Hum, Flo and Bonafide, are these the answer to unbearable menstrual cycles or premenstrual negative physical and emotional symptoms?
If you experience symptoms like frequent mood swings, bloating, fatigue, headaches, or stomach cramps, then you might be suffering from PMS. Don’t worry though, it isn’t as scary as it sounds. We’ll go over what this is, how common it is, and how it affects women, in the “Premenstrual Syndrome – What Is It?” section below.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This article isn’t medical advice, and therefore it shouldn’t be treated as such. PMS is a common condition that is usually mild, but you should still exercise caution when taking supplements and using other relief methods. Consult with your doctor before taking any medication or vitamins.
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Premenstrual Syndrome – What Is It?
Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS for short, is a fairly common syndrome that affect 90% of menstruating women. Generally, those that have it have both physical and emotional symptoms, often debilitating enough to affect day-to-day activities.
The symptoms include: mood swings, stomach cramps, fatigue, headaches, bloating, and more. Often times, for mild cases of PMS, the usual recommendations are: drinking a lot more fluids, balanced diet, supplements such as – folic acid, vitamin B-6, vitamin D, magnesium, a good night’s sleep (8 hours), exercising, and reducing stress.
These three – Hum, Flo and Bonafide, are vitamins specifically designed to tackle PMS. But they’re not the end all and cure all.
They need to be taken in combination with activities that I mentioned above. PMS vitamins will help, but they’re way more effective if they’re combined with a good night’s sleep, drinking more fluids, a balanced diet, exercise, and reduced stress.
Table Comparison of Hum, Flo & Bonafide
If you haven’t hit the genetic or physiological lottery and you believe that you have PMS, these vitamins are really a good option. So, to put things in perspective, we compared them side-by-side to see where the differences lie, and which one is more suitable to you.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the three vitamins in question:
| Hum VS Flo VS Bonafide : PMS Vitamins |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Are They Made From? | Chaste Berry & Dong Quai | Chaste Berry, Dong Quai & Vitamin B6 | Purified Swedish Flower Pollen Extract, Chromium Picolinate & Royal Jelly |
| Daily Intake | Two (2) pill per day. | Two (2) pills per day, or ‘gummies’ as Flo calls them. | Two (2) pills per day. |
| Are They Hormone Free? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Is It A Subscription? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Shipping | Free on orders above $50. | Free Shipping | Free Shipping |
| Monthly Subscription Price | N/A | $25 | $40 |
| Can You Do A One-Time Purchase? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Try PMS Vitamins: |
One thing which is unfortunate with Hum is the fact that there is no subscription plans as of this moment. This might change in the future, but it is not a huge deal-breaker. It’s more of a convenience thing.
Other than that, the biggest difference between the three is the ingredients. Hum uses only chaste berry and dong quai, but Flo uses those two, and also Vitamin B6. Bonafide is by far the most unusual in this regard, but these ingredients are not unheard of in PMS vitamins, and users have reported a significant amount of relief.
Hum Review
Hum is very interesting. It uses a known formula that has been used in PMS vitamins for years now, and it’s completely natural.
Chaste berry is known most for its hormone balancing properties. It has a variety of use-cases, but probably the most explored one is PMS vitamins. Dong Quai on the other hand, balances estrogen levels, and replenishes blood flow, which inevitably helps with debilitating cramps.
So, it’s a great balance between the two. One deals with hormonal balance, and the other, with blood flow.
Hum can be summed up fairly easy. It’s the least expensive option to try, and it uses a very proven formula. Hum doesn’t have a subscription as I’ve mentioned, but I think the price is what does it the most for a lot of people.
PMS vitamins are very expensive nowadays, and that shouldn’t be the case. On average, these types of PMS vitamins are fairly inexpensive to manufacture, so why have the prices so high.
To sum up, Hum is the most inexpensive one from all three, and it is the perfect stepping stone if you’re still on the fence about PMS vitamins.
I tried to find a statement by Hum about their plans on whether or not they’ll introduce a subscription model, and even though I couldn’t find one, it’s likely to happen. For now though, only a la carte.
Here are the pros and cons with Hum:
PROS
- Inexpensive to get into
- Great for those who want to try PMS vitamins
- Proven formula
- All natural
CONS
- No subscription model (at the time of writing)
Flo Review
Flo uses a similar formula like Hum, with the addition of Vitamin B6. And like we mentioned before, Vitamin B6 is among the usual recommendations for menstruating women with PMS.
According to 10 studies for Vitamin B6 and its effects on PMS symptoms, it was concluded that as an average Vitamin B6 can have a positive effect on PMS. Meaning, it has some symptom relieving capabilities in terms of premenstrual and depressive symptoms.
In addition, there was no dose response was found in nine of the ten studies.
This is no surprise, considering the fact that Vitamin B6 has been widely recommended along with other supplements and lifestyle recommendations in regards to PMS. But it is good to see some data back this up.
Paired up with the chaste berry’s hormonal-balancing properties and the dong quai’s blood flow-replenish capabilities, you get a pretty killer formula, at least for the majority of people.
Customers have had a mixed experience with Flo, but what I can say for certain though, is the fact that the majority have had positive experiences.
As a la carte, the Flo PMS vitamins are $30, whilst with the subscription you’ll get a discounted price of $25 per month.
The gummies are, for a lack of a better word, horrid. Now, while I didn’t find them particularly tasty, most will. Thankfully, Flo has the option of gummies or regular capsules. I much prefer the capsules over the gummies.
Here are the pros and cons of Flo PMS vitamins:
PROS
- Subscription available
- All natural
- Both capsules and gummies available
- Improved formula
CONS
- Gummies won’t be as tasty as many expect
- Customer reviews vary drastically
Bonafide Review
Now, in terms of formula only, there is a chance that you might’ve never came across a formula like Bonafide’s. There are other PMS vitamins that use a similar formula, but in all honesty, it’s rarer.
Some of the claims for pollen extracts have been a bit, generous. The studies which have been looking into pollen extracts and its effects on PMS have some major gaps and holes in them. But the studies that did objectively evaluate pollen extract, results were pretty impressive.
Pollen extract can reduce cramping, and those that take it might experience less water retention. Among these positive effects were other as well, like: improved sleep, less irritability, and other health improvements.
IMPORTANT: Consult with your doctor or a medical professional on whether you can take this supplement, especially if you have a pollen allergy or you think that you might have one.
Chromium Picolinate is another ingredient in Bonafide’s vitamins. In a relatively small study of 11 women, it was concluded that chromium treatment was associated with reduced mood symptoms and mood swings. It was also noted that overall health satisfaction in most participants was improved.
As for royal jelly it is widely know to have a major impact in dealing with PMS. In some cases, a one study concluded that women that took royal jelly had a 50% improvement to PMS symptoms.
Overall, this is a unique formula, and some of the customer reviews have been more than impressive.
The pros and cons of Bonafide PMS vitamins are:
PROS
- Very unique formula
- Promising results
- Subscription available
- Hormone-free
CONS
- A lot of people have a pollen allergy
Head-To-Head Comparisons
Each of these vitamins sound great and look great. There is potential here.
But I’ll just refer to what I said before, they go hat-in-hand with other things. Good sleep, balanced diet, exercise, and so on. It’s not like they won’t help anyways, but the effect will only be minor. As soon as you factor in those things as well, the effect compounds.
In this section we’ll put them in mini head-to-heads to see which one is the most suitable in your case.
Hum VS Flo
I think these two are radically different. Not in terms of the actual vitamins themselves, because as we know, they have a very similar formula, but in what they offer.
In my opinion, if you haven’t had any PMS vitamins before, it’s better to start with Hum. This is mainly due to the price, and just because it’s a relatively mild formula. It’s perfect for newcomers to PMS vitamins.
On the other hand, the addition of Vitamin B6 in Flo’s formula is well-deserved. It has very positive effects for PMS. But it comes at a higher monthly cost. Flo is good for people who’ve tried over-the-counter PMS vitamins before, that didn’t help. It’s a unique formula, just because of the addition of Vitamin B6.
Customer reviews are somewhat mixed for Flo though, with customer service being the main topic of conversation and not the actual product itself.
Hum OR Bonafide – Which Is Better?
It’s kind of a hit-or-miss. Because both have radically different formulas, there is a chance one might work for you better than the other. I still recommend Hum if you’re new to PMS vitamins just because it’s milder.
But Bonafide’s formula does appear to stand on firm ground. But the only downside is that there is actual pollen extract inside. If you don’t have a pollen allergy, it might be a suitable fit, but otherwise, there’s no point.
And, considering the fact that 19.2 million of the adult population has diagnosed pollen allergy, I would say chances are, many will opt-in for Hum, which is totally fine and, in some ways better. Mainly, price.
Bonafide is almost double the price, so on a yearly basis you will save quite a lot if Hum does the job nicely in your case.
Flo VS Bonafide – Last Matchup
It’s the same case with these two, as the last matchup. Bonafide is limited to pollen allergy-free women.
Now, I’m not aware that it causes allergy attacks, but when I read pollen extract, that is where my mind goes to. Anyways, I recommend Bonafide over Flo, only if you’re allergy-free.
Flo is also suitable for most, and it has a great track record of success for many.
The Verdict: PMS Vitamins
PMS vitamins have been around for quite some time, but it’s thanks to Hum, Flo, and Bonafide, that they’re getting a lot more recognition in the last couple of years.
Their effects on PMS are proven, but they’re not the end all and be all solution for relief. Their effects compound only when combined with the right balanced diet, good sleep, reduced stress, and other things.
Hum is perfect for those that are new to PMS vitamins just because of the mildness of the formula, and the price tag. It is much more inexpensive than the other two.
Flo is for those who have tried PMS vitamins, that didn’t work. It improves upon an old formula, and people have had some success with it. On the other hand, in my opinion, Bonafide’s formula has had quite a lot of success in terms of relieving PMS symptoms, and I highly recommend it.
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