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Product Review: Menopause Supplements (Soy and Red Clover Isoflavones, Black Cohosh) and Progesterone Creams
 


How Products Were Selected:
Products selected represent those commonly sold and/or available nationally in the U.S. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, on-line retailers, catalogues, or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.

Testing Methods:
Products containing soy or red clover were analyzed for their total isoflavone content using a HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) assay in an independent laboratory. The extraction and HPLC method was designed to specifically test for the presence and amount of various glycosidic and aglycone forms of the isoflavones found in soy and red clover.

Products containing soy, red clover, or black cohosh were analyzed for possible contamination for lead
using ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy).

Progesterone cream products were analyzed for their progesterone content using HPLC.

Disintegration of non-chewable, non-capsule, non-enteric coated, and non-time release formulations was analyzed by ConsumerLab.com using USP (United States Pharmacopeia) <2040>.

Products failing to meet any Passing Score (below) were re-tested in a second independent laboratory using similar methods and instrumentation.

ConsumerLab.com may modify or use other appropriate test methods if necessary to test special product formulations.

Passing Score: *
To achieve a "Pass" in testing, a product had to meet the following applicable criteria:

All Products:

  • Meet recommended USP parameters for disintegration for dietary supplements (excluding capsule, enteric-coated, chewable and time-release products).
  • Meet FDA labeling requirements.

Soy and Red Clover Isoflavones:
Meet 100% of label claim for total isoflavone content and, if declared, for specific glycosidic or aglycone isoflavones. Total isoflavones is calculated as the sum of the glycosidic and aglycone forms.

Soy, Red Clover, and Black Cohosh:
Not exceed California Prop 65 levels for lead contamination in a recommended daily serving, i.e., contain less than 0.5 mcg of lead per daily serving with an additional allowance of 1.0 mcg for supplements containing 1,000 mg/day or more of elemental calcium and 0.5 mcg for supplements containing specific other minerals.** For supplements not marketed for use by children, ConsumerLab.com provides an additional allowance of 0.5 mcg if containing 250 to 499 mg/day  of elemental calcium, or 1.0 mcg if containing 500 to 999 mg/day of elemental calcium, and an allowance of 0.5 mcg if containing one whole herb (not extract) ingredient or 1.0 mcg for two or more whole herb ingredients. If a maximum recommended daily serving is not defined, a daily serving size will be determined and applied by CL.

Progesterone Creams:
Meet 100% of label claim for progesterone, and not more than 125% of the claim.

A "Pass" was based on meeting the above criteria in either the first or second rounds of testing. 

* Passing scores allow for specific margins of technical error associated with each analysis. ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.
 
** Based on State of California's Prop 65 lead limit. California requires supplements exceeding this limit to bear a warning label regarding lead.





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