Estroven vs Menopace vs Relizen is the comparison most women land on, and they are genuinely different products. Here is an honest look at what is inside each one, what real users say, and how to tell which is the better fit for your symptoms and your budget.
If you are standing in the supplement aisle or scrolling through Amazon trying to pick something for hot flashes and night sweats, the choice can feel impossible. Every box promises relief. Every label uses words like clinically proven and naturally sourced. None of them explain what is actually inside or why one costs four times more than the next.
Estroven, Menopace and Relizen are three of the most widely bought menopause supplements on the market right now, and they are genuinely different products. One uses a single plant extract studied for hot flashes. One is a complete multivitamin built around menopause nutrition. One uses a purified pollen extract that contains no plant estrogens at all. Which one suits you depends less on which brand shouts loudest and more on what your symptoms are, what you can safely take, and what you want to spend each month.
In this article, we break down all three side by side. You will see exactly what is in each formula, how much it costs per day, what women who have taken it report, and the honest pros and cons of each. We also include a quick comparison table, a short note on what supplements can and cannot realistically do for menopause symptoms, and some practical steps that work alongside any supplement you choose. By the end, you should know which one to put in your cart.
Estroven Complete Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief
Estroven is the name most American women recognize, and for good reason. It is sold in almost every major drugstore and supermarket in the country, and the brand describes itself as the number one pharmacist recommended menopause brand based on a 2022 Pharmacy Times survey.
What is in it
The Complete Multi-Symptom version is built around one active ingredient. Each caplet contains 4 mg of rhapontic rhubarb root extract, standardized as ERr 731, which provides 2.2 mg of rhaponticin and 1 mg of desoxyrhaponticin. That is the entire active formula and there are no added vitamins or minerals.
What makes this extract interesting is how it works. Rather than raising estrogen levels, ERr 731 selectively acts on one type of estrogen receptor known as ER beta. Many competing formulas rely on soy isoflavones and other phytoestrogens, but this extract is soy free, hormone free and vegan. It has been used in Germany since 1993, so it has a long track record behind it. The brand states that women may notice results in as little as 28 days, with benefits improving over continued use.
You take one caplet a day, with or without food.
What women say about it
Estroven Complete holds a 4.5 star average from over 3,000 reviews at Walmart alone. The most common positive theme in reviews is a noticeable drop in night sweats within the first month or two. The most common complaint is that it simply did nothing for some women, which is worth knowing before you buy a three month supply. A number of reviewers also mention that it helped hot flashes but did nothing for mood or fatigue, which makes sense given there is nothing else in the formula.
Pros
- Soy free, hormone free and free from all nine major allergens, which suits women who need to avoid phytoestrogens
- The single active ingredient has been studied in human trials specifically for menopause symptoms
- Easy to find and easy to buy in almost any US drugstore, no subscription required
Cons
- It is a single ingredient product with no vitamins or minerals, so you will still need a separate multivitamin
- At around 71 cents per day it costs nearly three times more than a complete menopause multivitamin
Vitabiotics Menopace
Menopace is made by Vitabiotics, a British company that has been formulating supplements for over 50 years. It is the number one menopause supplement brand in the UK, though it is still relatively unknown to most American women. That gap in name recognition is the main reason it rarely shows up on US best of lists, not anything to do with the formula.
What is in it
This is where Menopace is genuinely different. Menopace Original is a one a day tablet containing 22 nutrients, not a single herb. It includes vitamin B6 at 10 mg, which contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity, along with magnesium at 100 mg and vitamin D for bone maintenance. It also contains B1, B2, B3, B12, biotin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, chromium, copper and a dietary level of soy isoflavone extract at 20 mg.
Menopace Plus is the step up version. It adds a second botanical tablet containing 100 mg of soy isoflavones, 250 mg of standardized sage extract, 50 mg of green tea extract and 50 mg of flaxseed lignans, bringing the total to 26 nutrients. If hot flashes are your main complaint, Plus is the version to look at, since sage and higher dose isoflavones are the ingredients traditionally used for that.
One important practical note. Menopace is designed to replace your regular multivitamin, not sit alongside it. Vitabiotics states clearly that you do not need an additional multivitamin while taking it. It contains iron, so take it with your main meal and never on an empty stomach.
What women say about it
On Amazon US, Menopace Original holds a 4.3 star average across more than 2,700 ratings, which is substantial for a brand most Americans have never heard of. Reviewers consistently describe it as a good all round daily supplement rather than a dramatic fix. Several mention improvements in energy and general wellbeing before they noticed anything about hot flashes. A recurring practical comment is that the tablet is fairly large, which matters if you struggle to swallow tablets.
Pros
- By far the best value of the three at roughly 26 cents a day for the 90 tablet pack, which works out to around 23 dollars for a three month supply
- Replaces your daily multivitamin entirely, so you are covering bone health, energy and general nutrition at the same time
- Formulated by a company with a 50 year research history, and free from gluten, lactose, yeast and artificial colors
- Multiple versions available, including a night formula with chamomile and hops, and a calcium version for bone health
Cons
- It contains soy isoflavones, so it is not suitable if you have been advised to avoid phytoestrogens
- US availability depends on third party Amazon sellers, and prices vary quite a lot between listings
Bonafide Relizen
Relizen is the premium option in this group, and it takes a completely different approach from the other two. It is distributed in the US by Bonafide Health and has been sold in Europe since 1999 under names including Femal and Sérélys.
What is in it
Two tablets provide 320 mg of a purified Swedish flower pollen extract, sold as Sérélys, made from a blend of pollen and pistil extracts from four Swedish botanicals in the grass family.
The key thing to understand is that this is not a phytoestrogen. Preclinical studies have not found estrogenic activity, which means it does not appear to work by affecting hormones at all. The current thinking is that it acts on a serotonin pathway involved in regulating body temperature. That matters enormously for one group of women in particular: those with hormone sensitive cancers or a personal history that makes any estrogen like compound a concern. Memorial Sloan Kettering notes this is of particular interest for that group, while also being clear that safety and effectiveness in cancer patients has not been confirmed.
The pollen is processed to strip away the outer shell and its allergenic proteins, so the manufacturer states that even women with hay fever can usually take it. It is also free from soy, gluten, hormones and GMOs.
Relizen is slow. Bonafide’s own clinical data shows a significant reduction in hot flash frequency by month two, with most women feeling meaningful improvement by month three. This is not a product you judge after two weeks.
What women say about it
Reviews for Relizen tend to be strongly split. Women who stick with it past the two month mark often describe it in glowing terms, particularly for night sweats that nothing else touched. The most common negative theme is cost, followed closely by people who gave up before the three month window and concluded it did not work. Bonafide reports that in one survey, 75 percent of women taking Relizen had fewer and less intense hot flashes after three months of consistent use. That figure comes from the company, so treat it as a brand claim rather than independent evidence.
Pros
- Contains no phytoestrogens at all, making it the most appropriate option for women who must avoid estrogen like compounds
- Backed by three separate placebo controlled clinical trials on the pollen blend
- Over 20 years of use in Europe and a strong safety record, with the allergenic pollen shell removed
- Widely recommended by clinicians, which is unusual in the supplement space
Cons
- Easily the most expensive at 58 dollars for a one month supply, or 38 dollars a month on a three month plan
- You need at least two to three months of daily use before you can judge whether it is working, which is a significant investment of both money and patience
Estroven vs Menopace vs Relizen at a glance
| Estroven Complete | Menopace Original | Bonafide Relizen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Rhapontic rhubarb extract ERr 731, 4 mg | 22 nutrients plus 20 mg soy isoflavones | Swedish flower pollen extract, 320 mg |
| How it works | Acts on ER beta receptors | Nutritional support plus mild phytoestrogens | Non hormonal, likely via serotonin pathway |
| Contains phytoestrogens | No | Yes | No |
| Doubles as a multivitamin | No | Yes | No |
| Typical price | About 20 dollars for 28 caplets | About 23 dollars for 90 tablets | 38 to 58 dollars per month |
| Cost per day | About 71 cents | About 26 cents | About 1.27 to 1.93 dollars |
| Time to see results | From 28 days | Gradual, varies | 2 to 3 months |
| Dose | 1 caplet daily | 1 tablet daily with a meal | 2 tablets daily |
Which one fits your situation
If your main goal is good all round nutritional support through menopause and you want to stop buying a separate multivitamin, Menopace is the sensible choice and the cheapest by a wide margin. If hot flashes are your single biggest problem and you want a targeted product you can pick up at any drugstore this afternoon, Estroven Complete is the straightforward option. If you have been told to avoid estrogen and phytoestrogens, or soy is a problem for you, Relizen is the one designed for exactly that situation, provided you are willing to give it three months and absorb the cost.
If none of these three feels right, we have reviewed a wider set of options in our guides to menopause supplements for hot flashes and the best supplements for menopause symptoms.
What supplements can and cannot do
Here is something you deserve to hear plainly. In its 2023 position statement on non hormone therapies, The North American Menopause Society reviewed the evidence and did not recommend supplements and herbal remedies as a treatment for hot flashes. The same statement confirms that hormone therapy remains the most effective option for vasomotor symptoms.
That does not make supplements worthless. Many women cannot take hormone therapy, many prefer not to, and nutritional gaps during menopause are real, particularly around bone health, iron and B vitamins. A supplement can genuinely support how you feel day to day. It just should not be the only conversation you are having about your symptoms. If hot flashes are disrupting your sleep and your work, speak to your doctor about the full range of options rather than working through the supplement aisle alone.
We have also looked at which herbal remedies for menopause hold up to the evidence and which do not, if you want to go deeper before you buy.
Things that help alongside any supplement
- Protect your sleep first. Night sweats and poor sleep feed each other. Keeping your bedroom genuinely cool, using layered bedding you can throw off, and choosing breathable cotton or bamboo nightwear makes a measurable difference. We cover more options in our guide to menopause night sweats remedies, and magnesium for menopause sleep is worth reading if you are waking repeatedly.
- Build bone strength now. Bone loss accelerates sharply in the years around menopause, and most women do not realize how fast it happens. Read our guide to menopause bone loss and why you need both vitamin D and calcium rather than one or the other.
- Watch the obvious triggers. Alcohol, caffeine, spicy food and stress are the four that come up most often. You do not have to give any of them up permanently, but two weeks of paying attention will tell you which one is yours. An anti inflammatory diet for menopause is a good place to start rebuilding your meals.
- Do not ignore your iron. Heavy or irregular bleeding is common in perimenopause and can leave you low in iron, which feels a lot like menopause fatigue but has a completely different fix. Here is why women still need iron after 40.
- Move most days. It will not stop hot flashes on its own, but it reliably helps mood, sleep and joint comfort, which are the symptoms that wear women down over time. These exercises to prevent bone loss do double duty.
A Word from Vitamins For Woman
If you have read this far, you are probably tired. Tired of waking up at three in the morning soaked through. Tired of being told this is just part of getting older. Tired of spending money on bottles that end up at the back of the cupboard.
We want to be honest with you rather than sell you something. No supplement on this list is going to transform everything, and any website that promises you that is not telling you the truth. What a well chosen supplement can do is take the edge off, fill in the nutritional gaps, and give your body better support while you work out the bigger picture with your doctor.
So choose the one that matches your actual situation, not the one with the best packaging. Give it a fair trial of at least two to three months before you decide. Keep a simple note of your symptoms so you have real information rather than a vague sense of whether it helped. And please do not do this quietly on your own. This stage of life deserves proper attention, from you and from the people looking after your health.
References
- The Menopause Society. The 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2023;30(6):573 to 590. https://menopause.org
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Pollen Extract. About Herbs database. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/pollen-extract
- Vitabiotics. Menopace Plus product information. https://www.vitabiotics.com/products/menopace-plus-tablets
- Estroven. Complete Multi-Symptom Menopause Relief product information. https://estroven.com/products/multi-symptom-menopause-relief
- Winther K, Rein E, Hedman C. Femal, a herbal remedy made from pollen extracts, reduces hot flushes and improves quality of life in menopausal women: a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel study. Climacteric. 2005;8(2):162 to 170. PMID: 16096172. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16096172/
This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new supplement, especially if you take prescription medication or have a history of hormone sensitive cancer.
