How Maca Supports Women Through Perimenopause

Femgenics editorial team · 11 min read

The maca research is unusual among women's wellness ingredients because of its consistency over time. Studies on maca and women's health date back to the late 1990s, with a notable body of clinical work emerging from researchers studying populations in the Andean highlands where maca has been cultivated for thousands of years. The work has continued steadily, including randomized trials in perimenopausal women that examine sleep, mood, energy, and quality-of-life measures.

This is a guide to what that body of research actually shows, why maca is sometimes referred to as non-hormonal, why color matters in maca, and how women in the published trials typically take it.

What Perimenopause Asks of the Body

Perimenopause is the multi-year transition into menopause, defined by shifting ovarian hormones and the symptoms that often accompany them. Cycles become less predictable. Sleep often becomes lighter and more easily interrupted. Mood can feel less stable. Energy often shifts in ways that are not explained by sleep or workload alone.

Behind these changes is the gradual decline of estrogen and progesterone, which interact with nearly every system in the body, from the brain to the bones to the cardiovascular system. The HPA axis, which is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway that governs the body's stress response, is also affected. When the ovary becomes less active, the adrenal glands take on a larger share of the body's hormonal load, and the HPA axis becomes a more central player in how women feel day to day.

This is part of why supportive ingredients that work through the HPA axis have a particular place in the perimenopausal conversation. Maca is one of them.

How Maca Has Been Studied in Women

Maca (Lepidium peruvianum, also called Lepidium meyenii) is a cruciferous root vegetable native to the Andean highlands of Peru, where it has been cultivated at elevations above 12,000 feet for thousands of years. Traditional use covers a range of applications, from food to fertility to vitality. Modern clinical research has examined maca in several adult populations, with the most studied being women across the cycle and the perimenopausal transition.

The clinical trial designs typically involve daily supplementation of 1.5 to 3 grams of maca for 8 to 12 weeks, with measures taken at baseline and at the end of the trial. The most-cited measures include validated scales for menopausal symptoms (such as the Greene Climacteric Scale and the Kupperman Index), quality-of-life inventories, and self-reported energy and sleep ratings.

The pattern across the trials is consistent. Maca groups have reported supportive effects on mood, sleep, energy, and quality of life relative to placebo, with effects emerging cumulatively over the trial period.

The Pre Gelatinized Maca Research

Most of the modern clinical research on maca in perimenopausal women has used a specific form called pre-gelatinized maca. The term refers to a processing method that removes the starch from the raw maca root, leaving a more concentrated and more digestible form of the dried tuber. The gelatinization process does not use gelatin (the name can be misleading); it uses controlled heat and pressure.

Two often-cited trials by Meissner and colleagues in the early 2010s examined pre-gelatinized maca in perimenopausal women, with reported supportive effects on menopausal symptom scores and quality of life over 12 weeks. Subsequent reviews, including a systematic review published in 2022, have synthesized this work and noted the consistency of the findings, while also noting that the field would benefit from larger trials.

The practical point for a woman shopping for maca is that the form on the label matters. Raw maca, pre-gelatinized maca, and maca extracts are all different starting points, and the research most often cited in perimenopausal contexts uses the pre-gelatinized form.

Why the Color of Maca Matters

Maca grows in several colors, determined by the pigmentation of the root rather than by species. The three most-studied colors are black, red, and yellow, and each has a slightly different compound profile based on its plant chemistry.

Yellow maca is the most abundant. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of a typical maca harvest is yellow. Yellow maca is often described in the literature as the general all-purpose form, used in the broadest range of applications.

Red maca is less common, representing roughly 20 to 25 percent of a typical harvest. It has been specifically studied for its supportive role in women's health, with some of the maca trials in perimenopausal women using red maca for its higher concentration of certain pigment-related compounds.

Black maca is the rarest, representing the smallest share of a harvest, and has been specifically studied for its supportive role in energy and stamina, often in contexts of physical and cognitive performance.

When a maca product uses only one color, it captures only one part of this picture.

What the Triple Blend of Black, Red, and Yellow Maca Offers

The logic of a triple blend is that the three studied colors of maca offer different but complementary compound profiles, and that a thoughtful combination captures the range that single-color products cannot. Femgenics DRIVE is a triple blend formulated at 1,000 mg of black maca, 250 mg of red maca, and 250 mg of yellow maca per serving, with 5 mg of Piper Nigrum (black pepper) fruit for absorption support, in a 60 capsule, 30 serving bottle.

The ratio is deliberate. Black maca is weighted highest because of its documented supportive role in energy and stamina, which is one of the most commonly cited perimenopausal complaints. Red maca is included for its supportive role in women's hormonal context. Yellow maca rounds out the blend with its general supportive profile.

The inclusion of Piper Nigrum reflects research on piperine, the active compound in black pepper, as an absorption-supporting ingredient that is widely used alongside botanical supplements. At 5 mg, the dose is intentional and minimal.

How to Take Maca Through Perimenopause

The way women in the published trials typically take maca is straightforward. A few practical notes drawn from the research.

• Daily, anchored to a meal. The published trials use daily supplementation. Most women take maca with breakfast or another consistent meal, both for digestive ease and for daily-habit consistency.
• Over at least 8 to 12 weeks before evaluating. The supportive effects observed in the research emerge cumulatively. Two weeks of maca is not enough time to evaluate what the research describes.
• Alongside the basics that affect energy and mood. Sleep, daylight, regular meals, movement, and rest all interact with how perimenopause feels. Maca is part of a pattern, not a replacement for the rest of it.
• In conversation with your practitioner if you are on medication. Maca is non-hormonal, but women on hormone therapy or other prescribed medication should discuss any new supplement with a prescriber.

What to Look for in a Maca Supplement

If you are evaluating a maca product for a perimenopausal context, here is what to look for.

1. The botanical name is on the label. Lepidium peruvianum or Lepidium meyenii. These are the maca species used in the published research.
2. The colors are named and dosed. Black, red, and yellow, with milligram amounts for each. A label that simply says "maca" without specifying color is leaving out information.
3. The form is named. Pre-gelatinized maca is the form most often used in the perimenopausal research and is the form most women digest comfortably.
4. The dose is in the researched range. Most clinical work uses 1.5 to 3 grams of maca daily. Lower doses appear in the research, but the gram range is the more-studied.
5. The other ingredients are short and serve a purpose. A small amount of Piper Nigrum for absorption support, a vegetable capsule, and standard flow agents are reasonable. Long ingredient lists obscure the maca dose.

Common Questions About Maca in Perimenopause

Is maca a hormone or does it contain phytoestrogens?

Maca is not a hormone, and unlike soy or red clover it is not typically classified as a phytoestrogen. The published research suggests maca works through the HPA axis and the body's broader endocrine signaling rather than by adding plant-based hormonal compounds.

Will maca affect my hormone therapy?

Maca has not shown clinically significant interactions with hormone therapy in published research, but personal medication contexts should be discussed with a prescribing practitioner.

What time of day should I take maca?

The published trials do not specify a particular time. Most women take maca in the morning with breakfast, both for energy support across the day and because daily-habit consistency is easier with a morning anchor.

Can I take maca if I am still cycling regularly?

Yes. Maca has been studied across the cycle and the perimenopausal transition. The research includes women at various points on that spectrum.

How is maca different from ashwagandha or rhodiola?

All three are sometimes grouped under the loose term "adaptogen," but they are botanically and pharmacologically distinct. Maca is a root vegetable from the cruciferous family. Ashwagandha is a member of the nightshade family with a different active compound profile. Rhodiola is an arctic flowering plant with its own active compounds. The research bodies are also distinct.

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*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.