Estroven review, what is inside and what the evidence shows

What Estroven is.

Estroven is a brand of over the counter supplements for perimenopause and menopause, sold in most US drugstores. The name covers more than half a dozen formulas: Complete, Sleep Cool, Perimenopause, Weight Management, Mood Boost, Stress Relief and Energy, and more. They share a brand name. They do not share ingredients, so a review of "Estroven" is really a review of whichever box you pick up. Read the supplement facts panel on the specific product.

Like every dietary supplement, Estroven is not reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness before it is sold, and it is not approved to treat menopause or any disease. That is not a knock on Estroven. It is true of every product in this aisle.

What is in Estroven Complete.

Estroven Complete is the brand's best seller and the simplest label in the line. Its supplement facts list one active ingredient: 4 mg of rhapontic rhubarb root extract (Rheum rhaponticum), standardized to rhaponticin and desoxyrhaponticin. That extract is known in research as ERr 731. The rest of the caplet is inactive filler and coating, including titanium dioxide as a color.

One active ingredient is an advantage. If it works for you, you know why. If it does not, you have ruled out one thing cleanly.

The evidence for ERr 731.

The main trial. In 2006 the journal Menopause published a multicenter, double blind trial of 109 perimenopausal women with menopause symptoms. Half took one ERr 731 tablet daily and half took a placebo, for 12 weeks. The extract group had a larger drop in total Menopause Rating Scale score and in every symptom on that scale. The number and severity of hot flashes fell more than with placebo from week 4. Endometrial biopsies, bleeding, weight and lab safety tests did not differ between the groups.

Longer term data. A six month open study of 363 women in German gynecology practices reported lower symptom scores over time, but it had no placebo group, so it cannot separate the extract from the natural course of symptoms. A 2025 study of German prescription records compared 5,686 women prescribed ERr 731 with matched women who were not, and found no link to breast cancer diagnosis. It was observational, so it is reassuring rather than proof.

What it does not show. We found no published trial of Estroven Complete as a product. The trials tested the extract. The Menopause Society 2023 nonhormone position statement, which reviewed supplements as a group, did not recommend supplements or herbal remedies for hot flashes. So ERr 731 is the strongest case in a weak category, not a proven treatment.

The other Estroven formulas.

Estroven Sleep Cool. Sleep Cool is a bedtime caplet with 2 mg melatonin, 40 mg black cohosh extract and 56 mg soy isoflavones, by its label. Melatonin is there for sleep. Black cohosh did no better than placebo for hot flash frequency in the Cochrane review, and the Menopause Society does not recommend soy extracts for hot flashes. It suits someone whose main complaint is waking at night. It contains soy.

Perimenopause, Weight Management, Mood and Stress formulas. These use different ingredients depending on the box; the Perimenopause formula, for example, lists black cohosh on its Amazon listing. We do not rank them, because their combinations have not been tested in the trials we could find. If you buy one, read the label for black cohosh and soy, and see our black cohosh guide for the liver warning that comes with it.

Who Estroven suits.

• A good fit. You have bothersome but not disabling hot flashes, you want to try a nonprescription option first, and you are willing to track symptoms for about three months. Start with Complete.
• Think twice. You have a history of breast or other hormone sensitive cancer, liver disease, a soy allergy, or you take several medicines. Ask your clinician before starting, and tell them which Estroven formula you mean.
• Not the right tool. Hot flashes are severe, or your main problem is vaginal dryness or painful sex. Supplements do not treat the tissue changes behind dryness; a moisturizer and the right lube do, covered in lube for menopause dryness, vaginal atrophy and vaginal dryness causes. A silicone lube is often the most comfortable choice; see best silicone lube.

Estroven compared with Amberen, Remifemin and Relizen.

Product	Main active ingredient	Best published evidence	Plant estrogens
Estroven Complete	ERr 731 rhubarb extract	Placebo controlled trial of the extract, 109 women, 12 weeks	No soy; extract studied for estrogen receptor activity
Metagenics Estrovera	ERr 731 rhubarb extract	Same extract trial	Same as above
Amberen	Succinates, glycine, zinc, magnesium, vitamin E, B vitamins	Pooled trials, 227 women, 90 days, one research group	No
Remifemin	Black cohosh extract	Cochrane review found no clear benefit for black cohosh over placebo	No
Bonafide Relizen	Swedish flower pollen extract	Placebo controlled trial, 64 women, 3 months	No

Amberen. Amberen is a blend rather than a single extract. A 2019 pooled analysis of two identical 90 day placebo controlled trials, 227 women in all, reported improvement in 16 of 21 menopause symptoms. The trials come from one research group, and they reported a rise in blood estradiol in the supplement group, which is worth raising with a clinician if estrogen exposure matters for you.

Remifemin. Remifemin is the classic single ingredient black cohosh product. It is a well made version of an ingredient with mixed evidence and a rare liver warning.

Bonafide Relizen. Relizen uses a purified Swedish flower pollen extract. A 2005 trial of 64 women found more hot flash responders than placebo, 65 percent versus 38 percent. Small, but positive, and it does not rely on plant estrogens.

Estrovera. If you prefer a practitioner brand, Estrovera contains the same ERr 731 extract as Estroven Complete.

For the full ranking across brands, see our best menopause supplements.

How to give it a fair trial.

Pick one product, not three. Count your hot flashes and night wakings for a week before you start, then once a week after. Follow the label and your clinician. At 12 weeks, compare. If the count has not moved, stop, and bring your notes to an appointment, because they make the conversation about prescription options faster.

When to see a clinician.

See a clinician if hot flashes or night sweats disrupt your sleep or work, if you have any bleeding after menopause, or before starting Estroven if you have a hormone sensitive cancer history, liver disease or take other medicines. Stop and get checked for yellowing skin or eyes, dark urine or belly pain while taking a black cohosh formula. Ask about hormone therapy and nonhormonal prescriptions such as fezolinetant if a supplement is not enough; our hot flashes guide lists the questions. For dryness, see how to treat vaginal dryness and vaginal moisturizer vs lube. This page is general information, not medical advice.