Last checked September 2026 against 26 sources · Editorial policy
Estroven Weight Management: does it work for menopause weight?
Estroven Weight Management is a once-daily capsule with 300 mg of CQR-300, a Cissus quadrangularis extract, plus 40 mg of black cohosh and 56 mg of soy isoflavones. Estroven says it isn't a weight-loss product. The main CQR-300 trial reported weight loss in overweight adults, but it wasn't done in menopausal women, and we found no trial of this formula itself.
Estroven Weight Management combines 300 mg of CQR-300 (Cissus quadrangularis) with black cohosh and soy. What the trials show, side effects and what helps menopause weight more.
Estroven Weight Management: expectation vs reality
What people often expect
“Estroven Weight Management will help me lose menopause weight”
What the evidence shows
Estroven itself says the product isn't a weight-loss or diet product. Its weight ingredient has small trials in overweight adults from one research group, and a 2017 meta-analysis found weight benefit only for Cissus combination products. Healthy eating combined with exercise has much stronger evidence.
Estroven Weight Management: ingredients, evidence and safety
What's in Estroven Weight Management
Each capsule contains 40 mg of black cohosh root extract, 56 mg of soy isoflavones and 300 mg of CQR-300, an extract of Cissus quadrangularis stem and leaf. The other ingredients are gelatin, cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, croscarmellose sodium, stearic acid, vanilla powder, magnesium stearate and titanium dioxide. It contains soy, but no hormones, caffeine or stimulants, according to Estroven. CQR-300 is a registered trademark of Gateway Health Alliances.
How Estroven Weight Management is supposed to work
Estroven says CQR-300 supports serotonin balance and metabolic health, and that serotonin, which helps regulate appetite, declines after menopause. In the main CQR-300 trial, blood serotonin rose, and the authors suggested appetite control as a possible mechanism. That's a hypothesis, not a proven effect. Black cohosh and soy are included for hot flashes and night sweats, not for weight. As the label notes, the FDA hasn't evaluated these claims.
Does Estroven Weight Management work? The CQR-300 trials
In a double-blind trial, 168 overweight or obese adults aged 19 to 54 took CQR-300, a Cissus formula or placebo; 153 finished. CQR-300 at 300 mg a day, the Estroven dose, reduced weight, body fat, cholesterol and blood sugar. Other Cissus trials from the same research group used combination formulas, and a 2021 Thai trial found smaller waist and hip measurements after 8 weeks.
Estroven Weight Management and the wider Cissus evidence
A 2017 meta-analysis of 9 Cissus trials with 1,108 people found that Cissus combination products lowered weight by about 5.19 kg more than placebo, but only combination products could be pooled for weight. The authors rated that weight evidence as high quality yet still called for better studies. None of these trials selected menopausal women, so we don't know whether the results apply after menopause.
Estroven Weight Management for hot flashes
The black cohosh and soy are there for hot flashes. A 2026 review for the International Menopause Society found moderate-certainty evidence that black cohosh may ease hot flashes, while NAMS doesn't recommend soy extracts or herbal supplements for hot flashes. Estroven Complete uses a different ingredient, rhubarb extract ERr 731, which has its own trials but no weight claim. Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for hot flashes.
Learn more →Estroven Weight Management side effects
Most side effects come from the black cohosh and soy. Soy can cause bloating, constipation, diarrhea or nausea, and rare cases of liver damage have been reported with black cohosh products. Reviews of Cissus quadrangularis found no serious adverse effects at the doses used. The label says not to take it if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant.
Learn more →How to take Estroven Weight Management
Take one capsule a day, with or without food, at any time of day. Estroven recommends daily use for at least 60 days for best results and says not to take more than one serving. It comes in 30- and 60-capsule packs, $18.99 and $34.99 on Estroven's site (checked October 2026). Ask your healthcare professional first if you take other supplements or medicines.
Estroven Weight Management vs Estroven Complete
Estroven Complete contains only 4 mg of rhubarb extract ERr 731, is soy-free and costs $19.99 for 28 caplets. Estroven says Complete has no demonstrated weight benefit and recommends Weight Management if weight is your most bothersome concern. Estroven Pre-Menopause also contains CQR-300 with black cohosh. Choose by your main symptom: hot flashes and mood, or weight. Both are hormone-free, according to Estroven.
Learn more →What helps menopause weight more than Estroven
Much of midlife weight gain comes from ageing rather than menopause itself. Combining healthy eating with exercise is far more effective than dieting alone, and resistance exercise two to three times a week helps protect muscle. Exercise training reduces body fat in postmenopausal women. For obesity, prescription GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are approved for long-term weight management, alongside diet and exercise.
Learn more →Estroven Weight Management by the numbers
300 mg
168
60 days
$18.99
Doses come from the Estroven label in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database; trial results are for CQR-300, not for the Estroven formula.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It doesn't change what we recommend. How this works →
Estroven Weight Management vs other options for menopause weight
Estroven Weight Management
Good for
CQR-300 plus black cohosh and soy; no caffeine or stimulants.Watch
Check price on Amazon →
Not tested in menopausal women; contains soy.Estroven Complete
Learn more →Good for
Rhubarb extract ERr 731 with its own hot flash trials; soy-free.Watch
Check price on Amazon →
No demonstrated weight benefit, according to Estroven.Healthy eating plus exercise
Learn more →Good for
Far more effective than dieting alone; resistance exercise protects muscle.Watch
Takes sustained changes rather than a pill.Prescription GLP-1 drugs
Learn more →Good for
Approved for long-term weight management in obesity.Watch
Need a prescription and ongoing use.Other weight loss supplements
Learn more →Good for
Fiber such as psyllium has some trial evidence.Watch
Effects are small, and some pills contain hidden drugs.
Before you buy Estroven Weight Management
- Treat it as a hot flash supplement with a weight claim, not a weight-loss pill: Estroven says it isn't a diet product.
- Avoid it if you're allergic to soy: each capsule contains soy isoflavones.
- Don't take it if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant.
- After breast or uterine cancer, check with your doctor first: it contains black cohosh.
- Give it the 60 days Estroven recommends, and weigh yourself at the start so you can judge it.
When menopause weight gain needs a doctor, not Estroven
Rapid weight gain with tiredness or feeling cold
Ask for a thyroid test before trying supplements.
More →Weight gain after starting a new medicine
Ask your doctor whether the medicine could be the cause.
Dark urine or unusual tiredness while taking it
Stop taking it and see your doctor: these can be signs of liver damage linked to black cohosh products.
Estroven Weight Management: questions women ask
Does Estroven Weight Management work?
There's limited evidence. Its ingredient CQR-300 reduced weight in a trial of 168 overweight adults, but that trial wasn't in menopausal women, and we found no trial of the Estroven formula itself. Estroven says it's not a weight-loss product, and results depend on diet and activity.
Does Estroven help with weight loss?
Estroven Complete doesn't: the company says it has no demonstrated weight benefit. Estroven Weight Management adds CQR-300, which reduced weight in trials of overweight adults, but Estroven describes it as a weight management supplement, not a weight-loss product.
What are the ingredients in Estroven Weight Management?
Each capsule has 40 mg of black cohosh root extract, 56 mg of soy isoflavones and 300 mg of CQR-300, a Cissus quadrangularis extract, plus gelatin, cellulose and other capsule ingredients. It contains soy but no caffeine or hormones.
What are the side effects of Estroven Weight Management?
Soy can cause bloating, constipation, diarrhea or nausea, and rare liver problems have been reported with black cohosh products. Cissus trials found no serious side effects. Stop and see a doctor if you notice dark urine or unusual tiredness.
Related →Will Estroven cause weight gain?
There's no sign that it does. Estroven says trials of the ingredient in Estroven Complete showed no weight gain, and the main trial found no weight difference from placebo. Weight gain around menopause is common and mostly due to ageing.
Related →Estroven Complete or Estroven Weight Management?
Choose Complete if hot flashes and night sweats are your main problem and you want a soy-free product with one ingredient. Estroven recommends Weight Management if weight is your most bothersome concern; it adds CQR-300 to black cohosh and soy.
Related →How long does Estroven Weight Management take to work?
Estroven recommends taking one capsule daily for at least 60 days for best results. In the Thai Cissus trial, waist measurements fell by week 4. Results vary with diet and activity. Weigh yourself and measure your waist before you start, so you can tell after two months whether it's helping.
Does Estroven Weight Management have caffeine?
No. Estroven says Weight Management contains no caffeine or stimulants. The Estroven Stress Relief & Energy Boost formula is different: its label lists about 52 mg of caffeine per caplet. If you're sensitive to caffeine, check the label of any Estroven formula before you buy.
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database: Estroven Weight Management label.
- Estroven. Menopause Relief Weight Management product page (checked October 2026).
- Oben JE, Enyegue DM, Fomekong GI, et al. The effect of Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) and a Cissus formulation (CORE) on obesity and obesity-induced oxidative stress. Lipids Health Dis. 2007;6:4.
- Oben J, Kuate D, Agbor G, et al. The use of a Cissus quadrangularis formulation in the management of weight loss and metabolic syndrome. Lipids Health Dis. 2006;5:24.
- Sawangjit R, Puttarak P, Saokaew S, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Cissus quadrangularis L. in Clinical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Phytother Res. 2017;31(4):555-567.
- British Dietetic Association. Eating well for the perimenopause and menopause (food fact sheet).
- Oben JE, Ngondi JL, Momo CN, et al. The use of a Cissus quadrangularis/Irvingia gabonensis combination in the management of weight loss: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Lipids Health Dis. 2008;7:12.
- Chatree S, Sitticharoon C, Maikaew P, et al. Cissus Quadrangularis enhances UCP1 mRNA, indicative of white adipocyte browning and decreases central obesity in humans in a randomized trial. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):2008.
- 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.
- The North American Menopause Society. The 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2023;30(6):573-590.
- Estroven. Estroven Complete Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief product page (checked September 2026).
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Soy: usefulness and safety.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Black cohosh: usefulness and safety.
- Stohs SJ, Ray SD. A review and evaluation of the efficacy and safety of Cissus quadrangularis extracts. Phytother Res. 2013;27(8):1107-14.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database: Estroven Complete Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief label.
- Estroven. Product range and pack sizes (checked October 2026).
- Khalafi M, Habibi Maleki A, Sakhaei MH, et al. The effects of exercise training on body composition in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;14:1183765.
- Wegovy (semaglutide). US prescribing information, DailyMed.
- Zepbound (tirzepatide). US prescribing information, DailyMed.
- NHS. Tiredness and fatigue.
- CDC. Steps for Losing Weight. Healthy Weight and Growth (January 17, 2025).
- NHS. Gabapentin: side effects.
- 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.
- Shahinfar H, Jayedi A, Torabynasab K, et al. Comparative effects of nutraceuticals on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 111 randomized clinical trials. Pharmacol Res. 2023;196:106944.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Tainted weight loss products (weight loss product notifications).
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database: Maximum Strength Estroven Menopause Relief + Stress label.
See our editorial policy.
Related guides
Estroven review
Estroven Complete uses rhubarb extract ERr 731, not hormones. What its trial showed for hot flashes, safety an…
Estroven side effects
Estroven Complete has few reported side effects. Other Estroven formulas add black cohosh, soy, melatonin, gin…
Best weight loss supplements for menopause
Weight loss supplements give small losses at best: psyllium 3.70 kg, green tea 1.25 kg, berberine 0.88 kg. Hid…
Menopause weight gain
Menopause speeds up fat gain and muscle loss, while weight rises mostly with age. Why it happens, and the diet…