Symptoms & health changes are SIGNS to not be ignored.

These might be common, but they’re not normal or healthy.

Hormones & the Endocrine system play a huge role in the overall functioning of the body. Your metabolism, reproduction, digestion, mood, energy & more all rely all hormones. If one hormone is imbalanced, it will affect others, creating a domino effect.

What is it?

Estrogen dominance is a common health condition many women struggle with…and unfortunately, many have no idea about it! They are “dealing with” the symptoms, not knowing they aren’t normal.

Estrogen dominance is where there is an imbalance of estrogen to other hormones, such as progesterone or testosterone.

To recap, let’s look at a month view of a menstrual cycle below. In the second half of your cycle, progesterone should be higher than estrogen. But many times this is not the case, leading to frustrating symptoms and issues.

Estrogen Dominance happens in usually one of two scenarios:

1. There is excess estrogen circulating in the body
2. The body has normal levels of estrogen but LOW progesterone, making estrogen more dominant

What are the Symptoms?

• Breast tenderness, cramping
• PMS, with extreme swings in the last 2 weeks of your cycle
• Headaches & Migraines
• Heavy, long and painful periods
• Mood swings
• Weight gain or trouble losing weight
• Bloating & digestive issues like constipation
• Other conditions like fibroids & endometriosis

What are the Top Root Causes?

Many times estrogen dominance occurs from several different reasons, but here are the top causes and triggers:

• Chronic stress: This leads to elevated levels of cortisol, which can disrupt the balance of all other hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. The body is smart and will actually take away energy from making progesterone to create cortisol. This itself can create the estrogen to be more dominant in ratio.
• Perimenopause and Menopause: After the age of 40, there is a natural fluctuation, then decline in progesterone level, which can lead to relative estrogen dominance.
• Genetics and Endocrine Disorders: Conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid disorders can disrupt hormonal balance and contribute to estrogen dominance.

All of these causes are connected to…Poor Gut Health and Poor Detoxification Pathways

But why do these matter?

The liver plays a crucial role in metabolizing and clearing excess hormones from the body. If the liver’s detoxification pathways are compromised (due to lifestyle factors described below), it can lead to an estrogen imbalance.

An imbalance in gut bacteria and gut-related issues, such as leaky gut syndrome, can affect the metabolism and clearance of estrogen in the body.

Lifestyle Factors (that play a huge role!)

• Weight and Body Composition: Did you know that body fat is where most toxins are stored? And that body fat can actually produce estrogen too?! More body fat, more toxins = more hormones, contributing to estrogen dominance.
• Environmental Toxin Exposure:
  • Exposure to xenoestrogens, which are synthetic chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen, cause major health concerns and a leading cause of hormone imbalances. These toxins are found in plastics, pesticides, body and personal care products, cosmetics, and more. You can learn all about this on a previous post here.
• Poor Diet:
  • Consuming a diet high in processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats can cause stress & inflammation in the body, leading to food sensitivities and metabolic dysfunction. Specifically, foods like gluten, dairy and soy can aggravate imbalanced hormone levels.
• Medications:
  • Birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy have major side effects, including disrupting gut health and depleting nutrients. These medications have synthetic estrogen, which can cause the body to have an imbalance long term.
• Lack of Physical Activity and Exercise:
  • Regular exercise can help regulate hormone levels because it aids in detoxification, digestion supports metabolic health, sleep and more.
• Alcohol consumption:
  • While it can be fun and a way to socialize and “wind down” for many, alcohol is a toxin to the body. It impairs the liver’s ability to metabolize & detoxify, which can lead to excess hormones

Where to Start?

From a functional medicine point of view, we need to focus on:

• Identifying root causes
• Get proper testing (if desired or applicable)
  • The DUTCH test is a fantastic tool to see how your body is using and detoxifying hormones!
• Determine which lifestyle factors are contributing to your hormone imbalance
• Create a realistic, personalized lifestyle “plan of attack” to bring your body back to balance!

Lifestyle Considerations:

• Improve Gut Health: this means have regular and optimal bowel movements & healing any gut imbalances
• Improve Detoxification Pathways: sweating, movement, dry brushing for the lymphatic system and much more
• Nutrition: Cut out the crap processed foods and choose clean (organic) produce, meats and anti inflammatory foods
• Get Moving: Aim for a daily step goal and a structured exercise plan
• Prioritize Sleep: this is where the body naturally recovers and detoxifies! At least 7 hours is a good goal 🙂

Want to learn more about how to support your hormones & detoxification pathways, so you can start looking & feeling better?!

Contact me here!