Women who use incontinence supplies as they approach menopause may be disheartened by the news that soy supplements are unlikely to ease their menopausal symptoms.

Scientists at the University of Miami studied a group of women, aged 45 to 60, who were within five years of menopause.

Half of the women were given soy isoflavone tablets to take each day, while the other half received a placebo (dummy treatment).

Two years later, bone density tests revealed no differences between the bone health of those taking soy tablets and those taking the placebo.

In addition, women who had been using soy tablets did not report any noticeable improvement in symptoms such as hot flushes.

Lead author Silvina Levis, whose findings are published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, said: "The consumption of soy foods and soy supplements has dramatically increased in the last few years, particularly among women who start taking various over-the-counter products around the time of menopause.

"Our study showed that soy phytoestrogen tablets do not provide any benefit."

Levels of the hormone oestrogen drop significantly around the time of menopause and this can affect the pelvic muscles and result in female incontinence, according to the WebMD information website.