In the movie "Sex and the City 2," Samantha announces that she's "leading the way through the menopause maze" with "my vitamins, my bioidentical estrogen cream, progesterone cream, and a touch of testosterone."

When her creams and pills are confiscated by customs officials in Abu Dhabi, she is outraged. "I need to speak to an ambassador, or an embassy, or someone in menopause!"

While Samantha's creams may have eased her symptoms, maybe she should have traveled with something less likely to rile the luggage police. Hello, fennel!

This licorice-tasting veggie is packed with phytoestrogens, food-based chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body.

And a new tightly controlled study of 90 postmenopausal women found that those who took two capsules containing 100 mg of fennel daily for eight weeks had significant improvement in symptoms such as hot flashes and depression — with no negative side effects.

Although we have long said that starting hormone therapy soon after menopause is generally safe and effective, it's always great to hear about alternative approaches that might be helpful.

If you're suffering with symptoms of menopause, and can't take hormone therapy, ask your doc about trying fennel capsules.

While there are no large studies on the menopause-soothing effects of eating phytoestrogen-rich foods, they certainly won't harm you. Try cooking up some soybeans, fennel, chickpeas, lentils, and flaxseed.