Research
DHEA for Menopause and Bladder Health: Evidence, Interactions and Cautions
DHEA is an ingredient used in menopause and bladder supplements marketed to women. Below is what it has actually been studied for, how strong that evidence is, the drug interactions and cautions on record, and the primary source our grade rests on — all drawn from the HerWellReport ingredient dataset.
Also sold as: Dehydroepiandrosterone; prasterone (the vaginal prescription form); Intrarosa
What the evidence says about DHEA
The 2025 AUA/SUFU/AUGS genitourinary syndrome of menopause guideline says clinicians should offer vaginal DHEA to improve vulvovaginal dryness and/or dyspareunia (moderate recommendation, evidence grade C), on the strength of two 12-week phase III placebo-controlled trials; it rates certainty of evidence as low and makes no recommendation about urinary symptoms, urgency, incontinence or recurrent UTI. Oral DHEA is a different picture: a Cochrane review of 28 RCTs in 1,273 women found no improvement in quality of life, unclear effects on menopausal symptoms, and acne in 15% of DHEA users versus under 3% of controls. The pivotal vaginal trials ran only 12 weeks, so longer-term benefits and harms remain uncertain. DHEA does not appear anywhere in the Menopause Society's 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement, so it was not assessed there.
The grade "moderate vaginally; very limited orally" means: moderate — Randomised trials exist for this use but they are few, small, short or mixed. very limited — Mostly animal, laboratory or anecdotal evidence, with at most a single weak human study. Grades are explained in full on our methodology page.
Read the primary source this grade rests on (opens in a new tab).
DHEA drug interactions
No documented drug interactions in the sources we checked. That is not the same as proof of safety alongside your medication — it usually means the question has not been studied. Ask a pharmacist before combining it with prescription drugs.
Who should be careful with DHEA
- Vaginal prasterone labelling contraindicates it in known or suspected oestrogen-dependent cancer and in women with known, suspected or past breast cancer
- women with a cancer history were excluded from the pivotal trials
- oral DHEA causes androgenic side effects, most commonly acne
- vaginal prasterone is a prescription medicine, not an over-the-counter supplement
Read more on HerWellReport
- Best Bladder Control Supplements for Women (2026): What’s Actually in Them
- 65 Ingredients, None Proven: What Is Actually Inside the Supplements Sold to Women (2026)
- Does Ashwagandha Help Menopause Symptoms?
This entry is generated from row "DHEA" of the HerWellReport ingredient dataset (v2.1, updated 2026-09-23). The dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 — how to cite it. Ingredient evidence is not evidence for any finished product, and nothing here is medical advice.