Why women are turning to NAD+ for menopause symptoms, and what the science says

|Helixa Communications
Woman in midlife holding a NEU+ 60 ml NAD+ drink, used in an article about NAD+ for menopause symptoms, energy and brain fog support.

If you’re a woman in your 40s or 50s, you know your body is changing. The symptoms caused by the fluctuations and decrease in estrogen levels during your perimenopause are difficult to ignore: hot flushes, poor sleep, fatigue, and brain fog. And when estrogen stabilizes in your post-menopause, there come the long-term health issues like osteoporosis and cardiovascular risks. 

Chances are you’re experiencing this while being a successful professional, business leader, or just someone who wants to finally enjoy time with family and friends, full of energy. 

But funnily enough, even when what you’re experiencing affects half of humanity, research and funding around menopause are lagging. Without much guidance, you’re probably looking for options to deal with menopause’s symptoms in a way that’s easy, low-risk, and effective. Among non-hormonal supplements, NAD+ for menopause is increasingly seen as a great option to increase energy levels, fight brain fog, and keep up with life and ageing in a healthy, energized way.  

In this article, you’ll find science-based and practical information on what’s known about NAD+ for menopause, how it impacts energy levels, brain fog, and ageing, and whether an NAD+ drink is a good option as you age.  

Contents

Does NAD+ help with menopause?

NAD+ supplements can help with menopause symptoms as they boost NAD+ levels, an essential molecule for your cells to produce energy, especially in those most demanding tissues like muscles and the brain. The way NAD+ works overlaps with some of the most common symptoms during menopause, like fatigue and brain fog, and that’s why many women are looking at NAD+ supplements as a way to support energy levels when hormones start to fluctuate. 

Why menopause drains your energy and clarity

You’re born with a set number of ovules, and as you age, two things happen: your oocyte reserve declines with every cycle, and your ovaries gradually age and lose functional capacity. This means the ovaries become less capable of producing key sexual hormones like estrogen and progesterone. 

During this gradual process, hormones, making your periods unpredictable. This transition phase, where you still experience menstruation, is called perimenopause, and after you get your last period, you’ll step into what’s called postmenopause, where estrogen and progesterone levels are steady but much lower than before.

Coloured line graph showing changes in vasomotor, sleep, cognitive, depressive and sexual symptoms in the years around the final menstrual period, used to explain why women look at NAD+ for menopause.

Menopause symptoms like hot flushes, sleep changes, mood and cognitive symptoms rise and fall around different stages of menopause.

The problem is that estrogen and progesterone are not only about reproduction. In fact, your brain has estrogen receptors that regulate body temperature and energy production. This means that as estrogen levels fluctuate and decline, your body temperature dysregulates and you experience hot flushes and night sweats, which, together with the natural decline of melatonin during ageing, disrupt your sleep. Progesterone decline could also play a role in sleep disruption here, as some evidence shows it binds to receptors in your brain that boost relaxing signals

The poor sleep and energy imbalance that happens during menopause explains the fatigue, brain fog, and even depressive symptoms many women suffer. But while you experience these hormonal changes, your body is also going through other biological changes that come with ageing. And one of those changes has to do with how your cells produce energy. 

How NAD+ works in your cells

NAD+ is a core molecule for energy production, working by transporting energy released from food to your cell's power plant, the mitochondria, where that energy is transformed into a currency your body can easily use, ATP. 

Despite recent controversy, evidence points to a decline in NAD+ levels as we age in tissues like muscles and the brain, exactly those that consume most energy in our body. 

NAD+ decline could be part of why you experience lower recovery, fatigue, and loss of mental clarity during ageing. If you add on top of other perimenopause symptoms, the energy decline and brain fog are impossible to ignore, and that’s exactly why NAD+ supplements can be useful. 

NAD+ benefits for menopausal women: energy, mental clarity and healthy ageing

Supporting your NAD+ levels can help replenish the natural decline that happens with age, giving your cells more of the molecule they rely on to produce energy. In fact, studies show that NAD+ supplements based on precursors can effectively increase NAD+ levels in the blood without serious adverse effects. 

This translates into reported benefits in energy levels, recovery, muscle function, and mental clarity in athletes, middle-aged, and older adults. In menopausal women, maintaining healthy NAD+ levels can support your body's ability to produce energy during this difficult transition, making it easier to keep up with daily life. 

Menopausal woman sitting on a sofa with a quote about celebrating age at 63, full of energy thanks to using NAD+ for menopause symptons

Ageing is something we should celebrate but can feel difficult when menopause symptoms are severe. NAD+ for menopause can help by supporting healthy ageing and energy levels. 

Beyond energy production, NAD+ supports many other processes in your body, from  DNA repair, inflammation control, to gene expression, all essential for keeping cells healthy as you age. Supporting NAD+ is one way to give your cells more of what they need to keep repairing and adapting. This is especially important during menopause, when ageing processes and hormonal changes overlap, and the pace of ageing accelerates.

Unsurprisingly, clinical trials around NAD+ focused on women with menopause are limited. But there are some. One clinical trial has reported encouraging results, showing significant reductions in menopause symptoms when supplementing with NAD+. These findings are encouraging, but they need to be confirmed in larger and more robust studies.

Ovarian ageing and NAD+: a new promising connection

Beyond the interconnection between menopause and NAD+ in energy production, researchers are starting to explore a new question: could NAD+ play a role in the processes that lead to menopause? 

Ovarian ageing is the gradual decline in ovule number, quality, and ovarian function that, at some point, results in menopause. Ageing here means ovarian cells do not work as efficiently as before, leading to poor mitochondrial function, increased oxidative stress and reduced hormone production. 

Animal studies suggest NAD+ can play a role in this process. In aging female mice, ovaries show lower NAD+ levels and weaker mitochondrial function. When these mice were supplemented with NAD+ precursors, the results were very positive in terms of ovarian mitochondria functioning, frequency of ovulation, and fertility. These are still animal studies, which might not translate as well to humans, especially in women, as lab mice do not menstruate.

Studies in humans have been done around ovarian polycystic syndrome, a condition where cells surrounding immature oocytes are highly inflamed, making them dysfunctional and producing alterations similar to ovarian ageing. In women with this syndrome, NAD+ was reduced in those cells, and increasing NAD+ levels reduced inflammation, oxidative stress and improved mitochondrial function. 

 

Two NEU+ 60 ml NAD+ drinks on a black background with text about a daily shot that supports cellular energy, a way to transition menopause symptons with more energy and mental clarity.

NEU+ daily 60 ml NAD+ drink, a non-hormonal way to support cellular energy for women exploring NAD+ for menopause.

NEU+ NAD+ drink in a healthy menopause routine

Overall, the evidence helps explain why many women are talking about NAD+ and menopause and how it can support them while they navigate menopause symptoms. And in this conversation, implementation is as important as science.

When your life is already full of work and social activities and you feel exhausted, adding another pill or an expensive, time‑consuming treatment is anything but appealing. That's why at NEU+ we've created something for you, an innovative solution that makes NAD+ supplementation something you’ll look for every day. 

We designed the first NAD+ drink in the market: a tasty 60 mL shot that you can drink in seconds. Liquid delivery removes the mechanical barriers of pills and supports faster entry into your digestive mucosa. You can take it once a day, ideally linked to something you already do every morning, like breakfast or coffee, without having to swallow another pill or spend hours and hundreds of pounds on injections. 

Our NAD+ drink gives you a non-hormonal way to support cellular energy and brain function as you work through a transition that has been neglected by research for decades. It does not replace hormone therapy, medical advice, or lifestyle changes like movement and food (which really help with symptoms as well), but it gives your cells daily support to help you feel energized and healthy as you transition through menopause.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does NAD+ help with menopause symptoms like fatigue and brain fog?

NAD+ is central to how your cells turn food into energy, especially in high‑demand tissues like muscles and the brain, so supporting NAD+ levels gives these cells more of what they need to power focus, clarity and day‑to‑day energy during perimenopause and postmenopause.

Are NAD+ supplements safe for women in perimenopause and postmenopause?

Clinical studies of NAD+ precursors such as nicotinamide riboside and NMN report good short‑term tolerability, mainly mild digestive complaints at studied doses, and no major safety signals so far. For perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, the safest approach is to use evidence‑based doses, choose trusted products, and discuss NAD+ with your doctor, especially if you take HRT or other medication.

Is NAD+ a replacement for hormone therapy or lifestyle changes?

No, NAD+ is not a replacement for hormone therapy, medical treatment or lifestyle changes. Hormone therapy targets the estrogen and progesterone changes that drive many menopause symptoms, while NAD+ supports cellular energy and repair, which means it works best as a complement to, not instead of, HRT, movement, nutrition and sleep strategies.

Can NAD+ slow ovarian ageing or delay menopause?

In ageing female mice, boosting NAD+ improves ovarian mitochondrial function and ovulation, suggesting a link between ovarian ageing and NAD+, but this evidence is preclinical and does not show that NAD+ delays menopause in women. So far, no human trial has proved that NAD+ supplements change the timing of menopause, so this remains an area of active research rather than an established benefit.

How should I choose an NAD+ supplement or drink for menopause fatigue?

Different products use different NAD+ precursors, such as nicotinamide riboside or NMN, and they consistently raise NAD+ levels in blood or tissues, but there is no clear “best” option for menopause fatigue yet. Focus on formats you will take every day, such as an NAD+ drink if you prefer liquid over capsules, look for quality and transparency in the brand, and check with your clinician about any interaction with HRT or other medicines.