Research review
What does resveratrol do for women? What the research does and doesn't show
A map of resveratrol research in women: hormones, menopause trials at 150 mg a day, polycystic ovary syndrome trials and a fertility-treatment caution.
The evidence does not support resveratrol as a supplement with established benefits for women, and it does not show that it raises estrogen. In a 40-woman pilot, 1 g a day for 12 weeks did not change blood estradiol. The best-known trials, in postmenopausal women at 150 mg a day, found small changes in some measures and none in many others.
What the evidence doesn't support
It does not support resveratrol as an estrogen replacement or "natural estrogen". The one trial that measured blood sex hormones found estradiol, estrone and testosterone unchanged. It does not support any dose for women as such: no trial compared doses, and none was designed to find a sex-specific one. It does not support using trials in women with polycystic ovary syndrome or after menopause as a guide for other women. And it does not show that resveratrol is safe when trying to conceive or during pregnancy. This page is a research review, not advice. For the wider evidence, see resveratrol benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
What the trials found
We searched PubMed on 2 October 2026 for resveratrol with postmenopausal, estrogen, polycystic ovary syndrome and women-specific terms, and read every abstract below. Two groups dominate: one research group's trials in postmenopausal women at 75 mg twice a day, and trials in women with polycystic ovary syndrome at 1,000-1,500 mg a day. The 14-week papers appear to report one trial, and the 12-month bone and 24-month cognition papers one trial, so count them as two trials, not four.
| Study | Population | Dose and form | Duration | Result | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex hormones: does it raise estrogen? | |||||
| PMID 25115686 (2014) | 40 postmenopausal women with BMI 25 or more; no placebo group | 1 g a day | 12 weeks | Estradiol, estrone and testosterone did not change; SHBG rose about 10% and urinary 2-hydroxyestrone 73%; diarrhea in 30%; 6 withdrew for adverse events | Low: pilot, no placebo |
| Postmenopausal women: reviews | |||||
| PMID 40771919 (2025) | 10 trials, 928 postmenopausal women | Varied | Varied | Lower pain scores and a bone-resorption marker; no effect on cognition, mood, glucose, lipids, blood pressure, sleep or menopausal symptoms | Low |
| PMID 39799097 (2025) | 2 trials in postmenopausal women | Varied | Varied | No change in total, LDL or HDL cholesterol or triglycerides | Low: two studies |
| Postmenopausal women: trials | |||||
| PMID 28350759 (2017) | 80 healthy postmenopausal women | 75 mg twice a day trans-resveratrol (150 mg a day) | 14 weeks | Lower pain and higher total well-being scores than placebo | Low: self-rated, one trial |
| PMID 28054939 (2017) | 80 postmenopausal women aged 45-85 | Dose not in this abstract | 14 weeks | Better verbal memory and overall cognitive score than placebo; mood did not significantly differ | Low |
| PMID 32900519 (2021) | 125 postmenopausal women aged 45-85 | 75 mg twice a day (150 mg a day) | 12 months, then crossover | Overall cognitive score 33% better than placebo (effect size 0.17); fasting insulin also lower | Low to moderate: one larger trial |
| PMID 32564438 (2020) | Postmenopausal women in the same 24-month crossover trial | 75 mg twice a day (150 mg a day) | 12 months per period | Small bone density gains at the spine (+0.016 g/cm2) and hip (+0.005 g/cm2) versus placebo; larger with vitamin D plus calcium | Low to moderate |
| PMID 23102619 (2012) | Nonobese postmenopausal women with normal glucose tolerance | 75 mg a day | 12 weeks | No change in body composition, lipids, inflammation or insulin sensitivity | Moderate for a null result |
| Women with polycystic ovary syndrome | |||||
| PMID 27754722 (2016) | 34 women (30 completed) | 1,500 mg a day | 3 months | Total testosterone fell 23.1%, fasting insulin 31.8%; gonadotropins and lipids did not change | Low: 30 women |
| PMID 33610422 (2021) | 78 women aged 18-40 | 1,000 mg a day | 3 months | More regular periods (76.5% versus 51.6%) and less hair loss; androgens, insulin and lipids unchanged | Low |
| Fertility treatment | |||||
| PMID 31160243 (2019) | 102 women (204 embryo-transfer cycles) taking it versus 2,958 women not; retrospective | 200 mg a day | During embryo-transfer cycles | Fewer clinical pregnancies (odds ratio 0.54) and more miscarriages (odds ratio 2.6); association, not cause | Low: retrospective, but a caution |
Resveratrol benefits for women: where the evidence is, and isn't
The evidence for postmenopausal women is real but narrow: a few trials at 150 mg a day, mostly from one group, with small gains in self-rated pain, cognitive scores and bone density, and a meta-analysis that found nothing on most other measures. The polycystic ovary syndrome results come from doses of 1,000 mg and above, many times the 150 mg a day used in the postmenopausal trials. There is almost nothing on premenopausal women without a diagnosis. Side effects are covered in resveratrol side effects.
Questions people ask
Does resveratrol increase estrogen?
Not in the one trial that measured it: 1 g a day for 12 weeks did not change blood estradiol or estrone in postmenopausal women with a BMI of 25 or more, though it changed SHBG and a urinary estrogen metabolite (PMID 25115686). It had no placebo group, so treat it as a lead.
What is the dosage of resveratrol for women?
There is no established dose for women. The trials above used 75 mg twice a day in postmenopausal women, 1 g in overweight postmenopausal women, 1,000 to 1,500 mg in polycystic ovary syndrome, and 200 mg during fertility treatment. We give no recommendation; see resveratrol dosage.
What are the side effects of resveratrol in women?
In the one trial that reported them in detail, diarrhea affected 30% of 40 postmenopausal women taking 1 g a day, six withdrew for adverse events, one had a grade 4 liver enzyme rise and two had grade 3 skin rashes. The two PCOS trials above did not report such findings in their abstracts. See who should not take resveratrol.
Is one resveratrol supplement better for women?
No trial compared products, forms or brands in women, so no supplement can be named. Check the label amount of trans-resveratrol and ask a doctor if you take any medicine.
Is resveratrol safe if I am pregnant or trying to conceive?
We found no trial that establishes safety in pregnancy, and the one retrospective fertility-treatment study above found worse outcomes in women taking 200 mg a day. That shows association, not cause, but this page gives no guidance on use in pregnancy or when trying to conceive. Ask a doctor first.
When to talk to a doctor
Resveratrol is a dietary supplement, not a treatment for menopause symptoms, bone loss, polycystic ovary syndrome or any other condition. If you have one of them, are pregnant or nursing, or take regular medicine, talk to your doctor before adding it, and do not stop prescribed treatment because of anything here. See resveratrol and medications.
Sources
- A pilot clinical study of resveratrol in postmenopausal women with high body mass index: effects on systemic sex steroid hormones In 40 overweight postmenopausal women, 1 g a day for 12 weeks did not change blood estradiol; diarrhea affected 30%, and six women withdrew for adverse events.
- Effects of resveratrol on postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis Across 10 trials in 928 postmenopausal women, resveratrol was associated with lower pain scores and a lower bone-resorption marker, and nothing else measured.
- Effects of resveratrol on the lipid profile of post-menopause women: Systematic review and meta-analysis Pooling two trials, resveratrol did not change blood lipids in postmenopausal women.
- Resveratrol supplementation reduces pain experience by postmenopausal women In 80 postmenopausal women, 150 mg a day for 14 weeks was followed by lower pain scores and higher well-being scores than placebo.
- Effects of Resveratrol on Cognitive Performance, Mood and Cerebrovascular Function in Post-Menopausal Women; A 14-Week Randomised Placebo-Controlled Intervention Trial In 80 postmenopausal women, 14 weeks of resveratrol was followed by better verbal memory and overall cognitive scores than placebo.
- Long-term effects of resveratrol on cognition, cerebrovascular function and cardio-metabolic markers in postmenopausal women: A 24-month randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study In 125 postmenopausal women, 150 mg a day for 12 months was followed by better overall cognitive scores than placebo.
- Regular Supplementation With Resveratrol Improves Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial In postmenopausal women, 75 mg twice a day for 12 months was followed by small increases in bone density at the spine and hip versus placebo.
- Resveratrol supplementation does not improve metabolic function in nonobese women with normal glucose tolerance In nonobese postmenopausal women, 75 mg a day for 12 weeks changed none of the measured outcomes versus placebo.
- Effects of Resveratrol on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial In 30 women with polycystic ovary syndrome, 1,500 mg a day for 3 months was followed by lower testosterone and insulin than placebo.
- Effect of resveratrol on menstrual cyclicity, hyperandrogenism and metabolic profile in women with PCOS In 78 women with polycystic ovary syndrome, 1,000 mg a day for 3 months was followed by more regular periods and less hair loss than placebo, with no change in androgens.
- Influence of resveratrol supplementation on IVF-embryo transfer cycle outcomes In a retrospective study of IVF cycles, women taking 200 mg a day of resveratrol had lower pregnancy rates and more miscarriages; it shows association, not cause.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.