Written by Jessica Patella, ND. After 8 weeks of Pycnogenol supplementation, the 38 participating perimenopausal women saw a significant improvement in hot flashes and other symptoms.
Menopause is a normal change for women that typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 years (1,2). Menopause is diagnosed after the menstrual period has been absent for one year. Symptoms prior to menopause, or perimenopause, include hot flashes, night sweats, menstrual irregularities, vaginal dryness, dyspareunia*, mild urinary incontinence, mood changes, cognitive changes and sleep changes (1). Currently, it is estimated that 37.5 million women are reaching or currently beginning menopause (2).
Symptoms of perimenopause can have a considerable impact on the quality of life for some women (1), which is why many women seek alternative treatments. Recent research has shown that Pycnogenol, an extract from pine bark, is helpful in alleviating the symptoms of perimenopause (1).
The women participating in the research were divided into two groups:
Group 1: The Pycnogenol group contained 38 women who were given two 50mg tablets of Pycnogenol (100mg total) per day.
Group 2: The control group contained 32 women who were given placebo pills.
Both groups were given a questionnaire to rate their symptoms related to perimenopause based on 34 items (http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/). The scoring of each symptom ranged from 0 (symptom absent) to 4 (symptom very severe). Blood was also drawn to determine plasma-free radical levels, indicating how much oxidative stress is occurring in the body (1).
After the 8 weeks of supplementation, the women taking Pycnogenol had a significant improvement in hot flashes (3.1 +/- 0.3 to 1.1 +/- 0.5; P=0.05). There was also significant improvement in the reduction of night sweats, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, mood swings, fatigue, memory, bloating, irregular heartbeat, depression, anxiety, irritability, breast pain, headaches, joint pain, electric shocks, digestive problems, muscle tension, itchy skin and tingling extremities (P=0.05) (1). There was not a significant improvement in sleep disorders, incontinence, allergies or body odor (1).
Both groups had elevated oxidative stress (plasma free radicals above 300 Carr units) although only the Pycnogenol group showed a significant reduction in free radicals after the 8 weeks of supplementation (423.22 +/- 43.3 Carr to 310.1 +/- 49.53 Carr). This indicates that oxidative stress may be related to perimenopausal symptoms.
In conclusion, Pycnogenol decreased the majority of symptoms related to perimenopause (1). Overall, Pycnogenol supplementation was also well tolerated with a 98.6% compliance rate and no side effects were reported. It is also interesting to note that Pycnogenol does not appear to have any phytoestrogen activity, indicating improvement was likely due to improvement in oxidative stress (1).
*Dypareunia-painful intercourse, often due to vaginal dryness.
Source: Errichi, S., et al. “Supplementation with Pycnogenol® improves signs and symptoms of menopausal transition.” Panminerva medica 53.3 Suppl 1 (2011): 65-70.
© EMBL-EBI 2017
Posted April 4, 2012.
References:
- Errichi S, et al. Supplementation with Pycnogenol improves signs and symptoms of menopausal transition. Panminerva med 2011; 53 (suppl.1 to No. 3): 65-70.
- Women’s Reproductive Health: Menopause. CDC. See the 34 Menopause Symptoms website.
