Red Clover and menopause
What 4 graded rows on red clover agree on for menopause, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Red Clover page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Red Clover page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
Red Clover and menopause
4 rows · 1,595 peopleSplit. 2 rows found an improvement and 2 found no difference.
- CGrade C× 2
- DGrade D× 1
- ∅No effect× 1
- Rows
- 4
- Trials
- 15
- People
- 1,595
- Pooled reviews may count some twice
Where they differ
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade C, is a meta-analysis of 1,179 people (2021) and found an improvement. 1 row is graded No effect, our grade for adequately powered trials that found no effect.
The 2 rows that found an improvement were larger: a median of 627 people, against a median of 171 people for the 2 rows that found no difference.
Only the 2 rows that found an improvement include pooled reviews of several trials (1 of 2); the 2 rows that found no difference are single studies.
The 2 rows that found an improvement are newer (2021 to 2024) than the 2 rows that found no difference (2003 to 2009).
The rows
2 improved · 2 no difference- CGrade CDaily hot flash frequency · Improved
Meta-analysis, 12 studies · n 1,179 · 2021 · Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in 12 RCTs (8 pooled for hot flash frequency)
37.1–160 mg/day isoflavones, mean 65.1 mg/day (aglycone equivalents) · 12 weeks to 2 years
Hot flashes fell by 1.73 a day more than placebo (95% CI 0.18–3.28), with very high heterogeneity (87%). Effects were larger at 80 mg/day or more and in women with 5 or more flashes a day.
- DGrade DMenopause symptom scores and blood lipids · Improved
RCT · n 75 · 2024 · Postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia (Turkey)
40 mg isoflavones twice daily (80 mg/day) · 6 months
Menopause Rating Scale scores and total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides fell and HDL rose with red clover; changes favoured red clover over placebo except LDL and the urogenital score at 3 months.
- CGrade CVasomotor symptoms over 12 months · No difference
RCT · n 89 · 2009 · Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in Chicago (four-arm trial)
398 mg/day extract standardized to 120 mg isoflavones · 12 months
Vasomotor symptoms fell 57% with red clover vs 63% with placebo, not a significant difference; hormone therapy cut them 94%. Red clover was safe over 12 months.
- ∅No effectHot flash frequency (ICE trial) · No difference
RCT · n 252 · 2003 · Recently postmenopausal US women with at least 35 hot flashes a week
82 mg/day (Promensil) or 57 mg/day (Rimostil) total isoflavones · 12 weeks
Daily hot flashes fell by 5.1 and 5.4 with the extracts vs 5.0 with placebo. One extract worked faster, but neither had a clinically important effect.