Q. I found that stopping all soy products made my hot flashes hugely better. The same thing has now occurred with my sister.
My doctor tells me that, for some women, soy is an estrogen blocker. It blocks our own natural estrogens, but doesn’t completely bind with our receptors to stop hot flashes. Stopping soy and flaxseed, another phytoestrogen, reduced my hot flashes in number and intensity quite dramatically.
I really liked soy and it is a good low-fat protein but for some women, soy makes menopause worse.
A. Soy has a reputation for easing menopausal symptoms, but recent research confirms your experience (Archives of Internal Medicine, Aug. 8/22, 2011). In this well-conducted double-blind trial, women received either tablets containing 200 mg of soy isoflavones or placebo daily for two years. There was no difference in bone density at the end of the study, but more of the women taking soy experienced hot flashes.
We know that this answer will drive many women crazy. After all, they have been told for years that soy isoflavones are supposed to be good for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. When something that is supposed to help makes things worse, the result is frustration. We offer other options for treating hot flashes in our Guide to Menopause.
