Are YOU Estrogen Dominant?
Today I'm writing about something near and dear to my heart, and that's estrogen dominance (ED). Why, you ask? This is something I've experienced the last couple years, so I'm quite close to it (and my guess is many of you are too). I've studied, researched, taken classes, and pretty much tried to become an expert in it, so I thought I'd share some knowledge with you all.
What IS estrogen dominance?
Simply put, it's an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. A woman can have deficient, normal, or excessive estrogen, but little or no progesterone to balance the effects of estrogen on her body. Even a woman with low estrogen levels can experience symptoms of estrogen dominance if she does not have sufficient progesterone. ED is most common around menopause, but can occur at any point in a woman's life.
Signs and symptoms include:
fatigue
breast swelling or tenderness
irregular periods
water retention or bloating
fibroids
reduced sex drive
migraine headaches
weight gain around the middle
mood swings, anxiety, depression
osteoporosis
infertility
hot flashes or night sweats
hair loss
insomnia
vaginal dryness
heart palpitations
brain fog
During our middle years (the reproductive years), our hormones are already shifting. They're not in a fixed pattern for very long, and this happens from about the mid-30's to the late 40's, and can be considered pre-menopausal (though many start perimenopause in their late 40's to early 50's). Progesterone, which is one of our feel good hormones, is among the first to decline during this time. It drops much more rapidly than estrogen, which is one reason why it's quite common to see ED among women in this age range. ED may also be considered progesterone deficiency; less progesterone equals estrogen dominance even when the levels of estrogen are dropping.
During perimenopause there are jumps and leaps and crazy yo-yos, and an unpredictable relationship between these hormones. Estrogen up / progesterone down and you've got hot flashes and PMS-like symptoms. Then it stops, then another period comes two weeks late and heavy. This is the result of those waxing and waning hormones and their odd relationship to each other.
Estrogen dominance can also be caused by:
Xenoestrogens: foreign estrogens that mimic the functions of our natural estrogens. When they enter our body, they attach themselves to our cells' receptors, taking over the natural estrogens' functions to control growth and development. These can be found in commercially raised meat and dairy, insecticide and pesticide residue, tap water, parabens (see why I threw out all my makeup and now use this), phthalates found in plastics, artificial food additives, soy protein and soy protein isolate, and birth control pills.
Excess weight: the more fat cells you have, the more estrogen you will make. And the more estrogen you make, the more fat you will store.
Adrenal fatigue: progesterone is the primary raw material for producing cortisol. When the glands are in overdrive, the body will divert progesterone to the adrenals to support cortisol production.
Poor diet: a lack of phytonutrients can tip the scale balanced to imbalanced.
There are a number of things you can do for ED, and each person is a little different with what works best, but here's a primer to get you started:
Manage stress
Get adequate sleep
Detox your liver and employ other detox practices such as Epsom salt baths, dry skin brushing, etc.
Avoid xenoestrogens
Eliminate bad fats and put in the good ones (fat intake has a big role here!)
Get adequate fiber
Take the right supplements for liver & adrenal support
Eat an antioxidant rich diet (yes, a bit of very dark chocolate counts here)!
As I eluded to above, each of us is going to be different with how we tackle ED. Some may need more liver support, some may need to get on top of their adrenals, and some are going to need a number of these issues addressed.
I'm here to support you on this journey. Together, we can dive deep and put the puzzle pieces together so you can feel good and vibrant through these years. Send me an email
If you'd like to talk about whether it's a good fit for you.
In love and estrogen/progesterone harmony!
Steph