Supplements and Natural Support for Women: 62 Statistics Behind the Bottles

Supplements & Natural Support for Women: The Statistics Behind the Bottles

62 research-backed statistics on what women are taking, what the evidence actually says, what doctors don't know you're using, and what the industry isn't telling you.

Last updated: April 2026

79% of women in the US take dietary supplements. Most don't tell their doctor. Most doctors don't ask. And the $210 billion supplement industry isn't required to prove its products work before selling them to you. These are the numbers you should see before you buy another bottle.

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Who's Taking Them Supplements & Menopause Most Popular Supplements What the Evidence Says The Doctor-Patient Gap Safety & Interactions Real Deficiencies The Industry What Women Spend
Section 1 of 9

Who's Taking Them

Nearly 4 out of 5 women. And the older you get, the more likely you are.

79%
Of female adults in the US use dietary supplements.
CRN Consumer Survey, 2019
80.2%
Of women aged 60+ use supplements — the highest rate of any age-gender group.
CDC/NCHS, NHANES 2017-2018
75%
Of all American adults now report consuming dietary supplements.
CRN Consumer Survey, 2024
25%
Of adults aged 60+ take four or more supplements daily.
CDC/NCHS, 2021
48% → 56%
Supplement use among US adults increased from 48.4% to 56.1% between 2007 and 2018. It's still climbing.
CDC/NCHS, 2021
Section 2 of 9

Supplements & Menopause

Half of menopausal women turn to supplements. Most were never offered anything else.

51%
of menopausal women use complementary and alternative medicine specifically for their symptoms.
Maturitas Systematic Review, 2013
46% drop
HRT use among postmenopausal women dropped 46% after the 2002 Women's Health Initiative results. Many women switched to supplements instead.
UCLA Health
91,000
Postmenopausal women in the US who may have died prematurely between 2002-2012 from conditions HRT might have helped prevent, after the WHI-driven decline.
NPR / Published Study, 2013
20.6%
Reduction in hot flash frequency from soy isoflavones (median dose 54mg) compared to placebo, with 26.2% reduction in severity.
Menopause Journal, meta-analysis of 17 trials, 2012

Most Popular Supplements

What women over 40 are actually reaching for — and how fast the trends are shifting.

39%
Take a multivitamin-mineral — still the most popular supplement for women 60+.
CDC/NCHS
37%
Take vitamin D — the second most popular supplement for adults 60+.
CDC/NCHS
22%
Take omega-3 fatty acids — third most popular for adults 60+.
CDC/NCHS
4x increase
Ashwagandha usage rose from 2% to 8% of supplement users between 2020 and 2024. The fastest-growing adaptogen.
CRN Consumer Survey, 2024
19% → 23%
Magnesium supplement use rose from 19% to 23% of users between 2023 and 2024.
CRN, 2024
16%
Take melatonin — up from 10% in 2020. Sleep supplements are surging.
CRN, 2024
Section 4 of 9

What the Evidence Actually Says

Some supplements have strong research behind them. Some don't. Here's the honest picture.

“Insufficient evidence”
The 2023 NAMS position statement concluded that supplements and herbal remedies have “negative or insufficient evidence” and are not recommended for hot flashes.
NAMS Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement, 2023
Omega-3: Strong
Meta-analysis confirms omega-3 significantly reduces inflammatory markers CRP, TNF-alpha, and IL-6. Solid evidence for inflammation.
International Immunopharmacology, 2022
Probiotics: Promising
Meta-analysis of 39 studies found positive effects on menopausal symptoms, urogenital health, and vaginal microbiome. Lactobacillus drops from 83% to 54% postmenopause.
Nutrients, 2023
Collagen: Mixed
When only non-industry-funded studies were analysed, collagen supplements showed no significant effect on skin hydration or elasticity.
Nutrients, 2023
Black Cohosh: Weak
Cochrane-methodology review concluded “not enough evidence to support” black cohosh for menopause symptoms.
NCCIH
Section 5 of 9

The Doctor-Patient Gap

Most women don't tell their doctor. The main reason? Their doctor never asked.

70%
of women do not tell their healthcare providers about their supplement use.
Journal of Women's Health, 2005
57%
The number one reason for not disclosing: “My doctor didn't ask.” Over half of non-disclosers said nobody brought it up.
JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016
46%
Believed their doctor “didn't need to know” about their supplements.
JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016
Only 33%
Of supplements were disclosed to healthcare providers in one tracking study — 156 out of 466 total supplements.
PMC, 2019

Your doctor doesn't know what you're taking. And some of those supplements interact with your medication. This gap is dangerous — and it's on both sides.

Section 6 of 9

Safety & Interactions

23,000 emergency department visits a year. And that's just the ones people report.

23,000
Emergency department visits per year in the US attributed to dietary supplement adverse events.
New England Journal of Medicine, 2015
31.5%
Of older adults using supplements were at risk of at least one drug-supplement interaction.
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
30%
Of multivitamins tested did not meet their ingredient label claims.
ConsumerLab.com Testing
12–58%
Contamination rates found across dietary supplements in 23 studies.
Frontiers, 2023
Section 7 of 9

Real Deficiencies in Women Over 40

Some supplements address genuine gaps. Here's where women are actually falling short.

97%
Of women in all age groups don't get enough vitamin D from diet alone.
NHANES Data
45%
Of women aged 31-65 don't meet their magnesium needs from diet.
NHANES Data
74%
Of women aged 51-65 don't meet their calcium needs from diet.
NHANES Data
41%
Of US adults have vitamin D insufficiency. 22% have moderate deficiency. Higher in women than men.
Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022
61%
Of adults had magnesium intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement. Nearly two-thirds of us aren't getting enough.
Linus Pauling Institute / NHANES
Section 8 of 9

The Industry

$210 billion. 80,000 products. No pre-market approval required.

80,000+
Dietary supplement products on the US market — up from approximately 4,000 in 1994. None required to prove they work before being sold to you.
CRN · FDA
$209.5 billion
Global dietary supplements market in 2025. Projected to reach $393.5 billion by 2033.
Grand View Research, 2024
$1.63 billion
The menopause supplement market specifically — projected to reach $2.62 billion by 2033.
Future Market Insights
94%
Of the broader menopause market revenue comes from dietary supplements — not prescription treatments.
Grand View Research, 2025
Section 9 of 9

What Women Spend

The monthly cost of trying to feel better when the system isn't helping.

$56/month
Average American spending on supplements. Over 60% spend more than $40/month.
Consumer Survey
$12.8 billion
Spent out-of-pocket on natural product supplements by Americans annually.
NCCIH
20% more
Women paid approximately 20% more for out-of-pocket medical expenses than men in 2021.
STAT News, 2023
Heaviest burden
Low-income households bear the heaviest supplement cost as a proportion of income.
Preventive Medicine, 2017

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Supplements 2026

The Statistics Behind the Bottles

79%

of US adult women take dietary supplements

80%

of women aged 60+ use supplements — the highest of any group

51%

of menopausal women use complementary medicine for symptoms

70%

of women don't tell their doctor about their supplement use

23,000

US emergency room visits per year from supplement adverse events

80,000+

supplement products on the US market — none pre-approved by FDA

97%

of women don't get enough vitamin D from diet alone

$210B

global supplement market size — projected to hit $394B by 2033

Source: Supplement Statistics for Women
by Hormone Harmony HQ

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How we compiled this page: Every statistic is sourced from peer-reviewed research, CDC/NHANES data, Cochrane reviews, NCCIH, FDA, or industry surveys (CRN). We present both positive and negative evidence for supplements — this page exists to inform, not to sell. Updated regularly. Spot an error? Email hello@hormoneharmonyhq.health.

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