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Q. I read about Pycnogenol for hot flashes and tried it. It worked within only a few days! The main side effect was constipation.
I was quite pleased until I asked my GYN about it. I told her I thought the Pycnogenol was working well. She wasn't happy and did an Internet search on the compound. To her it looked like a pretty powerful drug with no testing. She suggested I stop taking it and use medicine that has been tested.
A. We are fascinated by your gynecologist's reaction. Pycnogenol is an extract of the bark of the French maritime pine. It is rich in antioxidant plant compounds called procyanidins, and it has been studied for a wide range of problems, from osteoarthritis of the knee and type 2 diabetes to attention deficit disorder and hot flashes.
We found 195 scientific articles on studies in humans, animals or cell cultures. She is right that there is not much research on its use for menopause. We found only one double-blind, placebo-controlled study (Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, Aug. 2007). Another study found that Pycnogenol has no estrogenic activity (Journal of Reproductive Medicine, Aug. 2007).
We are sending you our Guide to Menopause with a discussion of Pycnogenol and other approaches to relieving hot flashes. Compared to prescription drugs like Prempro, Effexor or Pristiq, Pycnogenol appears to have few side effects.
Was this information helpful? Average rating: 4.9/5 (45 votes)
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One of the reasons I delight in this space is the deliciously understated way in which you question foolish talk. It is the verbal equivalent to an imperceptibly lifted eyebrow. Brava!
OMG!! I cannot believe that GYN could have possibly made those comments. What a great (and scary) example of the fact that many, many MD's are still woefully ignorant about nutrition and supplements, i.e., proactive healthcare. Pycnogenol is a wonderful supplement, a great antioxidant, no side effects, nothing but good. I've taken it for many years.
I tried Pycnogenol about a year ago. I took it for 1 1/2 months but unfortunately it didn't help. I continue to have hot flashes about every two hours all around the clock. I've read that all supplements are not necessarily alike and sometimes one brand will work versus another. I did a web search to find it.
I have been taking Pine Bark Extract/Pycnogenol for several months for hot flashes as a result of premature menopause from treatment for hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. I'm currently getting monthly injections to keep my ovaries shut down (along with another med to rid my body of most of the rest of the estrogen), but the hot flashes have been severe. Pine Bark Extract/Pycnogenol helped. It took the edge off and my oncologist was okay with it. However, my estradiol levels are going up (from practically nothing after the first few months of ovarian suppression) and that is worrisome, so my Oncologist told me to stop taking the extract.
Since it helps (at least in some) with hot flashes, that suggests that it might exerted a hormonal influence. The one study suggesting that pycnogenol "has no estrogenic activity" was not specifically looking at/testing for that and was also very small. I wish I could feel more confident that it wasn't going to spur my cancer, because it really helped with my hot flashes, it seems to offer other benefits as well and, in general, it seems to be a very safe herb.
I feel very conflicted.