Magnesium. Collagen. Omega-3. Ashwagandha. Lion’s mane. Vitamin D.

Spend five minutes online after mentioning the word perimenopause and suddenly it seems as though you need an entire kitchen cupboard dedicated to supplements.

Apparently there’s a capsule for your sleep, a gummy for your brain fog, a powder for your joints and something involving a mushroom that promises to help you remember why you walked into the kitchen.

But do we actually need all of this stuff?  The less exciting answer is: probably not.

Some supplements can be genuinely useful during perimenopause — particularly if your diet or blood tests show you’re not getting enough of a particular nutrient. Others have promising but limited evidence. And some are surrounded by far more marketing than science.

So, before you spend £87 on your latest supplement haul, here’s what’s actually worth knowing.

First: supplements aren't a treatment for perimenopause

This is an important distinction. Perimenopause is caused by changing hormone levels.

A vitamin or herbal supplement isn't going to stop that process or magically put your hormones back where they were ten years ago. That doesn't mean supplements are pointless. They can potentially support areas such as nutrition, bone health or deficiencies, and some women find particular supplements helpful for individual symptoms.

But they're supplements — not a replacement for a balanced diet, sleep, exercise or appropriate medical treatment.

If your symptoms are significantly affecting your life, speak to your GP or another qualified healthcare professional rather than trying to treat everything yourself with supplements.

So what are the ones you're likely to come across?

Magnesium

Worth considering? ★★★★☆

Magnesium has become something of a perimenopause celebrity. It's involved in hundreds of processes in the body, including normal muscle and nerve function, and you'll frequently see magnesium supplements marketed for relaxation and sleep. That last part explains why it crops up constantly in menopause groups.

If you're currently experiencing the delightful perimenopause habit of waking at 3am for absolutely no apparent reason, you've probably already encountered someone recommending magnesium glycinate. However, magnesium isn't a proven treatment for menopausal insomnia. Think of it as something you might consider as part of your overall nutrition, rather than a magic sleep tablet.

Different forms of magnesium are available too. Magnesium glycinate is particularly popular because it tends to be well tolerated, while some other forms can have rather more noticeable effects on your bowels. Which may not be the relaxing bedtime experience you had in mind.

Hot Again tip: If sleep is your biggest problem, start with our guide to Why Am I Waking Up at 3am Every Night? before assuming a supplement is the answer.

Want to explore it? VitaBright Magnesium Glycinate

Vitamin D

Worth considering? ★★★★★

Vitamin D is much less exciting than the latest exotic menopause supplement — but it's arguably one of the more sensible nutrients to think about.

Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphate and is important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles. That's particularly relevant as we get older because declining oestrogen around menopause contributes to loss of bone density. And if you live in Britain, there's another issue.  Sunlight.  Or occasionally, the lack of it.

UK health guidance recommends that people consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter because we can't reliably make enough vitamin D from sunlight during those months.

So this isn't really a trendy menopause supplement at all. It's just something many of us should already be thinking about.

Want to explore it? VitaBright Vitamin D3

Omega-3

Worth considering? ★★★★☆

Omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in oily fish including salmon, sardines and mackerel. They're important components of our diet, and omega-3 supplements are commonly taken by people who don't regularly eat oily fish. They're also frequently marketed towards women experiencing menopause brain fog. This is where we need to separate “good nutrient” from “proven cure for forgetting everyone's name.”

Omega-3 is worth considering as part of your overall diet, particularly if you don't eat much oily fish. But we'd be wary of any product promising that taking an omega-3 capsule will suddenly make perimenopause brain fog disappear. Unfortunately, we're still waiting for that particular miracle.

Hot Again tip: If your memory currently feels as though somebody has replaced it with a sieve, read Perimenopause Brain Fog: Where Did My Words Go?

Want to explore it? VitaBright Omega-3

B Vitamins

Worth considering? ★★★☆☆

B vitamins are involved in processes including energy metabolism and normal nervous-system function. Which naturally makes them extremely easy to market to exhausted women. Tired? Take B vitamins!

Except tiredness during perimenopause can have approximately 4,972 possible causes. Broken sleep. Stress. Hormonal changes. Heavy periods. Iron deficiency. Thyroid problems. Life.

If you're deficient in a particular B vitamin, correcting that deficiency matters. But taking increasingly large quantities of vitamins isn't necessarily going to give you increasingly large quantities of energy. More isn't automatically better.

A balanced diet will provide B vitamins for most people, although certain groups — including vegans in the case of vitamin B12 — may need to pay particular attention to their intake.

Want to explore it? VitaBright Vitamin B Complex

Iron

Worth considering? ★★★★★ — IF you actually need it

This one comes with a very large asterisk. Perimenopause can bring heavier or more erratic periods. And heavy bleeding can contribute to iron-deficiency anaemia.

Symptoms can include tiredness, lack of energy, breathlessness, heart palpitations and headaches — several of which are very easy to blame on perimenopause itself. But that doesn't mean every tired woman in her 40s should start taking iron.

Iron isn't a supplement we'd recommend taking “just in case”.

If you're experiencing unusually heavy periods or persistent fatigue, speak to your GP. A blood test can help establish whether iron deficiency or anaemia could be contributing. If you are deficient, iron supplementation may be very important.

If you're not, adding iron unnecessarily isn't the answer.

Want to explore it?  VitaBright Iron Bisglycinate 

Collagen

Worth considering? ★★★☆☆

Ah, collagen. Judging by social media, once you reach 40 you're apparently supposed to start putting collagen powder into everything short of your gin and tonic.

There is actually some research suggesting oral collagen supplements may modestly improve aspects of skin hydration and elasticity. But don't expect to wake up looking 27 again!

Changes to our skin during perimenopause are partly related to declining oestrogen and the associated reduction in collagen. A supplement may be something you choose to try, but the boring basics still matter enormously: SPF. Moisturiser. Not smoking. Eating well. And accepting that having skin that looks 45 when you're 45 isn't a medical emergency.

Radical, we know!

Want to explore it?
VitaBright Marine Collagen Tablets
Bovine Collagen Powder

Ashwagandha

Worth considering? ★★★☆☆

Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine. It's now heavily marketed for stress, anxiety, sleep and — inevitably — menopause.

There is some emerging research around stress and sleep, but evidence specifically for perimenopause symptoms is much less convincing than social media might have you believe.

Herbal also doesn't automatically mean harmless. Supplements can interact with medication and may not be appropriate if you have certain health conditions. So if you're taking regular medication or have an existing condition, this is one we'd particularly recommend discussing with a pharmacist or doctor before experimenting.

Lion's Mane

Worth considering? ★★☆☆☆

Lion's mane is the supplement you'll inevitably encounter approximately seven minutes after Googling “menopause brain fog.” It's a mushroom. Yes, really.

Lion's mane supplements are marketed for memory, concentration and cognitive function, and there's some interesting early research into their potential effects on the brain.

But research specifically demonstrating that lion's mane treats perimenopausal brain fog isn't strong enough for us to tell you that it does. That doesn't necessarily mean it does nothing. It means we don't know enough yet. And that's an important difference.

If you fancy trying it and it's safe for you to do so, that's your choice. We just wouldn't spend £40 on it expecting your missing vocabulary to return by Tuesday!

Maca

Worth considering? ★★☆☆☆

Maca frequently appears in supplements aimed at women's energy, mood and libido.

There has been some research into maca and sexual function, but studies tend to be small and the evidence isn't strong enough for us to confidently say “take maca for your perimenopause libido.” And libido during perimenopause is complicated anyway.

Hormones can play a role, but so can vaginal dryness, painful sex, exhaustion, stress, relationship dynamics, medication and simply not wanting anyone to touch you after you've spent all day doing things for everybody else. A capsule isn't necessarily going to solve that.

Starflower oil

Worth considering? ★★☆☆☆

Starflower oil — also known as borage oil — contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).

You'll see it marketed for everything from dry skin to breast tenderness and menopausal symptoms.

The evidence for treating menopause symptoms isn't particularly compelling. If you're taking it because you personally feel it helps, that's one thing. But we wouldn't put it at the top of our perimenopause shopping list based on the evidence currently available.

So...what supplements should I actually take during perimenopause?

Here's the annoyingly sensible Hot Again answer: It depends on you. Not your friend. Not the woman on TikTok. Not the person in your Facebook menopause group who currently takes 14 supplements before breakfast. You.

Your diet, symptoms, medication, medical history and — where appropriate — blood-test results matter.

For many women, the sensible priorities are surprisingly unglamorous:

• Eat a varied diet.
• Get enough protein.
• Eat oily fish if you can.
• Think about calcium and bone health.
• Follow UK guidance around vitamin D.
• Exercise — particularly resistance and weight-bearing exercise.
• Prioritise sleep.
• Don't smoke.
• Keep alcohol sensible.

And then use supplements to fill genuine gaps rather than trying to supplement your way out of perimenopause.

A word about herbal menopause supplements

This is an area where we'd be particularly cautious. NICE says there is some evidence that isoflavones and black cohosh may help menopausal hot flushes, but also warns that preparations vary and that their safety can be uncertain. Herbal remedies can also interact with medicines. The British Menopause Society similarly points out that relatively few complementary and alternative menopause treatments have convincing evidence behind them. So “natural” doesn't automatically mean safe, effective or suitable for everybody. If you're taking medication, undergoing treatment for another condition, have a history of hormone-sensitive cancer, or you're simply unsure, talk to your GP or pharmacist before taking a herbal menopause preparation.

Our rule? Don't buy the promise. Look at the evidence.

There is nothing wrong with taking supplements. We take vitamins. We try things. We're human. But there's a huge and growing industry selling solutions to women who feel exhausted, foggy, anxious, achy, sleepless and unlike themselves.

That makes us a pretty attractive market. So before buying something, ask:

• What exactly is this supposed to help?
• Is there decent evidence for it?
• Could I get this nutrient from food?
• Do I actually know I'm deficient?
• Could it interact with medication I'm taking?

And perhaps most importantly: Am I buying this because I need it — or because somebody has convinced me that being a woman in my 40s is a deficiency that needs fixing?

Because it isn't. Perimenopause can be bloody difficult. But you don't need a cupboard containing 27 supplements to get through it.

Hot Again note

This article is for general information and isn't a substitute for individual medical advice. Supplements can interact with medicines and aren't suitable for everyone. Speak to your GP, pharmacist or another qualified healthcare professional if you're unsure what's appropriate for you.