Have you been suffering from hot flashes during the day? How about sweating the bed at night? Poor-quality sleep can also be a common issue for women who are dealing with perimenopause and menopause.
In many cases, you don’t have to turn to hormone replacement therapy for relief. There are natural, plant-based alternatives that can be just as effective. Let’s take a look at Relizen and Equelle. We’ll compare what they include, how they work and which one we think is the better option for your symptoms.
The HOT Takes!
Relizen
Choose Relizen if…
$
37/mo
Equelle
Choose Equelle if...
$
40/mo
Taking a Look at Relizen for Menopause Relief
Relizen, made by Bonafide Health, is a unique menopause supplement that is made using pollen extract. It can address a number of symptoms, such as poor temperature regulation, sweating, mood changes, weight gain and sleep quality. This highly purified flower pollen extract can impact your serotonin levels in addition to balancing your hormones. That means you’ll be able to ward off some of those menopause-related mood swings and irritability.
What Ingredients Make Relizen Good?
Relizen is formulated with purified flower pollen extract (Pollen + Pistil Extract PI-82, and Pollen Extract GC-FEM). Highly studied, this extract can balance levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body. Fluctuations and deficiencies in these levels are what typically cause menopause symptoms.
My Experience Taking Relizen
Temperature regulation issues were one of the first symptoms I experienced when I was perimenopausal. I would experience hot flashes during the day that would stop me in my tracks. At night, I’d wake up soaked in sweat. For obvious reasons, I wasn’t sleeping well.
A friend of mine who had gone through menopause recommended that I try Relizen. I figured it was worth a shot, seeing as how it wasn’t a hormone-based therapy. It sounded very safe, so I placed an order.
Once I started taking Relizen, I didn’t really see results right away. I noticed a bit of a difference in my body temperature regulation after approximately four weeks of taking Relizen. My daytime hot flashes were the first to improve, with the nighttime sweats following a few weeks later. I noticed a slight shift in my mood swings, but that wasn’t as prevalent as the temperature regulation.
What I Liked About Relizen
- I love that this is a hormone-free option for menopause-related symptoms. I was ready to try something like this rather than have to contemplate heading down the path of HRT.
What Could Be Improved
- It would be nice if Relizen had the potential to improve a lot more menopause symptoms. For me, it worked for what I was experiencing at the moment. However, symptoms can change as you progress through this transitional phase in life.
Taking a Look at Equelle for Menopause Relief
Equelle is based on the soy-derived ingredient S-equol. It has been thoroughly studied, proving not to cause cancer or have negative effects on endometrial health. By mimicking estrogen in the body, Equelle menopause symptoms will decrease. It’s typically the decrease in estrogen that leads to issues. Binding mainly to beta receptors, Equelle is very safe yet effective.
What Ingredients Make Equelle Good?
Equelle is made from S-equol, which comes from soy. This compound has been studied for over 40 years. It has a similar composition as estrogen, mimicking its effects on the body without causing any dangerous side effects. Only traces of soy are left behind after the manufacturing process is complete.
My Experience Taking Equelle
Equelle struck me as being a very safe supplement when I first saw it. I consume soy-based products on a regular basis, so I didn’t think twice about something that was formulated using soy. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it out, so I placed an order for Equelle.
The time line is about the same as in Relizen. I saw some results in about one month, though it can take up to three months to see its full benefits. The first change I saw was in my vaginal health. I was experiencing a little irritation off and on, but that disappeared after using Equelle for about one month.
There was a slight shift in my temperature regulation by halfway through month two. It wasn’t as noticeable as when I tried Relizen, though.
What I Liked About Equelle
- I love how natural the active ingredient is. I didn’t worry about how this supplement would affect me, since soy is something I know I can tolerate with ease.
- Equelle is very gentle, so I didn’t notice any side effects. Even after taking it for a few months, there wasn’t anything worrisome going on.
What Could Be Improved
- A minimal number of symptoms can be addressed with Equelle. Even though it was designed to mimic the effects of estrogen, I didn’t really find that it dramatically impacted my mood, headaches, fatigue, etc.
Comparison Section of Equelle vs. Relizen
Not sure which menopause treatment to choose? Let’s compare Equelle and Relizen.
Comparing Formulas
In regard to formula, Equelle and Relizen are quite different. While they target a lot of the same symptoms, like hot flashes, night sweats and trouble sleeping, they use different methods to get there. Relizen utilizes pollen extract as its main ingredient. Equelle mimics the functions of estrogen by way of S-equol derived from soy.
Both products have some other additional ingredients that contribute to how they are made and hold up over time, but no other active ingredients are inside.
Comparing Price
The current cost of Relizen is $57 for a single box. Because you should be taking Relizen for at least three months to see if it’s going to be effective for your menopause symptoms, you may want to invest in the three-month plan. This drops the cost to $37. If you sign up for a monthly subscription, the cost is $41 per month.
Equelle costs $50 for a one-time purchase. The cost is $40 if you sign up for the auto-replenish feature.
Comparing Efficacy
Speaking from experience, I found that Relizen was the more effective product. It provided me with more substantial benefits in a shorter amount of time. While Equelle did work after a number of weeks, the benefits weren’t as significant or noticeable.
Both products have good reviews on their websites. Neither seems to result in any unpleasant or dangerous side effects.
What Are the Main Differences Between Relizen and Equelle?
The main ingredients being used for these two products stand out as having the most noticeable difference. Relizen’s pollen extract, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has been well studied in different settings. Both Bonafide and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center claim that pollen extract can significantly reduce hot flashes and night sweats.
Equelle, based on S-equol from soy, relieves menopause-related symptoms by mimicking estrogen. Many women may find that Equelle is a slightly milder approach when addressing changes during perimenopause and menopause.
Relizen mentions on their website that you may see a change in the amount of fatigue that you experience when taking their supplement. While Equelle mentions better sleep quality, they don’t talk about reduced fatigue during the day.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
There’s no need to suffer through perimenopause and menopause. There are a lot of options available that address commonly experienced symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and disturbed sleep. Relizen and Equelle are two excellent products that have provided me with results in the past. There are many positive reviews stating other women have experienced the same.
After considering the symptoms that you’re experiencing, think about which of these products may work best for your scenario. I found Relizen to be more effective in a shorter amount of time, but generally, they are expected to work by the three-month point.
Relizen
EQUELLE