Maca and Collagen for Menopause: Do They Actually Help?

The short answer: maca and collagen are two of the most heavily marketed menopause supplements, and both have far more hype than proof, though for different reasons. Maca, a root vegetable, has some early, low-quality trials hinting it might ease mood and sexual symptoms, but the studies are small, short and not consistent enough to call it effective. Collagen has modest evidence for skin elasticity and hydration, and some early evidence for bone density in postmenopausal women, but the popular idea that it “replaces” the collagen lost as estrogen (oestrogen) falls oversimplifies the biology. Neither is a hormone, and neither treats the menopause transition itself. If you want to trial one, they are generally low-risk, but spend with clear eyes: maca for a possible mood or libido nudge, collagen for skin and perhaps bone support, not as a fix for menopause as a whole.

If your skin has changed, your libido has dropped, or your energy and mood feel flat, maca and collagen are two of the supplements the wellness market pushes hardest, often with confident before-and-after promises. Both are popular, both are broadly safe, and both are sold on claims that outrun the evidence. Here is what each actually has going for it, and where the marketing gets ahead of the science.

Maca: what it is and what the evidence shows

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root vegetable grown in the Peruvian Andes, sold as a powder or capsule and marketed for energy, mood, libido and menopausal symptoms. Like ashwagandha, it is often called an “adaptogen”, though that label carries no precise scientific meaning.

The honest state of the evidence is that maca is under-studied and the trials that exist are weak. A handful of small randomised trials in menopausal women have reported possible improvements in mood, anxiety and sexual function, and occasionally in hot flashes (hot flushes). But systematic reviews looking at these trials have consistently concluded that the studies are too small, too short and too methodologically limited to draw firm conclusions. The signal is “interesting, unproven”, not “shown to work”.

Importantly, maca does not appear to work by changing hormone levels. Trials that measured estrogen and other hormones generally found no significant change, which means whatever effect it has, if real, is not hormonal. That also makes it of interest to women who want to avoid anything estrogenic, though it also means it does nothing to address the hormonal cause of symptoms.

If libido is your main concern, it is worth knowing that maca is only one small part of a much bigger picture, and often not the most effective one. Our guide to painful sex and low libido in menopause covers the causes that are more directly treatable, including vaginal dryness, which no oral supplement will fix.

On safety, maca is a food and is generally well tolerated, with occasional digestive upset. There is limited safety data in people with thyroid conditions because it belongs to the same plant family as cabbage and broccoli, so anyone with thyroid disease should check before taking large amounts. As a food-based supplement trialled for a few weeks, it is low-risk, if of uncertain benefit.

Collagen: what it is and what the evidence shows

Collagen is the main structural protein in skin, bone, cartilage, tendons and connective tissue. This is where the menopause angle comes from: estrogen supports collagen production, and as estrogen falls, collagen genuinely does decline, with skin losing roughly a fifth to a third of its collagen in the first few years after menopause. That real biology is what the supplement industry has built on.

The intuitive claim, that eating collagen replaces the collagen you are losing, is more complicated than it sounds. When you swallow collagen, your body digests it into amino acids and peptides like any other protein; it does not travel intact to your skin or bones. So any benefit is not a simple “topping up”. That said, some of the collagen-derived peptides do appear to act as signals that stimulate the body’s own collagen production, which is the more plausible mechanism.

Where the evidence is reasonable:

Skin. This is collagen’s best-supported claim. Several randomised placebo-controlled trials of hydrolysed collagen peptides have found modest improvements in skin elasticity and hydration over eight to twelve weeks. The effect is real but moderate, not the dramatic transformation the ads imply.
Bone. More preliminary, but interesting for menopause: at least one longer randomised trial in postmenopausal women found that specific collagen peptides were associated with increased bone mineral density. This is early and needs replication, but it is a genuine signal in exactly the population that loses bone fastest.
Joints. Some evidence suggests collagen peptides may help with joint comfort in people with joint pain, which overlaps with the joint pain many women get in perimenopause, though again the evidence is modest.

The key honest caveat: collagen is a protein, and much of its apparent benefit may simply reflect getting more protein and specific amino acids, something many women in midlife are short of anyway. A good overall protein intake, covered in our guide to protein in perimenopause, may do much of the same work at lower cost. Collagen supplements are generally very safe, the main considerations being cost and that most are derived from fish, cattle or pigs, which matters for allergies and dietary preferences.

How to think about both

Put together, maca and collagen sit at the lower-evidence, lower-risk end of the supplement spectrum, and the sensible way to approach them is the same for both: clear expectations, a defined trial, and money spent in proportion to the evidence.

Maca is a reasonable, low-cost thing to try for a possible mood or libido nudge over a few weeks, on the understanding that the evidence is weak and it is not hormonal. If it does nothing after six to eight weeks, stop.
Collagen has the better evidence of the two, mainly for skin and possibly bone, but a good protein intake overall may achieve much of the same. If you take it, use hydrolysed collagen peptides, the form used in the trials, and give it two to three months.
Neither treats menopause. They target specific symptoms or tissues at the margins. They do not replace estrogen, and they are not alternatives to the fundamentals of protein, strength training, sleep and, where appropriate, hormone therapy.

Where these fit in the honest picture

Maca and collagen are perfect examples of why a clear-eyed guide matters: both are safe enough to try, both have a kernel of real science, and both are sold with claims far beyond what that science supports. Knowing which part is real lets you decide whether they are worth your money, rather than being swept along by the marketing or dismissing them entirely.

For the full category set in context, see our pillar guide to menopause supplements, which places maca and collagen alongside magnesium, vitamin D, phytoestrogens and the rest, ranked by how much evidence each actually has. This honest, no-hype lens is what Yellow and spotyellow.com bring to every supplement question. If you are trying to decide where to spend your effort, a menopause-informed practitioner from Yellow’s directory can help you prioritise the things most likely to make a difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does maca help with menopause symptoms?

A few small trials suggest maca might improve mood, anxiety and sexual function, and occasionally hot flashes, but systematic reviews conclude the studies are too small and weak to prove it works. It does not appear to change hormone levels, so any effect is not hormonal. It is a low-risk, low-cost thing to trial for a few weeks, on the understanding that the evidence is thin and inconsistent.

Does collagen actually help menopausal skin?

The evidence here is reasonable but modest. Several randomised trials of hydrolysed collagen peptides have found small improvements in skin elasticity and hydration over eight to twelve weeks, likely because the peptides act as signals that stimulate your own collagen production. It is not the dramatic transformation the ads suggest, and a good overall protein intake may achieve much of the same benefit at lower cost.

Can collagen help with bone loss after menopause?

Possibly. At least one longer randomised trial in postmenopausal women found specific collagen peptides were linked to increased bone mineral density, which is an interesting signal in the group that loses bone fastest. But it is early evidence that needs replication, so collagen should be seen as a possible support rather than a treatment for osteoporosis, which needs proper medical assessment.

Is maca safe to take in menopause?

Maca is a root vegetable and is generally well tolerated, with occasional digestive upset. Because it belongs to the same plant family as cabbage and broccoli, there is limited data in thyroid conditions, so anyone with thyroid disease should check before taking large amounts. As a food-based supplement trialled for a few weeks, it is low-risk, though its benefits are uncertain.

Is it better to take collagen or just eat more protein?

For many women, a good overall protein intake may do much of what collagen supplements claim, since collagen is digested into amino acids like any other protein and much of its benefit may simply reflect getting more protein. Collagen peptides do have some specific evidence for skin and bone, so they are not pointless, but they are an add-on to adequate protein, not a substitute for it.

Do maca or collagen replace estrogen or work like HRT?

No. Neither is a hormone. Maca does not appear to change hormone levels, and collagen is a structural protein that your body digests rather than a hormone. Neither replaces the estrogen your body stops making, so neither treats the menopause transition itself. They target specific symptoms or tissues at the margins and work best alongside the fundamentals, not instead of them.