Guide
Who should not take hops?
Hops lacks safety data in pregnancy, breastfeeding and children, and a reference database specifically advises against it alongside sedating medications or in people with depression. Its phytoestrogen content is a documented reason for caution in hormone-sensitive situations.
Hops hasn't been studied for safety in pregnancy, breastfeeding, or children, so the honest default for those groups is to ask a doctor rather than rely on a general guide. Its estrogen-like compound and its sedative effect are two specific, documented reasons certain other people should check first too.
| Situation | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Pregnant or breastfeeding | No published safety data exists in this population; some sources recommend avoiding it during breastfeeding specifically because of its phytoestrogen content |
| Children | No dosing or safety research exists for children |
| A hormone-sensitive condition, or on hormone-affecting medication | Hops contains a compound described as one of the most potent phytoestrogens identified so far |
| Taking a sedating medication, or living with depression | A national reference database specifically advises against combining hops with other sedating substances or using it in people with depression |
| Liver or kidney disease | No dedicated research exists either way |
| Trying to conceive (male partner) | Animal research found hops extract lowered testosterone and reduced sperm quality — not established in people, but worth a conversation |
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
No published data exist on hops' safety or on how its compounds pass into breastmilk (PMID 30000893). Some sources specifically recommend avoiding hops during breastfeeding because of its phytoestrogen content (PMID 30000893) — a caution tied to the same compound discussed below, not a general statement that hops is harmful. Ask a doctor before using hops in either situation.
Children
No dosing or safety research exists for hops in children. Ask a doctor or pediatrician before giving a child any hops product.
Hormone-sensitive situations
Hops contains 8-prenylnaringenin, a compound a 2019 pharmacology review describes as one of the most potent phytoestrogens identified to date, responsible for hops' estrogenic activity (PMID 30608650). A 2025 modeling study built specifically for female physiology estimated that this compound reaches measurable, low-nanomolar levels in body tissue after typical supplement-level use, and raised it as a potential concern for endocrine disruption — a risk-assessment model, not a clinical trial, but one built around a real, documented property of the plant, not a hypothetical one (PMID 39793946). If you have a hormone-sensitive condition (including a history of hormone-sensitive cancer), are on hormone-affecting medication, or are otherwise cautious about phytoestrogen exposure, ask a doctor before using hops.
Male reproductive health: animal-only evidence
A 2019 study gave male rats a hops extract daily for 7 weeks at three doses and found every dose significantly lowered testosterone and luteinizing hormone and raised estrogen compared with untreated animals; the lowest dose also reduced sperm count and motility (PMID 30810975). This is animal research only, at doses not directly comparable to a human supplement amount, and it hasn't been confirmed in people. It's not a reason for alarm on its own, but it's a documented finding worth knowing if you or a partner are trying to conceive — ask a doctor if that applies to you.
Sedating medication, and depression
A national reference database states hops can cause sedation and should be avoided while taking other sedating drugs, and in people with depression (PMID 30000893). That's a specific caution from a clinical reference source, not something this page is inferring — ask a doctor before combining hops with a sedating medication, or if you have depression. More in hops and medications: what to check.
Liver or kidney disease
No dedicated research has tested hops specifically in people with liver or kidney disease. That's an absence of evidence, not evidence of safety — ask a doctor before adding it if either applies to you.
Who this doesn't apply to
Outside the groups above, the research doesn't identify a documented reason for an otherwise healthy adult to avoid hops — though it also doesn't establish much about what it reliably does, covered in hops benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
Questions people ask
Who should not take hops?
People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children, anyone with a hormone-sensitive condition, anyone taking a sedating medication or living with depression, and anyone with liver or kidney disease should check with a doctor first — none of those groups has dedicated safety research to rely on instead.
Does hops extract raise estrogen?
One of its compounds, 8-prenylnaringenin, is described in the research as one of the most potent phytoestrogens known, meaning it acts like estrogen in the body in lab and modeling studies. Whether a typical supplement dose meaningfully changes a person's own hormone levels hasn't been directly tested in a human trial reviewed here.
Is hops extract safe for dogs?
This page covers human safety research only. Ask a veterinarian before giving hops to a dog.
Related reading: hops side effects, hops and medications: what to check, and hops benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
Sources
- Hops A national reference database describes hops as containing bitter acids, flavonoids, phytoestrogens and essential oil, notes its GRAS food status, and describes sedation as a known effect and allergy as rare.
- The Multiple Biological Targets of Hops and Bioactive Compounds A 2019 pharmacology review describes hops' main compounds (xanthohumol, 8-prenylnaringenin) and their lab-level activities, including one of the most potent phytoestrogens known, an antiobesity mechanism seen with concentrated xanthohumol extracts, and inhibition of several liver drug-metabolizing enzymes — laboratory and mechanistic findings, not a clinical outcome in people taking a hops supplement.
- Predicting in vivo concentrations of dietary hop phytoestrogens by physiologically based kinetic modeling A 2025 modeling study describes hops' most potent estrogenic compound as a potential endocrine-disruption concern at supplement-level exposure, predicting it reaches measurable levels in body tissue after use — a risk-assessment model, not a clinical outcome trial.
- Impact of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Humulus Lupulus L. on Sperm Quality, Reproductive Organs and Hormones in Male Rats A 2019 rat study found hops extract, at every dose tested, lowered testosterone and raised estrogen, and the lowest dose reduced sperm count and motility — animal-only findings, at doses not equivalent to a typical human supplement amount.
*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.