Shatavari: Menopause and Female Reproductive Health

Table of Contents

1. Why Researchers Looked at Shatavari
2. The Perimenopause Trial (2025)
3. The Menopause Trials
4. The 24-Week Postmenopause Trial (2025)
5. Muscle and Bone: Two Trials, Two Pictures
6. The PCOS Trial (2026)
7. Fertility Claims
8. Is Shatavari "Estrogenic"?
9. Retraction, Overlapping Authors and Sponsorship
10. What Is Still Not Known
11. Key Research Papers
12. Connections

Why Researchers Looked at Shatavari

A 2007 review stated that Shatavari "is mainly known for its phytoestrogenic properties," and tied the rising interest directly to doubts about hormone replacement therapy: with "an increasing realization that hormone replacement therapy with synthetic oestrogens is neither as safe nor as effective as previously envisaged, the interest in plant-derived oestrogens has increased tremendously." Several of the recent trial reports open the same way, describing women seeking plant-based alternatives because of concerns about hormonal treatment.

A phytoestrogen is a plant compound that can bind oestrogen receptors in laboratory tests. Whether a given plant has meaningful oestrogen-like effects in the human body is a separate question that needs separate evidence — a theme this page comes back to.

For the standard medical picture of the transition itself, see this site's pages on perimenopause, menopause and hot flashes and night sweats.

The Perimenopause Trial (2025)

Published in the International Journal of Women's Health, this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study screened 120 women with perimenopausal symptoms and randomised 80: 40 to 300 mg of Shatavari root extract once daily and 40 to placebo, for 8 weeks. Seventy-three completed (37 and 36).

Reported results for the extract group:

• Greater improvement on the Menopause Rating Scale (somato-vegetative, psychological and urogenital domains) and on the Perceived Stress Scale (p < 0.0001).
• Better fatigue scores at week 8 and vigour at week 4.
• Hot flashes improved significantly more (p = 0.002).
• Estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the thyroid hormone T3 increased.
• No adverse effects on liver or kidney function.

The hormone finding is the most unusual part. In perimenopause, FSH typically rises as the ovaries wind down, so a rise in FSH alongside estradiol is not easy to interpret, and the abstract does not explain it. It is a single measurement in 73 women and needs replication before anyone can say what it means.

The Menopause Trials

Multicentre trial in India (2024)

Published in Cureus, this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study randomised 70 women with menopausal symptoms, 35 to an Ayurvedic Shatavari formulation and 35 to microcrystalline cellulose placebo. The report describes a significant advantage over placebo for hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness, vaginal dryness and loss of libido, and a better score on the Utian quality-of-life scale, with no significant adverse events. The authors called for "longer duration and larger and more diverse sample sizes."

Three-arm trial with ashwagandha (2025)

Published in Frontiers in Reproductive Health and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06716554), this 8-week multicentre trial enrolled 135 women aged 45 to 65 and split them into three groups of 45: Shatavari root extract alone, Shatavari combined with ashwagandha root extract, or placebo.

The detail that matters: the significant improvements in the main outcome, the Menopause Rating Scale, were reported for the combination, which beat both Shatavari alone (p < 0.0001 at weeks 4 and 8) and placebo. The abstract does not report a significant difference between Shatavari alone and placebo on that scale. Hormone levels stayed within normal ranges. Mild adverse events were reported by four women: loose stools and dizziness in the combination group, nausea in the Shatavari-alone group and headache in the placebo group. The authors describe Shatavari as safe and effective, but say the combination "demonstrated a promising option."

The 24-Week Postmenopause Trial (2025)

Published in the Journal of Menopausal Medicine, this double-blind randomised study enrolled postmenopausal women aged 40 to 55 into six groups: placebo; Shatavari aqueous extract at 250 mg or 500 mg; ashwagandha extract at 250 mg or 500 mg; or a 500 mg combination of 250 mg of each. Treatment lasted 24 weeks, the longest of any Shatavari trial on this page.

The supplemented groups showed dose-dependent falls in menopause-specific quality-of-life scores (where lower is better) and in a measure of blood-vessel function (the reflection index), compared with placebo. Women given either extract also had lower levels of several blood markers of bone breakdown, higher levels of osteoprotegerin (a bone-protecting protein), and lower levels of the inflammation marker hs-CRP and an oxidative-stress marker. The abstract does not give the number of women enrolled.

These are markers, not fractures or measured bone loss over years. They suggest an effect worth checking; they do not show that Shatavari protects bones.

Muscle and Bone: Two Trials, Two Pictures

A small UK trial published in Nutrients in 2021 is one of the few Shatavari trials run outside India. Twenty postmenopausal women with an average age of 68.5 took 1,000 mg a day of Shatavari (described as equal to 26,500 mg of fresh root) or placebo for six weeks.

• Grip strength improved slightly with Shatavari (+0.7 kg against −0.4 kg with placebo; p = 0.04).
• Knee-extensor (thigh) strength did not change.
• Muscle biopsies showed more phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain, a protein change linked to better muscle contraction, and of a signalling protein called Akt.
• Blood markers of bone turnover (P1NP and β-CTX) did not change, and blood serum from the Shatavari group did not change the behaviour of human bone-forming cells in the laboratory.

So one six-week trial found no bone-marker effect, while the 24-week trial above found falls in bone-breakdown markers. Different extracts, doses, durations and populations could explain the difference, or either result could be chance. The authors of the muscle trial called for "larger and more diverse cohorts."

The PCOS Trial (2026)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that can cause irregular cycles, excess androgen and difficulty conceiving; see this site's PCOS page. A 2026 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Frontiers in Endocrinology gave standardised Shatavari root extract or placebo to 70 women aged 20 to 40 with PCOS for 12 weeks; 66 completed.

• Ovarian volume, part of the primary outcome, did not differ between groups (p = 0.254).
• Follicle count fell and endometrial thickness (the uterine lining) increased with Shatavari compared with placebo.
• Perceived stress scores fell by an average of 6.64 points with Shatavari.
• Hormone levels, body mass index, HbA1c, lipids, insulin, and liver, kidney and thyroid tests did not differ.
• Mild-to-moderate adverse events occurred in 11.4% of the Shatavari group and 8.5% of the placebo group, reported as unrelated to treatment.

The absence of any change in hormones or insulin is notable, because those are central to how PCOS is understood. The trial did not measure ovulation, pregnancy or menstrual regularity as reported outcomes in its abstract.

Fertility Claims

Fertility is where claims run furthest ahead of the data. A 2025 review in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association describes shatavarin IV as a remedy for female infertility that facilitates folliculogenesis and ovulation, prepares the uterus, prevents miscarriage and enhances lactation. That review also promotes a commercial root formulation. Its statements are not backed by any fertility trial in women in the research behind this page.

A more cautious 2025 review in Current Nutrition Reports says recent work "suggest[s] that Shatavari has the potential to enhance fertility rates," calls the male-fertility findings "preliminary," and concludes that "further comprehensive clinical studies are necessary to confirm its effects, establish safety profiles." A 2024 literature review of Ayurvedic herbs in female reproductive health, including Shatavari, likewise emphasises research gaps and "the need for further rigorous research and clinical trials."

No randomised trial in the research behind this page measured pregnancy or live birth as an outcome.

Is Shatavari "Estrogenic"?

This is the most repeated claim about the herb, and the least tested in people. The evidence offered for it falls into three groups:

• Tradition and description. Reviews call the plant "phytoestrogenic," and LactMed lists the shatavarins among its "steroidal saponins phytoestrogens."
• Computer modelling. A 2024 molecular-docking study modelled how seven shatavarins fit oestrogen receptors alpha, beta and gamma, the progesterone receptor and the FSH and LH receptors, and reported binding scores. Docking is a computer prediction of fit; it does not measure whether a compound switches a receptor on, blocks it, or reaches it at all in a living body.
• Hormone measurements in trials. One perimenopause trial reported a rise in estradiol; the three-arm menopause trial reported that "normal hormonal levels were maintained"; the PCOS trial found no hormone differences.

What is missing is any study showing an oestrogen-like effect on human tissue — on the lining of the uterus, the breast, or the vagina — in the way such effects are measured for drugs. Until such work exists, "estrogenic" describes a hypothesis, not a demonstrated property. The Red Clover page shows what a phytoestrogen question looks like when more data exist.

Retraction, Overlapping Authors and Sponsorship

Two features of this small evidence base are worth knowing about.

A retracted trial. A 2025 randomised trial reporting that a standardised Shatavari root extract improved hormonal balance, menstrual health and hot flashes in perimenopausal women, published in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association, has been retracted. It is not used anywhere on these pages, and readers may still find it quoted elsewhere.

Overlapping research teams. The perimenopause trial, the three-arm menopause trial and the 2025 lactation trial share authors (one of them listed at a contract research organisation in two of the three papers), and the PCOS trial shares a university affiliation with the perimenopause trial. The trials whose abstracts carry a conflict-of-interest statement declare none. Even so, independent replication by unconnected groups is what turns a promising result into a reliable one, and for Shatavari it has largely not happened yet. The UK muscle trial is the main exception.

What Is Still Not Known

• Whether Shatavari alone, rather than in combination with ashwagandha, reliably beats placebo for menopausal symptoms.
• Whether any benefit lasts beyond 8 to 24 weeks.
• What the hormone changes in the perimenopause trial mean, and whether they replicate.
• Whether bone-marker changes translate into less bone loss or fewer fractures.
• Whether it affects ovulation, pregnancy or live birth in PCOS or other infertility.
• Whether it is safe in people with hormone-sensitive conditions, such as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer or endometriosis — no study has looked.
• How it interacts with hormone therapy, the contraceptive pill or fertility drugs.

Decisions about menopause and fertility treatment belong with a clinician, who can weigh these unknowns against treatments with larger evidence bases.

Key Research Papers

1. Mahajan S, Avad P, Langade J. Efficacy and Safety of Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) Root Extract for Perimenopause: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. International journal of women's health. 2025;17:4057-4073. PubMed PMID: 41209045
2. Gudise VS, Dasari MP, Kuricheti SSK. Efficacy and Safety of Shatavari Root Extract for the Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Double-Blind, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial. Cureus. 2024;16(4):e57879. PubMed PMID: 38725785
3. Ademola J, Ajgaonkar A, Debnath T, et al. Efficacy and safety of Shatavari root extract (Asparagus racemosus) for menopausal symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, three-arm, placebo-controlled study. Frontiers in reproductive health. 2025;7:1654503. PubMed PMID: 41394012
4. Pingali U, Nutalapati C, Wang Y. Ashwagandha and Shatavari Extracts Dose-Dependently Reduce Menopause Symptoms, Vascular Dysfunction, and Bone Resorption in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Journal of menopausal medicine. 2025;31(1):21-34. PubMed PMID: 40347163
5. O'Leary MF, Jackman SR, Sabou VR, et al. Shatavari Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women Improves Handgrip Strength and Increases Vastus lateralis Myosin Regulatory Light Chain Phosphorylation but Does Not Alter Markers of Bone Turnover. Nutrients. 2021;13(12). PubMed PMID: 34959836
6. Mhatre Y, Jadhav P, Malik A, et al. Efficacy and safety of Shatavari root extract in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Frontiers in endocrinology. 2026;17:1769773. PubMed PMID: 41816216
7. Arora N, Banerjee AK. Molecular docking analysis of shatavarins with female hormonal receptors. Bioinformation. 2024;20(7):775-780. PubMed PMID: 39309564
8. Bopana N, Saxena S. Asparagus racemosus--ethnopharmacological evaluation and conservation needs. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2007;110(1):1-15. PubMed PMID: 17240097
9. Wild Asparagus. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 2006. PubMed PMID: 30000872
10. Banerjee P, Das A, Kumar P, et al. An Updated Insight on the Chemistry, Ethnobotany, and Health Benefits of Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari): With a Special Emphasis on Shatavarin IV. Journal of the American Nutrition Association. 2025;44(8):681-692. PubMed PMID: 40334116
11. Oyovwi MO, Chijiokwu EA, Ben-Azu B, et al. Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus): A Promising Ally for Fertility. Current nutrition reports. 2025;14(1):108. PubMed PMID: 40974515
12. Patibandla S, Gallagher JJ, Patibandla L, et al. Ayurvedic Herbal Medicines: A Literature Review of Their Applications in Female Reproductive Health. Cureus. 2024;16(2):e55240. PubMed PMID: 38558676

PubMed Topic Searches

1. PubMed: Shatavari and menopause
2. PubMed: Shatavari and PCOS
3. PubMed: Shatavari and fertility
4. PubMed: Shatavari as a phytoestrogen

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Connections

• All Herbs
• Calming and Hormonal Herbs — the category this herb sits in
• Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) — the main topic page for the plant
• Shatavari: Benefits Deep Dive — the evidence hub
• Breast Milk and Lactation Claims — the galactagogue evidence
• Shatavarins and Plant Chemistry — including the docking study
• What the Animal Evidence Can and Cannot Say — the preclinical background
• Ashwagandha — the herb combined with Shatavari in two trials
• Black Cohosh — a menopause herb with a longer trial record
• Red Clover: Isoflavones and Hormones — the phytoestrogen question with more data
• Dong Quai — a Chinese women's-health root
• Kacip Fatimah — a Malaysian women's tonic
• Perimenopause — the transition itself
• Hot Flashes and Night Sweats — vasomotor symptoms and their treatments
• PCOS — polycystic ovary syndrome
• Menopause Hormones — an animation of the hormonal changes

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