How I Overcame Estrogen Dominance – My Personal Journey
Learn how I overcame estrogen dominance and how I discovered what was happening to my body, the symptoms I experienced, and the steps I took to regain my hormonal balance.
Discovering Estrogen Dominance
It all started with a nagging feeling that my body was out of sync. I was experiencing mood swings, fatigue, and weight gain, bloating, hair loss, irritability that didn’t make sense given my healthy lifestyle. I was eating well and exercising regularly, and still, something wasn’t right. My skin also started breaking out, and I noticed that my periods were becoming increasingly irregular and painful.
I did what many of us do—I started researching my symptoms. I stumbled across the term “estrogen dominance,” and something clicked. The more I read, the more I realized that this could be what I was dealing with. Estrogen dominance occurs when the body has too much estrogen relative to progesterone, which can lead to a range of symptoms.
Estrogen dominance is one of the most common hormonal imbalances in women. It can be challenging and can express itself by presenting many different symptoms.
Initially, it took me a while to figure out what it was. I struggled for a year and a half before discovering the root of the problem.
I remember suffering from fibro-cystic breasts, hair loss, weight gain, water retention, PMS, brain fog, extreme anxiety, bloating, fatigue and mood swings. I was trying to hide from the world as well from my partner. I was mean, snippy, and irritable. I had no idea what was going on with me. Interestingly enough, the person who advised me to check my hormones was my friend, who was a sex therapist and counselor. I was 38 years old and had no idea about hormonal imbalances! I did a hormone test, which confirmed that, indeed, I had estrogen dominance.
With that hormonal imbalance diagnosis, I experimented with a lot of different things.
It took me about a year to get my hormones in balance, so ladies, it takes a commitment, and it is not going to happen overnight! I want you to know that. When I worked with my clients, they were anxious to see fast results, and they would see them, just not after two weeks.
Trust me, I get it. I suffered through years of painful symptoms, and I was also anxious to see results quickly.
What is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen Dominance happens when estrogen levels are too high relative to progesterone levels in the body. It has a set of uncomfortable and frustrating symptoms but also puts you at risk for a lot of different health issues…. everything from mood swings, irritability, thyroid dysfunction, fatigue and autoimmune conditions to cancer (estrogen-driven cancers).
Unfortunately, estrogen dominance is at an all-time high, and the rates of cancers and chronic illnesses linked to an overload of estrogen are on the rise right along with it.
Estrogen has a bad rap, but estrogen itself is not bad: It helps regulate women’s cycles, increases the feel-good chemicals in our brains, helps build strong bones, keeps skin elastic, and helps hearts stay healthy. It only becomes problematic when we have too much estrogen in our bodies and when we can’t detoxify the “dirty-bad” metabolized estrogen from our bodies.
What Causes Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen levels rise in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (two weeks before a woman’s period). The body is preparing for egg fertilization, and all that extra estrogen is needed because it helps build the uterus lining and amplifies a woman’s libido, energy, and confidence.
If the egg isn’t fertilized, the uterine lining is shed (menstruation), and estrogen levels drop dramatically. The estrogen floating around there is swept out, and the body starts prepping for next month.
Estrogen dominance happens when that extra estrogen doesn’t get adequately and appropriately eliminated.
There is another problem on the rise with estrogen- xenoestrogens – that we are constantly bombarded by. These are industrial chemicals that mimic the behavior of estrogen. They are everywhere in our modern environment, including our food, furniture, plastic, clothes, cosmetics, and personal care products. From the water we drink to the food we eat, we encounter a shocking number of these endocrine-disrupting xenoestrogens in a day without even knowing it.
Xenoestrogens are chemicals that mimic physiological estrogen compounds, potentially acting as estrogen or possibly interfering with the actions of endogenous estrogens. They are foreign to our bodies, and the body doesn’t know what to do with them; therefore, they are being recirculated in our bodies and are binding to estrogen receptor sites, with potentially hazardous outcomes.
Additionally, if your gut is unhealthy, your body won’t be able to clear estrogen the way it should. Research has shown that gut microbes help regulate circulating estrogen levels.
That gut bacteria is called the estrobolome, a collection of microbes capable of metabolizing estrogens. Microbes in the estrobolome produce beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme that deconjugates estrogens into their active forms. Beta-glucuronidase activity produces active, unbound estrogen that can bind to estrogen receptors and influence estrogen-dependent physiological processes.
Stress has a significant impact on estrogen dominance and exacerbates estrogen dominance symptoms, too. The higher and more sustained the stress levels, the more severe the estrogen dominance symptoms will likely be. How many women do you know living stress-free lives? Not many? Yeah, me neither!
Estrogen Dominance Symptoms
- Low libido
- Fibrocystic breast
- Anxiety
- Irregular periods
- Swollen or tender breasts
- Bloating
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Brain fog
- Insomnia
- PMS
- Thyroid nodules
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Cancer – breast, uterine
How is estrogen metabolized in the body?
The liver metabolizes estrogen through three different pathways. It can be converted into good or bad metabolites.
There are 3 metabolic pathways of estrogen:
2-hydroxy metabolic pathway, which is considered good. This can help lower the risk of cancer and other problems. The estrogens produced during that pathway can help with mood, healthy breasts, good libido, and can help with reproductive health.
16-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy pathways are considered bad. They are associated with higher risks of breast cancer. When your body is converting too many of your hormones using the 16-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy pathways, that’s when you experience estrogen dominance symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, irritability, vaginal dryness, breast tenderness and PMS, and you have a higher risk of developing cancer.
So, it’s not just about your total estrogen levels. It’s about your total estrogen metabolites, liver health, gut health, nutritional status, stress, sleep and diet. All these factors help determine which metabolic pathways are used.
Gene mutations, such as COMT and MTHFR, can also impair one’s ability to methylate and detoxify estrogen.
Causes of Estrogen Dominance:
- Food
- Plasti
- Personal care products
- Water
- Gut dysbiosis
- Heavy metals
- Chronic stress
- Body fat
- Conventional hormone replacement therapy
- Birth control pills
- Xenoestrogens
How to Overcome Estrogen Dominance
With my hormonal imbalance diagnosis, I experimented with a lot of different things. Here how I overcame estrogen dominance and what helped me and what is helping my clients:
Follow a hormone-balancing diet:
* Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
* Eat healthy fats – food containing omega-3-fatty acids, such as wild fish, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, sacha inchi seeds and hemp seeds
* Eat enough protein
* Eat cruciferous foods – they contain a compound called sulforaphane, which helps restore estrogen receptor expression and can thus protect from cancer. Cruciferous vegetables include kale, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, bok choy, collard greens, mustard greens, arugula, cabbage and turnips
Foods from the Brassica family also include a compound called Indole-3-carbinol, an estrogen regulator.
Avoid processed food, soy and soy products, conventional dairy and meat, sugar and non-organic food.
Love and detox your liver:
The liver is the most critical organ in detoxification, and without addressing liver health, you won’t be able to get rid of estrogen dominance. Estrogen is processed and detoxified in the liver, so we need to optimize our liver function. Do a detox or cleanse periodically. You can check one out here!
Try saunas:
Saunas are one of the best ways to support detoxification within the body. More about the liver detox here!
Balance your blood sugar:
Sugar disrupts one of the body’s most potent hormones, insulin. Insulin is connected to all other hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.
When we experience insulin spikes, usually after a meal high in carbs or sugar, this might reduce the availability of an essential protein known as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The role of SHBG is to bind excess testosterone and estrogen in the blood, but when the SHBG is low, then these hormone levels increase. Estrogen and progesterone ratios are then disrupted, which leads to estrogen dominance symptoms. You can balance blood sugar by eating protein/fats/fiber during each meal and having breakfast within one hour of waking.
Heal the gut:
Estrogen is also processed by the gut and excreted through the digestive tract. A properly functioning gut is crucial for hormone health and estrogen excretion. The latest findings show that we also have a set of bacteria in the gut called estrobolom, which help metabolize estrogen. If our gut functions poorly, it could also be one of the reasons for estrogen dominance.
Get enough fiber:
The bowel works to excrete estrogen; if stool remains in the colon, estrogen will be reabsorbed, and it will become more toxic.
Decrease stress:
Stress reduces the production of progesterone in the body. When stressed, our adrenal glands “steal” the precursor to progesterone and instead use it to produce cortisol, the stress hormone. This process is called ‘pregnenolone steal’.
Get rid of toxins in your personal care products:
Xenoestrogen is found in creams, shampoos, cleaning supplies, lotions, soaps, perfumes, hair sprays, and more. They can also be found in paint, dry-cleaning, pesticides, plastic, aluminum cans, chemicals, car exhaust, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, nail polish, glues and paint removers. You can evaluate the quality and pureness of your cosmetics here: www.ewg.org
Quit your Cup of Joe:
Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands, causing them to release cortisol and other stress hormones in preparation to fight the perceived threat. Drinking caffeine every day can exhaust your adrenal glands and cause them to stop releasing adequate levels of essential hormones.
Caffeine is detoxified by the same pathway as estrogen, and the body has to metabolize caffeine first. Estrogen needs to wait its turn, and it can be recirculated in the body, causing too much estrogen left to float around.
Quit alcohol:
Alcohol increases estrogen in the body, disrupting blood sugar regulation, which creates stress on our bodies. Alcohol, even in moderation, can tip the scales for estrogen dominance. Studies have found a link between alcohol consumption and high levels of the potent estrogen—estradiol. This process happens because your liver breaks down and clears toxins and other substances your body doesn’t need from the bloodstream, including alcohol and estrogen. When you drink alcohol, your liver becomes preoccupied with eliminating the alcohol toxins, which impacts the liver’s ability to clear estrogen from your system.
Reduce body fat:
Fat cells produce more estrogen via aromatase enzymes that convert testosterone into estrogen. Building lean body mass and decreasing body fat are necessary steps to reducing estrogen levels.
Nutrients that help with decreasing the aromatase process are zinc, melatonin, green tea, selenium, and citrus flavonoids (found in the skin of citrus fruits).
Take supportive supplements such as:
Milk thistle, Vitamin C, Calcium D-Glucarate, Alpha lipoic acid, Diindolylmethane (DIM), Maca Powder, Vitamin B6, B12 and Folate.
Exercise:
Exercise, especially sweating, is another excellent way of supporting detoxification.
Drink clean water:
I really recommend investing in a water filter, like the Berkey Filter. Our drinking water contains so many toxins and potential endocrine disruptors. In fact, I consider drinking pure water one of the best things you can do for your health.
Avoid hormonal birth control:
If possible, you should avoid hormonal birth control because it messes with hormonal balance in your body.
Once you have the right tools and start taking your hormonal healing seriously, you can see results fast. True, lasting, permanent change takes time and patience, but there’s nothing more encouraging than seeing evidence that things are moving in the right direction.
Over time, I noticed a significant improvement in my symptoms. My energy levels returned, my weight stabilized, and my mood became more balanced. My periods became regular again, and I felt more in tune with my body.
Estrogen dominance was a challenging experience, but it taught me so much about my body and the importance of hormonal balance. By making these lifestyle changes, I was able to overcome it and continue to support my health as I navigate the challenges of perimenopause.
If you’re experiencing similar symptoms, know that you’re not alone. Understanding your body and making mindful changes can lead to hope and healing.
Estrogen Dominance In Perimenopause
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