerton J, Santoro N, Simoncini T. Menopause-Biology, consequences, supportive care, and therapeutic options. Cell. 2023 Sep 14;186(19):4038–58/DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.016.
  8. Lambrinoudaki I, Armeni E, D Goulis D, et al. Menopause, wellbeing and health: a care pathway from the European Menopause and Andropause Society. Maturitas. 2022;161:1-14. DOI:10.1016/j.maturitas.2022.03.004.
  9. Viereck V, Emons G, Wuttke W. Black cohosh: just another phytoestrogen? Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2005;16(5):214-221. DOI:10.1016/j.tem.2005.05.002.
  10. Pohjanvirta R, Nasri A. The potent phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin: a friend or a foe? Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(6):3168. DOI:10.3390/ijms23063168.
  11. Štulíková K, Karabín M, Nešpor J, Dostálek P. Therapeutic perspectives of 8-prenylnaringenin, a potent phytoestrogen from hops. Molecules. 2018;23(3):660. DOI:10.3390/molecules23030660.
  12. Castelo-Branco C, Gambacciani M, Cano A, et al. Isopropanolic black cohosh extract (iCR) for menopausal symptoms—an update on the evidence. Climacteric. 2021;24(2):109-119. DOI:10.1080/13697137.2020.1820477.
  13. Overk CR, Guo J, Chadwick LR, et al. Comparison of the in vitro estrogenic activities of compounds from hops (Humulus lupulus) and red clover (Trifolium pratense). J Agric Food Chem. 2005;53(16):6246-53. DOI:10.1021/jf050448p.
  14. Beer A-M, Neff A. Differentiated Evaluation of Extract-Specific Evidence on Cimicifuga racemosa’s Efficacy and Safety for Climacteric Complaints. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013(3):860602. DOI: 10.1155/2013/860602
  15. Huntley A, Ernst E. A systematic review of the safety of black cohosh. Menopause. 2003;10(1):58-64. DOI: 10.1097/00042192-200310010-00010.
  16. Hedaoo K, Badge AK, Tiwade YR, et al. Exploring the efficacy and safety of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) in menopausal symptom management. J Midlife Health 2024;15:5–11. DOI: 10.4103/jmh.jmh_242_23
  17. Le Y, Li X, Guo X, et al. Review of black cohosh-induced toxicity and adverse clinical effects. J Environ Sci Health C Toxicol Carcinog. 2025;43(3):243–68. DOI: 10.1080/26896583.2025.2513795
  18. Bowe J, Li XF, Kinsey-Jones J, et al. The hop phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin reverses the ovariectomy-induced rise in skin temperature in an animal model of menopausal hot flushes. J Endocrinol. 2006;191(2):399–405. DOI:10.1677/joe.1.06919.
  19. Calvo-Castro LA, Burkard M, Sus N, et al. Oral bioavailability of 8-prenylnaringenin from hops (Humulus lupulus) in humans. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018;62(7):1700838. DOI:10.1002/mnfr.201700838.
  20. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ. The effects of a saffron extract (affron®) on menopausal symptoms in women during perimenopause: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Menopausal Med. 2021;27(2):66–78. DOI:10.6118/jmm.21002.
  21. Rowe IJ, Baber RJ. The effects of phytoestrogens on postmenopausal health. Climacteric. 2021 Feb;24(1):57–63. DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2020.1863356.
  22. Kupfersztain C, Rotem C, Fagot R, Kaplan B. The immediate effect of natural plant extract Angelica sinensis and Matricaria chamomilla for the treatment of hot flushes during menopause: a preliminary report. Climacteric. 2003;6(4):203–6.
  23. Nohri AR, Lafont L, Llanos A, Qasim H. Evaluating the efficacy of wild yam hormonal salve in managing menopausal symptoms: a cohort study. Journal of Population and Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology. 2024;01(31). DOI: 10.53555/jptcp.v31i1.3956
  24. Grygorieva, N, Kovalenko V, Коrzh М, Tatarchuk T, et al. Guideline for diagnostic, prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Pain, joints, spine. 2023 13(3), 128–54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22141/pjs.13.3.2023.378
  25. Delam H, Keshtkaran Z, Shokrpour N, et al. The effect of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) herbal tea on happiness in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023 Jun 1;23:176. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04014-8
  26. Rosinta FAD, Deanita TW, Ariyono MIDW, Silitonga TK. Comprehensive Analysis of Phytoestrogens Intervention to Improve Cognitive Function in Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Asian J Heal Res. 2025;4(2):67−77. DOI: 10.55561/ajhr.v4i2.239
  27. Sultana A, Heyat MBB, Rahman K, et al. Therapeutic efficacy of botanicals in psychological disorders in menopausal women: a systematic and scoping review. Front Pharmacol. 2025 Oct 13;16:1661035. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1661035

Downloads

Published

2025-11-28

How to Cite

Shurpyak, S., & Pyrohova, V. (2025). Phytocombinations as a way to comfort: non-hormonal support for women in perimenopause. REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY, (80), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2025.80.37-47

Issue

No. 80 (2025)

Section

Management of menopause

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.