Last checked September 2026 against 17 sources · Editorial policy
Estroven vs Amberen: which menopause supplement is better?
Estroven vs Amberen comes down to the active ingredient: Estroven Complete uses rhapontic rhubarb extract ERr 731, one caplet a day, while Amberen uses succinate salts, with a vitamin B complex added to its perimenopause formula. Both are hormone-free. Each has small placebo-controlled trials run by researchers linked to the company, and The North American Menopause Society recommends neither for hot flashes.
Estroven uses rhubarb extract ERr 731; Amberen uses succinate salts. Both are hormone-free, with small company-linked trials. Which fits perimenopause, hot flashes and budget.
Estroven vs Amberen: expectation vs reality
What people often expect
“Estroven and Amberen are hormone treatments, so one of them works like HRT”
What the evidence shows
Neither contains hormones. Estroven's rhubarb extract is said to act on estrogen receptor beta, and Amberen is a succinate-based supplement. Both companies cite their own trials, and the strongest evidence for hot flashes is still for HRT and prescription non-hormonal treatments.
Estroven vs Amberen compared: ingredients, trials and safety
Estroven vs Amberen ingredients
Estroven Complete has one active ingredient, rhapontic rhubarb root extract sold as ERr 731, and the company says it contains no soy, caffeine or stimulants and suits vegan diets. Amberen's perimenopause formula combines what the company calls a proprietary mineral complex of adaptogenic succinates with its Smart B vitamin B complex, and published trials describe the menopause product as an ammonium succinate-based supplement. Both say they contain no hormones.
Estroven vs Amberen for hot flashes: the trials
Estroven's main trial gave ERr 731 or placebo to 109 perimenopausal women for 12 weeks. Hot flashes were fewer and less severe from week 4, and Menopause Rating Scale scores fell more than with placebo. Amberen Menopause was tested for 3 months in 125 women aged 42 to 60 and improved 13 of 21 Greene Climacteric Scale symptoms, a scale that includes hot flashes.
Learn more →Estroven or Amberen for perimenopause
Both have a trial in perimenopause. Estroven's ERr 731 trial enrolled perimenopausal women with menopause symptoms. Amberen Perimenopause, which adds the vitamin B complex, was tested in a 2024 trial of 106 women up to 50 years old with hot flashes and psychological symptoms; 105 completed it, and most Greene scale scores improved versus placebo. If you still have periods, the perimenopause formula matches the group Amberen tested.
Learn more →Estroven vs Amberen: who ran the studies
Neither brand has independent trials in the sources we reviewed. Authors of the ERr 731 trials and of a 2025 breast cancer database study are linked to one research company, Health Research Services. All Amberen trials share authors, and the lead author of the 2024 perimenopause trial works for Alliance Pharma, the brand's owner. Treat both sets of results as promising but unconfirmed.
Estroven vs Amberen side effects and safety
In the ERr 731 trials, no adverse events were attributed to the extract, and endometrial biopsies didn't differ from placebo. A German database study of 5,686 women prescribed ERr 731 found no increase in breast cancer diagnoses. In Amberen's perimenopause trial, side effects were few, mild and transient. Amberen contains no hormones, yet estradiol rose from baseline in its pooled trials, a finding that hasn't been independently confirmed.
Estroven vs Amberen for weight
Estroven says Complete Menopause Relief has no demonstrated weight benefit, and its main trial found no weight difference from placebo; the company sells a separate weight product. In Amberen's pooled company-linked trials, weight, BMI and waist size fell in the Amberen group. No supplement is proven for menopause weight gain, and changes in diet and activity remain the evidence-based approach.
Learn more →Estroven vs Amberen cost and how long to try them
Estroven Complete is one caplet a day, and the Estroven site lists $19.99 for 28 caplets and $29.99 for 60 (checked September 2026). Amberen's site doesn't sell directly and sends buyers to Amazon and other retailers, and its 90-day pack costs less per day than three 30-day packs. Give either product its trial length before judging it: 4 weeks for Estroven, 90 days for Amberen.
Estroven vs Amberen by the numbers
109
125
105
$19.99
Both brands' trials were run by researchers linked to the company.
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Estroven, Amberen and other options compared
Estroven Complete (ERr 731)
Learn more →Good for
One caplet a day; soy-free and vegan; a 12-week randomized trial showed fewer hot flashes from week 4.Watch
Check price on Amazon →
Evidence mainly from one research group.Amberen Menopause
Learn more →Good for
Improved 13 of 21 symptom scores in a 3-month trial of 125 women.Watch
Check price on Amazon →
Company-linked trials only.Amberen Perimenopause
Good for
Adds a vitamin B complex; tested in women up to 50 with perimenopause symptoms.Watch
Check price on Amazon →
The trial's lead author works for the brand's owner.Prescription non-hormonal treatment
Learn more →Good for
SSRIs, SNRIs, gabapentin and fezolinetant are recommended by NAMS.Watch
Need a prescription.
Choosing between Estroven and Amberen
- Still having periods? Both Estroven Complete and Amberen Perimenopause were tested in perimenopausal women.
- Try one product at a time, for its trial length: 4 weeks for Estroven, 90 days for Amberen.
- Don't take more than one Estroven caplet a day.
- Tell your doctor about any supplement, especially if you take other medicines or have had a hormone-sensitive cancer.
- If symptoms are severe, ask about prescription treatment first: it has stronger evidence than either supplement.
When Estroven or Amberen isn't enough
Estroven vs Amberen: questions women ask
Which is better, Estroven or Amberen?
They haven't been compared head to head. Estroven Complete has one 12-week randomized trial of its rhubarb extract; Amberen has several 90-day trials of its succinate blend. Both sets of trials are company-linked. If hot flashes are your main symptom, Estroven's trial counted them directly, while Amberen's trials used a broader symptom scale.
Can you take Estroven and Amberen together?
No trial has tested them together, and neither company's product information we reviewed covers combining them. Taking two supplements at once also makes it impossible to tell which one helps. Try one for its full trial length first, and ask a pharmacist or doctor before combining supplements.
Is Estroven or Amberen better for perimenopause?
Both were tested in perimenopausal women. Estroven's ERr 731 trial enrolled 109 perimenopausal women, and Amberen Perimenopause was tested in 106 women up to 50 years old. Both trials favored the product over placebo, and both had company-linked authors.
Do Estroven or Amberen have hormones in them?
Neither does. Estroven Complete contains no synthetic, animal or human-derived hormones, and Amberen's site says its formula is free from drugs, hormones and soy. Amberen's pooled trials did report a rise in estradiol from baseline, which hasn't been independently confirmed.
Which works faster, Estroven or Amberen?
In Estroven's trial, hot flashes dropped significantly from week 4, and the company says results can appear in as little as 28 days. Amberen bases its claims on 90-day trials. Judge each product over its own trial period rather than after a few days.
Estroven or Amberen for weight gain?
Estroven says its Complete formula has no proven weight benefit, and its trial showed no weight change versus placebo. Amberen's company-linked trials reported lower weight and waist size. Neither is approved for weight loss, and no supplement is proven for menopause weight gain.
How does Estroven compare with Remifemin?
Remifemin is a standardized black cohosh extract, a different herb from the rhubarb extract in Estroven. A 2026 review rated the evidence for black cohosh and hot flashes as moderate certainty, but rare cases of liver damage have been reported. No trial has compared Remifemin with Estroven or Amberen directly.
Related →Which is cheaper, Estroven or Amberen?
Estroven Complete costs $19.99 for 28 caplets or $29.99 for 60 on the Estroven site (checked September 2026). Amberen is sold through Amazon and other retailers rather than its own site, so check the current listing; for both brands, larger packs cost less per day.
Do doctors recommend Estroven or Amberen?
The North American Menopause Society doesn't recommend supplements or herbal remedies for hot flashes. It recommends HRT as the most effective treatment, and CBT, clinical hypnosis, SSRIs or SNRIs, gabapentin and fezolinetant as non-hormonal options.
Sources
- Estroven. Estroven Complete Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief product page (checked September 2026).
- Heger M, Ventskovskiy BM, Borzenko I, et al. Efficacy and safety of a special extract of Rheum rhaponticum (ERr 731) in perimenopausal women with climacteric complaints: a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Menopause. 2006;13(5):744-59.
- Amberen. Perimenopause capsules product page (checked September 2026).
- Kachko VA, Shulman LP, Kuznetsova IV, et al. Clinical Evaluation of Effectiveness and Safety of Combined Use of Dietary Supplements Amberen(®) and Smart B(®) in Women with Climacteric Syndrome in Perimenopause. Adv Ther. 2024;41(8):3183-3195.
- The North American Menopause Society. The 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2023;30(6):573-590.
- Radzinskii VE, Kuznetsova IV, Uspenskaya YB, et al. Treatment of climacteric symptoms with an ammonium succinate-based dietary supplement: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2016;32(sup2):64-68.
- Radzinsky VE, Uspenskaya Y, Shulman LP, et al. Succinate-Based Dietary Supplement for Menopausal Symptoms: A Pooled Analysis of Two Identical Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials. Obstet Gynecol Int. 2019;2019:1572196.
- Heger PW, Hotz D, Kalder M, et al. Association between Extract Rheum rhaponticum 731 (ERr 731) prescription and subsequent breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025;212(1):139-148.
- Hasper I, Ventskovskiy BM, Rettenberger R, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of the special extract ERr 731 of Rheum rhaponticum in perimenopausal women with menopausal symptoms. Menopause. 2009;16(1):117-31.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Tainted weight loss products (weight loss product notifications).
- Amazon.com. Menopause supplement listings, Health & Household (prices checked September 2026).
- NHS. Postmenopausal bleeding.
- NHS. Heavy periods.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplements.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Menopausal symptoms: in depth.
- Maunder A, Mardon AK, Rao V, et al. Complementary therapies for management of menopausal symptoms: a systematic review to inform the update of the International Menopause Society recommendations on women's midlife health. Climacteric. 2026;29(2):165-209.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Black cohosh: usefulness and safety.
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