If you've been feeling like your body is out of balance lately, with symptoms like weight gain, mood swings, and sleep disturbances, you might be dealing with a hormonal imbalance called estrogen dominance. While your body needs estrogen to support your reproductive, bone, cardiovascular, and brain health, having too much estrogen may cause a wide range of unpleasant symptoms.
Let’s talk about estrogen dominance, its symptoms, and what you can do about it to get your body back in balance so you can enhance your health and improve the quality of your life.
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What is Estrogen?
Estrogen is a hormone that plays a critical role in the female reproductive system. It is a steroid hormone that is primarily produced in the ovaries, though it is also produced in smaller quantities in the adrenal glands and in the fat cells.
Estrogen includes three steroid hormones each with its own unique role. Estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3), when in balance, can have a far-reaching impact on various body systems and in turn, your health. In addition to regulating your menstrual cycle, estrogen also helps to support your bone health, cardiovascular functioning, brain cognition, and a healthy mood.
Estrogen helps to maintain bone health by slowing down bone resorption, the process by which old bone is broken down and replaced with new bone. Estrogen also affects cardiovascular health by improving cholesterol levels and blood vessel functioning.
Additionally, estrogen has been linked to cognitive function, with some studies suggesting that it may help to protect against age-related cognitive decline. Moreover, the hormone is responsible for regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, all of which can support a healthy mood.
What is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen dominance is a condition in which your body has higher than normal levels of estrogen. This can be a result of your body producing too much estrogen, a change in the way you metabolize or excrete estrogen, or if there’s an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone.
For example, there are two main types of estrogen dominance including frank estrogen dominance and relative estrogen dominance. Frank estrogen dominance is simply when your body makes too much estrogen, whereas relative estrogen dominance is when you have too much estrogen relative to your progesterone levels.
What Causes Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen dominance is typically caused by a number of factors including hormonal imbalances, environmental toxins, and genetics. The following are common factors that may throw your hormones off balance and lead to estrogen dominance:
Stress
Juggling the ever-increasing demands of everyday life can certainly lead to chronic stress which can wreak havoc on your hormone balance. Your body responds to stress by producing high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol levels are constantly elevated, your body’s stores of progesterone can become depleted. Seeing as progesterone is a critical hormone for regulating estrogen levels, and as it becomes depleted, estrogen levels can begin to creep up.
Having excess body fat
Having excess body fat can also contribute to estrogen dominance. This is because fat tissue can absorb and store estrogen in your bloodstream and also make estrogen from your other hormones. Therefore, the greater number of fat cells you have, the higher the amount of estrogen your body may produce.
Exposure to environmental toxins
Toxic substances present in the environment, such as those in plastics, pesticides, and chemical cleaners, possess a chemical structure similar to estrogen and are capable of imitating its effects within the body.
Studies show that when these environmental toxins enter the body, not only can they disrupt your hormonal balance, but they may also increase the risk of cognitive decline, metabolic diseases, and various cancers.
Poor gut health
When in balance, your gut microbiome plays an important role in regulating estrogen levels. When the healthy bacteria in your gut are compromised as a result of poor diet, stress, or antibiotic use, extra estrogen can be re-absorbed rather than eliminated by your body. This can lead to an accumulation of estrogen and an imbalance between estrogen and other hormones, resulting in estrogen dominance.
Medical conditions
There are certain health conditions that may contribute to the development of estrogen dominance. For example, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by hormonal imbalances, including higher estrogen levels. Additionally, endometriosis, a condition in which the tissue lining the uterus grows outside of it, can lead to increased estrogen production and impaired estrogen metabolism.
Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance can have a wide variety of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Potential symptoms may include:
- Irregular menstrual cycle
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
- Fatigue
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness
- Increased anxiety
- Depression
- Low libido
- Brain fog
- Insomnia
- Hair loss
How to Fix Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance treatment options will vary depending on the underlying cause of the condition. There are several dietary and lifestyle changes that may help to lower estrogen levels and restore balance within your body.
Reduce stress
Reducing stress levels can have a major impact on balancing your hormones. When you experience stress, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that can disrupt the delicate balance of other hormones, including estrogen.
By actively reducing and managing stress through techniques such as relaxation exercises, mindfulness, and adequate sleep you can support a healthier hormonal balance, potentially mitigating the risk of estrogen dominance.
Limit your exposure to environmental toxins
Take stock of your body care and household products and make the switch to safer, non-toxic versions to help limit your exposure to hormonally-disruptive environmental toxins. If you’re not sure where to start, the Environmental Working Group has an extensive database of body care and cleaning products so you can review their ingredient profiles and check for safety.
Focus on fiber-rich, plant-based foods
Did you know getting plenty of fiber can actually help eliminate excess estrogen in the body? Research suggests that eating fiber-rich foods like whole grains that come from whole wheat bread can help prevent estrogen reabsorption in the colon.
Another way to support healthy hormone balance is to focus on a whole food, plant-based diet. One study found that eating a semi-vegetarian diet may help lower estrogen levels compared to eating a non-vegetarian diet.
Exercise
Engaging in any type of physical activity can positively impact your hormone balance and your overall health and well-being. Exercise can help increase weight loss, reduce fat, and decrease stress hormones in the body which curb estrogen dominance and restore balance.
It’s best to focus on lower impact activities like walking, yoga, or swimming as high-impact exercise can potentially increase cortisol levels in the body.
Get plenty of sleep
While it may be easier said than done, getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night can work wonders for your hormone health. Without adequate sleep, cortisol levels can creep up, which can set the stage for estrogen dominance.
By prioritizing adequate sleep and adopting good sleep hygiene practices, such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and creating an ideal sleep environment, you can support healthy hormonal balance and help reduce the risk of estrogen dominance.
The Bottom Line
Estrogen dominance is a condition in which your body has higher than normal levels of estrogen. This can occur for a variety of reasons, including increased stress, excess body fat, exposure to environmental toxins, and certain medical conditions. The symptoms of estrogen dominance can vary and may significantly affect your quality of life.
Estrogen dominance treatment options will depend on the underlying cause of the condition. However, it’s important to note that there are lifestyle changes you can make to optimize your hormones and help restore balance within your body.
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References
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