Quick overview of estrogen dominance symptoms in women
- Breast tenderness
- Weight gain
- Irregular periods
- Fibrocystic lumps in your breasts
- Non-cancerous fibroids in the uterus
- Increased sex drive
Maintaining hormonal balance is essential for overall health. When estrogen levels become too high relative to progesterone, it results in estrogen dominance. This imbalance can lead to symptoms like weight gain, irregular periods, breast tenderness, and a heightened risk of fibroids or certain cancers. Recognizing the signs, understanding the causes, and exploring treatment options are crucial steps toward restoring hormonal balance and enhancing your health.
What do you need to know about estrogen and its imbalance?
Estrogen is the hormone that regulates your reproductive system. Estrogen levels often fluctuate in response to other hormones and the body’s various functions. An increase in estrogen levels elevates your sexual development during puberty. Estrogen is considered a female sex hormone; however, it is present in males in trace amounts as well. Estrogen, along with progesterone, is responsible for preparing your body for pregnancy. Progesterone also regulates your menstrual cycle and affects the reproductive system.
Estrogen plays a crucial role in regulating cholesterol levels, mood, and bone health. It also influences puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause in women. Elevated estrogen levels can disrupt these bodily functions.
Your body requires an optimal balance of hormones, particularly estrogen, for optimal health and well-being. Estrogen dominance in your body may lead to severe consequences in both male and female bodies. In male bodies, if estrogen levels are high, it can lead to erectile dysfunction and gynaecomastia.
What signs indicate that estrogen is dominating in your body?
Your body might be giving signals through the following symptoms:
- Breast tenderness: Increased estrogen levels in the body can cause breast swelling or tenderness, as breasts store fat and are sensitive to hormonal changes.
- Weight gain: During puberty, high estrogen levels lead to increased fat storage in the belly, hips, breasts, and thighs. Throughout the reproductive years, women tend to store fat in the pelvis, hips, thighs, and breasts to supply energy for pregnancy and lactation.
- Irregular periods can differ in heaviness or lightness and may happen unpredictably. Estrogen causes the uterine lining to thicken. When the body produces high levels of estrogen, the lining becomes thicker. This results in more shedding during the menstrual cycle, leading to heavier periods.
- Fibrocystic lumps in your breasts: Hormonal fluctuations during your menstrual cycle can cause breast tenderness and areas of lumpy tissue that may be sore, swollen, and tender. These fibrocystic changes are typically more discomforting in the days leading up to your period and tend to improve after it begins.
- Fibroids (which are noncancerous tumours) in the uterus are influenced by hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. They tend to grow when estrogen levels are high, especially during pregnancy, and shrink when hormone levels decrease, such as during menopause.
- Increased sex drive: Higher estrogen levels lead to more vaginal lubrication and heightened sexual desire.
What is causing estrogen to dominate in your body?
There are a few reasons why the estrogen levels increase in your body. Here are a few:
- Excess production of estrogen
- Changes in how the body processes estrogen
- Changes in how estrogen is excreted and removed from the body
If you are taking certain medications or have health conditions, estrogen levels can fluctuate. These can include:
- Hormone replacement therapy: Used to treat symptoms of menopause
- Birth pills: If taking in high dosage
- Ovarian cancer: produces a large amount of estrogen
- PCOS may cause an imbalance with excess estrogen and progesterone.
Factors that can contribute towards dominance of estrogen in the body:
- Body fat: Adipose tissue produces estrogen. Excessive body fat levels may lead to increased estrogen production.
- Body in stress: Your body releases the hormone cortisol in response to stress. Excessive cortisol from stress can deplete your body’s ability to produce progesterone. As a result, the estrogen in your body remains unchecked by progesterone.
- Consuming alcohol: Consuming too much alcohol can elevate your estrogen levels and compromise your body’s ability to metabolize (break down) estrogen.
- Stress on Liver: Your liver metabolises estrogen and removes it from your body. If your liver isn’t functioning properly, excessive estrogen can accumulate. Factors such as a lack of digestive enzymes, an overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria (dysbiosis), low magnesium levels, and an insufficient fiber intake in your diet can prevent your liver from effectively excreting excess estrogen.
- Synthetic xenoestrogens: Synthetic xenoestrogens are environmental chemicals that mimic estrogen once they’re within your body. They can drive up your estrogen levels. Xenoestrogens encompass bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. The two chemicals are incorporated into different plastics. Xenoestrogens are also present in pesticides, domestic cleaners, and some shampoos and soaps.
What is the recommended treatment plan for high estrogen levels in women?
Your doctor can recommend the following treatment plan for your hormonal imbalance:
- Medication:
You may need medication if you have cancer that is spreading due to exposure to estrogen. Medications might include: - Aromatase inhibitors are used to treat breast cancer. They prevent fat cells from producing estrogen.
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists: These agents cause your ovaries to stop releasing estrogen. Your doctor might adjust your prescription if the hormones you’re taking are causing high estrogen levels.
- Dietary changes:
If you have PCOS, your doctor might suggest modifications to your diet to help with weight management and hormone balance. This could include eating fewer processed foods, reducing red meat consumption, increasing plant-based foods, choosing more whole grains and fewer refined carbs, cutting down on unhealthy fats, increasing fiber intake, and following a Mediterranean-style eating plan. - Lifestyle changes:
Your healthcare provider might advise you to make some lifestyle changes. Such as - Lowering your body fat percentage can decrease the amount of estrogen released by your fat cells. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian to learn how to reduce body fat while maintaining a balanced diet safely.
- Reducing the levels of stress hormones your body releases can contribute to keeping your estrogen and progesterone at equilibrium.
- Eating a healthy, low-fat, high-fibre diet that contains very little processed sugar can help your liver metabolize estrogen more effectively.
- Limiting alcohol or avoiding alcohol to modest amounts can assist your liver in metabolizing estrogen.
- Reduce your exposure to artificially synthesized xenoestrogens by avoiding pesticides containing xenoestrogens, opting for all-natural organic foods, and choosing hormone-free meat products.
- Surgery:
In most cases, medical conditions that lead to high estrogen levels do not necessitate surgical intervention. However, if you have an estrogen-sensitive cancer, such as certain breast cancers, your doctor may suggest an oophorectomy to decrease estrogen levels. This procedure involves removing the ovaries, the primary source of estrogen production in the body, thus reducing hormone levels. This is referred to as surgical menopause.
Living with
Your healthcare provider will help you identify and treat the cause of your hormone imbalance. Sometimes, this may involve adjusting your medications. If high estrogen levels are linked to your lifestyle, making adjustments to your diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, and sleep habits may be beneficial. Discuss your medical history with your doctor to explore ways to restore hormonal balance.
Conclusion
Estrogen dominance can manifest in your body in many ways, from irregular menstruation and tender breasts to more serious conditions like fibroids and hormonal imbalance. Recognizing the symptoms early and understanding the causes, such as lifestyle, diet, or underlying medical issues, can empower you to take control of your health. With proper medical advice, dietary changes, and lifestyle adjustments, you might be able to restore hormonal balance and reduce risks associated with high estrogen levels. If you suspect estrogen dominance, consult your healthcare provider to determine personalized treatment options. By staying aware and proactive, you can protect your hormone health and overall well-being.
FAQs
What are normal estrogen levels?
Estrogen levels fluctuate throughout a person’s life, which is a normal phenomenon. For example, they increase during puberty, then decline near menopause. Levels also rise during ovulation to prepare for pregnancy and dip during your period when pregnancy isn’t necessary. Levels that are consistently low or high may signal an underlying condition that requires your healthcare provider’s attention.
How can I maintain healthy estrogen levels?
While it’s not always possible to prevent conditions related to hormone imbalances, adopting healthy habits can support your overall well-being. Ensure you get sufficient sleep, manage stress effectively, stay active through regular exercise, limit alcohol consumption, and follow a healthy eating plan.
Does Estrogen Make You Emotional?
Estrogen plays a key role in regulating your mood, affecting various parts of the body, including brain regions responsible for emotions. Its effects include boosting serotonin levels and receptors, altering endorphin production and activity, protecting nerve cells from damage, and potentially encouraging nerve growth. Some experts also think that individuals vary in their sensitivity to hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle. They propose that the hormonal changes throughout reproductive years can lead to mood swings and disturbances.
How do you treat hormonal depression?
First, consult your doctor to determine the cause of your depression. If it’s linked to your hormones, they may recommend hormonal medications, antidepressants, and adjustments to your diet and exercise routines.
What happens when estrogen levels are consistently high?
Excess estrogen in your body can be linked to several conditions: polyps, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis pain, ovarian tumors, and more. Your levels may be elevated because you have too much estrogen compared to your other sex hormone, progesterone. The medications containing estrogen you are taking might also contribute to having too much estrogen in your body.
