Feminal® contains phytoestrogens - isoflavones. Research on the structure and biological properties of phytoestrogens has been carried out since the 30s of the last century. Studies of phytoestrogens have proven that their structure is similar to the hormone estrogen produced by a woman’s body, and that phytoestrogens have a molecular weight similar to estrogen.
In the 80s, the anti-cancer effect of Biocanin A, one of the isoflavones contained in Feminal®, was proven. In the last decade, isoflavones contained in red clover extract have been successfully used to treat symptoms and complications of menopause.
What kind of drug is this
Good afternoon My name is Rimma, I'm 49 years old. Of course, I was waiting for menopause and understood that changes would occur in the body. But believe me, when so many illnesses came at once, I forgot to think about menopause and was distracted by treatment. Expensive medications did not improve my condition, I developed serious problems with women’s health, and I was preparing for the worst. Agree, when you are undergoing treatment and there is no improvement, your thoughts become not at all joyful and you give up.
My blood pressure began to rise sharply, I began to feel dizzy, and it got to the point where I could simply lose consciousness at work. Fortunately, I was lucky and I met a competent specialist. After a series of tests, the doctor came to the conclusion that the main reason is menopause, due to which there is a hormonal imbalance.
Of course, I couldn’t even imagine that the harmless menopause, which is a normal process for all women, could be so serious. I took into account all the doctor’s recommendations and decided to take a look at the pills he prescribed for me. Feminal is a homeopathic medicine based on herbal components, which restore the functioning of hormones and improve the condition. In addition, while reading the description, I learned that the product is a prevention of cancer of the breast and female organs. Unlike powerful hormonal drugs, the medicine has a mild effect with a long-lasting effect; it can be taken for three years, just until the entire process of restructuring in the body takes place. The product has no side effects and does not cause allergies.
pharmachologic effect
The vitamin complex helps to harmoniously cope with the menopause period. At this point, women face some adverse consequences:
- disorders of fat metabolism;
- excess weight with the same diet;
- profuse sweating;
- metabolic disorders
- depressive states;
- mood swings, irritability;
- problems falling asleep, insomnia;
- changes in bone and cartilage tissue.
Due to its rich chemical composition, the drug has a complex effect on the body:
- Vitamins take part in all vital processes and support the functioning of the immune system.
- Biotin provides an attractive appearance to nails and hair and prevents their loss. Useful during pregnancy and lactation.
- Folic acid stimulates the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all tissues. It supports the normal functioning of nerve cells, heart and blood vessels, and also helps prevent skin aging processes and ensures attractive hair.
- Selenium prevents premature aging, eliminates imbalances in the synthesis of female sex hormones, and helps maintain skin elasticity.
- Zinc ensures normal vision, prevents myopia, and takes part in the functioning of the nervous system.
- Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate brain activity, ensure normal performance, and stabilize mood during menopause.
- Omega-6 fatty acids strengthen the immune system and prevent memory loss, inflammation, and cleanse the body of excess “bad” cholesterol.
What components are included?
On the Internet, I came across a site where there was a detailed description of Feminal tablets. Reading the information, I was convinced of the naturalness of the composition and learned that the main and most important component is red clover. It is this plant that contains isoflavones, which are very similar to female ones. And due to this similarity, the manifestations of menopause decrease and menopause proceeds calmly, without any special manifestations.
These are the active substances that are present in red clover extract and have a positive effect on the hormonal levels of the female body:
- biocanine;
- genistein;
- formononetin;
- daidzein.
Of course, in order for the tablet to have its own structure, there are also auxiliary components such as silicon dioxide, microcrystalline cellulose, gelatin, magnesium stearate, but I think they do not play a special role in improving the condition.
Reading the description of Feminal, I saw a lot of reviews from experts. It turns out that most gynecologists recommend its use even in the early manifestations of menopause. You can take it for three years, but with regular visits to the gynecologist and always with breaks.
“Most women have a difficult time going through menopause, which is caused by a slowdown in the production of essential hormones.
Red clover extract, which is part of Feminal, compensates for the lack of estrogen hormones and improves a woman’s condition. Symptoms such as sweating, rapid heartbeat and pressure changes decrease already on the third day of using the tablets. I recommend that my patients take the drug for different periods of time, it depends on the severity of menopause. Feminal suits me with its quick and positive effect on the female body and the absence of side effects” Anna Vladimirovna, gynecologist, Orel
I heard reviews from specialists and realized that most of them were in favor of Feminal. Despite the fact that the remedy is an absolute homeopathy, it has a good effect and improves the condition.
The problem of ovarian hypofunction in women of the reproductive period does not lose its relevance from year to year. Various clinical and physiological changes that develop in a woman’s body with a decrease in estrogen synthesis by the ovaries occur as true endocrinopathy. All manifestations of endocrinopathy are well known from the example of menopausal syndrome and late postmenopausal changes in a woman’s body [1, 3]. During reproductive age, when a deficiency of endogenous estrogens occurs, similar processes develop, but their severity is less. Women with HMS, in addition to disturbances of menstrual and reproductive functions, are concerned about a decrease in the quality of life: sleep disturbances, work capacity, bad mood, increased vegetative reactions [4]. Undoubtedly, the most effective is the prescription of hormone replacement therapy or combined oral contraception. At the same time, the problem of compensating for estrogen deficiency remains unresolved in the presence of contraindications to the prescription of estrogen-containing drugs in such patients or when they refuse to take sex steroids [1, 3, 4].
Due to the presence of these contraindications to the use of hormone replacement therapy, there is a need to use alternative treatment methods. In this case, phytoestrogens can be used. Among the various classes of phytohormones, isoflavones have the greatest estrogenic activity. The richest source of isoflavones in nature is red clover, which contains 4 isoflavones: biocanin A ( biochanin A
),
formononetin
,
daidzein
,
genistein
. Isoflavones exhibit estrogenic activity by activating estrogen receptors (ER) and antiestrogenic activity by competitively binding to ER and inhibiting estradiol. Moreover, they have a significantly higher affinity for RE-β than for RE-α [2, 5]. Due to the heterogeneous distribution of the two RE subtypes, isoflavone activity is more pronounced in tissues rich in RE-β, such as bone, capillary epithelium, skin and the central nervous system [5]. Thus, isoflavones act as selective modulators of RE, stopping early manifestations of deficiency of these hormones, without causing proliferative changes in target organs and without affecting the processes of hemostasis and the lipid spectrum of the blood. The successful and safe use of isoflavones in women with menopausal syndrome has been described in many large studies. At the same time, the use of selective RE modulators in women of the reproductive period suffering from ovarian hypofunction of various origins has been little studied, which determined our interest in such a study.
Material and methods
The study included 65 women aged 28 to 43 years, suffering from menstrual irregularities of the type HMS of primary or secondary origin (according to ICD 10 - N91.3 and N91.4). The exclusion criteria for patients were: the presence of acute and chronic (in the acute stage) diseases of the pelvic organs, concomitant sexually transmitted infections, taking hormone replacement therapy drugs during the last 3 months before the start of this clinical trial, as well as the presence of endocrine diseases, malignant neoplasms , neurological diseases.
Hormonal blood parameters were studied - the level of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (ST4), prolactin, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), estradiol and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OH-PG ). On the 5th day of the menstrual or induced cycle, an ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs was performed.
To determine the differential self-assessment of the general functional state - vitality of patients with HMS, the SAN (Well-being, Activity, Mood) technique was used. The essence of the technique was that the subjects were asked to correlate their condition with a number of signs on a multi-level scale. This scale consists of indices and is located between 30 pairs of words of opposite meaning, reflecting mobility, speed and pace of functions (activity), strength, health, fatigue (well-being), as well as characteristics of the emotional state (mood). The subject must select and mark the number that most accurately reflects her condition at the time of the examination. The average score of the scale is 4. Scores exceeding 4 points indicate a favorable condition of the subject, scores below 4 indicate the opposite. The advantage of the technique is its repeatability, i.e. the possibility of repeated use of the test in the dynamics of observation and therapy of the patient.
Results and discussion
The 1st group included 34 women who took 40 mg of red clover isoflavones daily as part of Feminal for 3 months, the 2nd group included 31 women who took a placebo of the same type once a day. The average age of patients in group 1 was 34.6±4.16 years, in group 2 - 34.1±4.4 years, age at menarche - 13.1±0.8 and 13.0±0.9, respectively years (statistically unreliable), the average duration of the menstrual cycle at the start of the study was 51.0±10.7 and 51.2±3.0 days, respectively (also unreliable). The structure of the causes of HMS is shown in the figure.
Figure 1. Structure of the causes of hypomenstrual syndrome.
As seen in the picture
, primary HMS predominated in both groups. When studying the somatic status, it was revealed that 7 (20.5%) women in group 1 and 6 (19%) in group 2 had increased body weight (body mass index >25 kg/m2). These same patients had an increased hirsute number (18.1±1.4), which indicates the formation of polycystic ovary syndrome in combination with metabolic syndrome. This fact is confirmed by the results of hormonal studies. In women with high BMI and hirsute number, an increase in LH concentration was observed against the background of normal FSH levels, and the FSH/LH ratio was more than 1:2.5 (average 1:2.78). The testosterone level in these patients was also higher than normal - 6.2±1.8 mIU/ml versus 1.9±2.4 mIU/ml in other women suffering from hypomenorrhea.
The TSH concentration was increased in 4 (11.7%) patients in group 1 and in 3 (9.6%) patients in group 2 (4.8±2.2 and 5.2±1.8 mIU /ml, respectively), and the level of thyroglobulin (up to 7.45±0.5 and 8.2±1.2 mIU/ml, respectively). These changes characterize hypofunction of the thyroid gland. Patients with such hormonal changes were referred for examination and treatment to an endocrinologist.
The levels of FSH and LH were reduced in the remaining women of both groups, which indicates the development of a hypogonadotropic variant of HMS in them, most likely of central origin. The level of DHEA-S and 17-OH-PG in all subjects was normal (no significant differences were noted in the groups).
Before treatment, no significant differences in hormone levels were detected between the groups. The average FSH level in groups 1 and 2 was 5.5±3.5 and 5.1±2.9 mIU/ml, respectively, and LH - 8.2±4.5 and 8.3±7. 2 mIU/ml respectively. During treatment with Feminal, the FSH level did not change significantly (4.3±1.4 and 5.5±3.1 mIU/ml, respectively, groups), the LH level decreased to 2.1±5.3 mIU/ml (p=0 ,02). This effect was especially pronounced in women with an increased FSH/LH ratio. Despite the absence of a significant difference compared to the initial data, in women of group 1 the menstrual cycle decreased to 35.8 ± 3.2 days. But these changes affected women with an initial cycle of no more than 45 days.
Ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs revealed an increase in ovarian volume from 12.4 to 16.2 cm3 in 8 (23.5%) women in group 1 and in 7 (22.5%) in group 2, which is associated with the formation of multifollicular ovaries. After treatment, in 6 (17.6%) women in group 1 and in 5 (16.1%) women in group 2, ovarian volume decreased to normal (<12 cm3). The thickness of the endometrium on the 5th day of the menstrual or induced cycle in the groups did not have a significant difference. Before and after treatment, this figure was below normal - 3.2±0.7 before and 3.3±0.7 mm, respectively, in group 1 and 3.0±0.5 and 3.1±0.5 mm - in group 2, which confirms the lack of proliferative effect of isoflavones on the endometrium.
Before the start of treatment with Feminal, all studied parameters in both groups indicated a reduced background of mood, well-being and activity of the patients (without significant differences). After 3 months of taking Feminal, women in group 1 had significantly higher scores on the “Well-Being” scale - 5.11 points compared to 3.45 points in group 2 (p = 0.02). The smallest differences between the indicators in patients of the studied groups were found on the “Activity” scale. This characteristic of a person’s mental state was comparable in both groups of women (4.17 points in group 1, 3.98 points in control), the differences are statistically insignificant. More optimal average scores (4.75) on the “Mood” scale were noted in women of group 1 (4.75 points) compared to patients of group 2 (3.98 points; p = 0.045).
According to the results of comparison of average scores on the scales of the SAN questionnaire, Feminal therapy administered to patients of group 1 for 3 months had a significantly optimizing effect on such characteristics of the individual’s state as well-being and activity (p = 0.003). The decrease in the number of women with low scores on the SAN scale may be due to the positive dynamics of the menstrual cycle, noted by the patients of group 1 themselves.
conclusions
1. GMS in women of reproductive age is very diverse in its structure and can be a symptom of thyroid pathology or polycystic ovary syndrome, but primary GMS of central origin prevails.
2. For HMS of reproductive age, an ultrasound picture of “multifollicular” ovaries in combination with a “thin” endometrium is characteristic, which is caused by anovulation as a type of follicular atresia.
3. Women suffering from HMS have symptoms of impaired well-being, mood and activity characteristic of a hypoestrogenic state.
4. Red clover isoflavones contained in Feminal can improve the psycho-emotional state of women with HMS and partially normalize the menstrual cycle by restoring regulatory connections between the links in the regulation of the reproductive system.
When should you take Feminal?
Of course, medications of this kind should be started after consultation with a doctor. But I would like to consider those cases when Feminal can have a positive effect and improve the condition:
- increased nervousness;
- insomnia;
- headache;
- tides;
- increased sweating;
- cardiopalmus.
It turns out Feminal is prescribed before, during and after menopause. There are cases when a woman does not have any visible symptoms listed above, but there is increased irritability, pain during sexual intercourse, or heavy discharge that is not justified by tests. In such cases, specialists prescribe medicine, so to speak, for prevention.
What women say about Feminal, reviews from the network
Honestly, I can’t understand why my previous doctor missed the fact that there was a possibility of menopause, because I had all of the above symptoms. I was even more inclined to buy Feminal, but still decided to make sure that there were really no side effects. On women's health forums, I found quite a lot of real reviews. Most women are quite satisfied with the capsules and feel relief already on the second day. I don’t argue, I came across a couple of negative reviews from women who did not get the desired effect and switched to stronger hormonal drugs. But personally, I am more inclined to use gentle and natural remedies, so as not to harm my health even more.
“I took Feminal for a month, I’m very pleased with the result. Before this, I can’t even describe my condition, I felt very bad, I was often dizzy and my blood pressure was jumping. A friend sent me to her treating gynecologist and he advised me to take Feminal. I had to wait perhaps three days for the effect; I had just taken sick leave. But then I was able to go back to work with renewed vigor, and now I regularly take the drug with breaks of several months. The capsules are tasteless and easy to swallow.”
Now I was calm, because I was convinced that women did not experience allergies or adverse reactions while taking the pills. I was worried that there might be discomfort in the stomach and intestines, but fortunately this did not happen.
Indications and contraindications
The drug is indicated for use by women during menopause. It is used as an additional source of various vitamins and minerals, including beneficial components such as biotin, folic acid, zinc, carotenoids, coenzyme Q10, selenium and many others.
The drug is a food supplement; it is especially effective when following a balanced diet. However, it is not a product in itself and does not replace food intake.
The product has no contraindications, with the exception of individual intolerance to any of the components. If allergic reactions occur, it is recommended to stop taking it and consult a doctor for additional advice. At the same time, the Orthomol complex does not contain gluten or glucose. Therefore, the tablets can also be used by patients with diabetes.
Instructions for use and my impressions of Feminal
I knew that Feminal belonged to the category of dietary supplements, but a small worry still did not leave me. My package contained two blisters, 15 capsules each. The tablets were in a pink shell and quite small in size. Instructions were also included. It says to take one capsule per day with a glass of purified water. A prerequisite is to take the capsule with food for greater effectiveness. The doctor prescribed me to take it for three months with breaks of three weeks after each. That's exactly what I did.
In the first days I didn’t notice much effect, but gradually the hot flashes began to subside, the tinnitus began to disappear, and the dizziness finally stopped. In terms of the genital organs, the condition has also improved, but I do not stop visiting the gynecologist and hope for the final normalization of my condition. I did not experience any adverse reactions or allergies; in my opinion, this is the most harmless medicine I have ever taken. Improvements, of course, will have to wait a couple of days, but there is no harm to other organs. So I’m quite happy with Feminal tablets and my current condition.
