Exploring estrogen dominance
Estrogen dominance is a common hormone imbalance that can cause bothersome symptoms. Read on to learn more.
We all know that estrogen is an important female sex hormone. But did you know it’s possible to have too much estrogen relative to your other hormones? Enter estrogen dominance.
Read on to learn the answers to the following questions:
- What is estrogen?
- What is estrogen dominance?
- What are symptoms of estrogen dominance?
- What are causes of estrogen dominance?
- How is estrogen dominance diagnosed?
- How is estrogen dominance treated?
What is estrogen dominance?
Let’s start with the basics.
Estrogen (E1, E2 and E3) is a group of hormones that play a major role in our body’s physiology, ranging from bone health, female characteristic developments, to our emotional well-being.
Estrogen dominance is when one’s balance of estrogen and progesterone has gone awry; estrogen levels are too high relative to progesterone. Although estrogen is an essential hormone, disproportionately high levels lead to higher rates of cancer, metabolic disease, and other complications.
What are the symptoms of estrogen dominance?
Although each individual’s experience with hormonal imbalances such as estrogen dominance can vary, here is a list of common symptoms associated with estrogen dominance:
- Anxiety and anxiety attacks
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness and swelling
- Cold hands or feet
- Fatigue
- Fibrocystic lumps in your breasts
- Decrease in sex drive
- Infertility
- Irregular or abnormal menstrual periods
- Increased symptoms of PMS
- Hair loss
- Headaches (especially premenstrually)
- Memory problems or mental fog
- Mood swings (irritability and depression)
- Trouble sleeping/insomnia
- Weight Gain (often around the hips or torso)
What are the causes of estrogen dominance?
While the exact cause of estrogen dominance can be different for everyone and testing is required to identify your unique driver, there are several general catalyst buckets that most people’s symptoms fall into.
Excess body fat (over 28% body fat)
Extra fat tissue will produce estrogen and increase bloodstream estrogen levels. In a cyclical manner, fat cells generate estrogen, which in turn induces your body to store more fat.
Poor diet & related gut microbiome issues
In a healthy gut, extra estrogen, conjugated to an inactive form, passes through the gut and is excreted through the urine. Bacteria in the gut microbiome produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, which is an essential compound that helps our body digest complex carbohydrates and absorb bilirubin and flavonoids.
With an unhealthy diet, consisting of processed carbohydrates and sugars, the gut microbiome’s delicate balance of bacteria bacteroidetes and firmicutes becomes imbalanced and can develop a dysbiosis. The imbalance leads to an overgrowth of the bacteroidetes that produce beta-glucuronidase. An excess of beta-glucuronidase activates conjugated inactive estrogen passing through the gut; the activated estrogen is reabsorbed into the bloodstream, increasing plasma estrogen levels.
High stress leading to high cortisol, irregular insulin, and norepinephrine levels
Chronic stress is one of the main causes of estrogen dominance.
The hormone cortisol increases with consistent stress. Progesterone is used up in order to help balance the cortisol, which leaves the estrogen to progesterone ratio in disequilibrium with an excess of estrogen.
Excessive estrogen can also cause the pancreas to produce extra insulin. This makes it even harder for a person to lose body fat regardless of diet. The systemic cycle continues since extra fat tissue produces even more estrogen.
Overactive immune system & inflammation
An overactive immune system creates inflammatory signals, such as cytokines; the systemic inflammation triggers cortisol production. Available progesterone is depleted to counteract the high cortisol which is normally necessary to balance out estrogen.
Environmental agents
Due to environmental pollutants, it is common to come into contact with xenoestrogens in our water, food, plastics, and other daily interactions.
Xenoestrogen is a type of molecule that our body perceives to be estrogen; it stimulates our bodies in the same way that estrogen does and can cause estrogen dominance.
Hormonal birth control and hormonal replacement therapies
Hormonal contraceptives and hormonal replacement therapies (HRT) often contain synthetic supplemental estrogen which can lead to excessive estrogen in the body.
How do I know if I am experiencing estrogen dominance?
While the aforementioned symptoms are helpful signs, a blood test is needed to confirm you are experiencing estrogen dominance.
Blood tests can review your hormone levels; high levels of estrogen in comparison to progesterone would indicate estrogen dominance. Blood estrogen levels are commonly measured in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL). Healthy estrogen levels change depending on age and menstrual / menopausal status.
What are treatments for estrogen dominance?
Every patient is different, and therefore their treatments should be too.
In order to properly treat hormonal imbalances such as estrogen dominance, Pollie connects patients to healthcare specialists that are highly qualified and best suited to create a personalized treatment plan.
If you are working with a Pollie provider or a different hormonal health specialist, chances are they will mention one or several of the following treatment options.
Hormonal therapies
Hormonal therapies focus on counteracting an imbalance of extra estrogen with other hormones.
Hormonal treatments usually include various forms of progesterone supplementation or prescriptions for aromatase inhibitors, which stop pre-estrogen hormones called androgens from becoming transformed into estrogen.
Medications, such as Goserelin (Zoladex) or Leuprorelin (Lupron), can stop ovaries from producing estrogen.
Cancer therapies
Patients with tumors that stimulate estrogen biosynthesis may undergo cancer therapeutics that block estrogen production, or surgeries which remove cancerous cells.
Diet and lifestyle changes
For people struggling with early symptoms of estrogen dominance, diet and lifestyle changes can be sufficient.
In terms of dietary changes, there are several items to consider.
- Since extra estrogen can be produced by fat tissue, lowering one’s body fat percentages can help decrease estrogen levels.
- A high fiber diet filled with lots of fruits and vegetables is important to creating a healthy gut microbiome; our gut is essential in excreting excess estrogen and maintaining a healthy body weight.
Beyond diet, stress-management techniques can also reverse estrogen dominance with time.
- Stress-induced cortisol is one of the most common causes of estrogen dominance; finding ways to deal with daily stressors and reduce basal cortisol levels is a great way to re-regulate estrogen levels naturally.
- Mindfulness and meditation practices, exercise, adequate sleep, and good social support systems are just a few of the ways in which we can manage stress in our lives.
Does estrogen dominance increase risk for other health conditions?
Higher levels of estrogen is associated with an increased risk of the following conditions:
- Allergies and Asthma
- Gastrointestinal issues including SIBO, colitis, IBS and other autoimmune disorders
- Breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer
- Blood clots
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Stroke
Get support from a healthcare provider at Pollie
A complicated hormonal imbalance should not be something you have to deal with alone. Pollie is here to help you understand and manage your hormonal health. For more information on estrogen dominance and how to find your “perfect provider”, read our blog and get started as a member today.
Sources
https://www.pollie.co/blog/hormones-and-mental-health
https://www.healthline.com/health/high-estrogen
https://www.drnorthrup.com/estrogen-dominance/
https://chapelhillgynecology.com/signs-of-estrogen-dominance/
https://ndnr.com/endocrinology/estrogen-dominance-when-an-unhealthy-gut-estrobolome-is-to-blame/
https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304383514002365?via%3Dihub
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11162945/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113168/
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