Estrogen is a very important hormone that serves several roles in the body. While you probably already know that estrogen is what gives us our feminine characteristics and is responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system. You may not know is that it also plays a role in proper immune function, bone health, cardiovascular health and regulating blood sugar among other things. 

In a balanced cycle, estrogen is the dominant sex hormone during the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase) and it peaks just before ovulation. After ovulation, (the luteal phase) it declines and progesterone becomes the dominant hormone. 

However, what is occurring more often in women today is higher levels of estrogen during the last half of the cycle (or just in general), overstimulating the brain and body. This contributes to a variety of estrogen dominance symptoms including: 

  • Weight gain (mainly in abdomen, hips and thighs)
  • Decreased libido
  • Bloating (water retention)
  • Breast swelling and tenderness
  • Fibrocystic breasts
  • Headaches (especially before period)
  • Depression or Irritability
  • Hair loss
  • Thyroid dysfunction
  • Sluggish metabolism
  • Foggy thinking, memory loss
  • Fatigue
  • Trouble sleeping/insomnia
  • PMS

When estrogen is high in relation to other hormones such as progesterone, it is referred to as estrogen dominance. 

What causes estrogen dominance?

When you hear estrogen dominance you may think that your body is simply producing too much estrogen. While this may be true in some cases, other explanations can include outside influences mimicking estrogen in the body, or existing estrogen isn’t being detoxified efficiently. It is important to explore all causes in order to identify ways to restore hormonal balance.  

Here are a few things to consider and steps you can follow to decrease your chances of estrogen dominance: 

Diet and estrogen dominance  

It is a common practice among conventional meat and dairy producers to inject animals with hormones to increase growth and production. These hormones can make their way into your body when consumed and disrupt your own hormonal balance. 

Pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides used on conventionally grown produce can also pose a problem as many of these substances are considered endocrine disruptors.  

What to do about it: When it comes to eating meat and dairy, it is best that you only eat organic, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats. Avoid eating meat and dairy when you are out at restaurants as you don’t know where their products are sourced. 

You might also consider a plant-based diet for a few months to get things back into balance. If you decide to go this route, then avoiding soy products is essential as they contain phytoestrogens that can also impact your hormones. 

Drinking water and estrogen dominance?

Tap water often contains remnants of the fertilizers and pesticides mentioned above as well as plastics and other chemicals. All of which can negatively impact hormonal balance. 

What to do about it: Plain and simple, drink filtered water. Ideally filters should be placed on all taps (showers included) to prevent absorption of harmful chemicals, but even I’m not at that level yet 😉

Plastic exposure and estrogen dominance

Water bottles, plastic wrap, Ziploc bags, and storage containers are just a few common plastic products used every single day. These products contain Xenoestrogens or substances similar enough in molecular structure to estrogen that they can actually bind to estrogen receptor sites and have hazardous effects. 

Did you also know that receipts that you get from making nearly any purchase are printed on a thermal paper that contains BPA (a known endocrine disruptor)? Studies have shown that people who regularly handle receipts have higher levels of BPA in their urine. 

What to do about it: Request email receipts whenever possible. This is a good first step. Next, begin to switch out plastic products with glass or stainless steel. Every little bit counts so even if it is one storage container at a time, you will eventually have a whole kitchen of glass and safer storage. 

Personal care products and estrogen dominance

We use items like makeup, lotion, shampoo, and other hair care products every single day.  Many of them contain substances that have estrogenic activity. Parabens, Phthalates, and Phenoxyethanol are just a few of the many, many chemicals found in personal care products. Let’s not forget that we are putting these directly on our skin, so they are being absorbed without being processed by the liver for detoxification. 

What to do about it: Start to read labels.  Better yet, let an app do it for you! Download the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep app. Simply can scan your product barcode and it will tell you if there are harmful chemicals in it. Like switching out plastics, it can get really expensive to try to change out all your personal care products at once. If necessary do one at a time until your collection is complete. 

Poor detoxification and estrogen dominance

 This could be in the form of poor liver function, poor gut function or both. Your liver is responsible for filtering toxins (and excess estrogen) from your blood to be eliminated from the body. The gut is the means by which they are excreted. Sluggish function in either organ can mean buildup in the body. 

What to do about it: Increase veggie consumption especially the cruciferous varieties. Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc…) contain compounds that actually help with the body’s natural detoxification processes. They also contain fiber that can help with bowel function. 

The link between Estrogen dominance and your weight

Not only can estrogen dominance cause weight gain, but excess weight can also lead to estrogen dominance because fat tissue can absorb and store estrogen. Fat tissue may also synthesize more estrogen making the situation worse. 

What to do about it: Recommit to that exercise program. Include some form of movement into your life every single day. By following the guidelines above regarding veggies and healthy meats you will likely see an improvement in weight as well. 

These are just some things you should look into and actions you can take if you think you have estrogen dominance. 

Hormone testing with the D.U.T.C.H test (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) is a great way to get a full picture of what is going on with your hormones. If you are interested in D.U.T.C.H hormone testing and guidance on how to balance hormones naturally then schedule a free consultation with me here. 

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138025/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16097138

http://eknygos.lsmuni.lt/springer/631/111-133.pdf

https://www.newsweek.com/youre-absorbing-bpa-your-receipts-study-shows-230178

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/cruciferous-vegetables

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