Estrogen dominance

It’s true you can have too much of a good thing!

No, i’m not talking about chocolate, but that essential female hormone; estrogen.

Estrogen has many key functions in your body. It is responsible for regulation of your menstrual cycle, and your entire reproductive system. It also has an effect on your brain, bones, skins, liver and heart.

However although the levels of estrogen in women over 35 begin drop, they do not drop nearly as quickly as another hormone, Progesterone, which is produced by your body to offset and counterbalance the effects of estrogen!!…stick with me it gets easier!!!

When women’s progesterone levels drop at a greater rate than their estrogen levels they can develop a condition called estrogen dominance, this can affect 50% of women over 35 years old

So what you may ask?

Estrogen dominance is a common thread in female hormone conditions and diseases such as: endometriosis, PMS (Premenstrual syndrome), fibroids, low blood sugar problems, autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto, fertility problems and breast cancer. Therefore it is vital to keep your hormones in balance.

What are the symptoms of estrogen dominance?

The list of symptoms in long…some include swollen breasts, feet and fingers, irregular or absent periods, tiredness, period pain, mood swings, insomnia, pre-menstrual headaches, weight gain, bloating.

What are the causes of estrogen dominance?

Some common causes of estrogen dominance include: excess body fat, too much stress, poor diet, lack of regular exercise, excessive environmental estrogen exposure (pesticides, toxins, plastic goods and more),  and unopposed estrogen given as part of a hormone replacement therapy.

Fortunately the levels of estrogen in our body can be reduced.

What are the treatments?

The key to hormone balance is is the modulation of progesterone to estrogen ratio.

Traditional treatments involve commonly prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However there are many reported side effect of HRT.

Natural approaches include diet and lifestyle changes.

How do I avoid it in the first place?

Estrogen is cleared through the liver so we need to look after our liver to keep our hormones in balance. So ladies watch your wine and spirit intake!

Also good gut health is important as estrogen is excreted by the bowel. So get pooping to be able to eliminate excess estrogen! Constipation means reduced estrogen excretion and its re absorption. Not good! Again good diet is the key! Watch my next post for some tips