Balancing Hormones | Estrogen Dominance

Navigating the symptoms of hormone fluctuations can be challenging. Once puberty begins, our hormones are in a constant state of change, responding to other signals in our body and working toward a better balance. Like many other body processes, I truly believe that our bodies are inherently wise and they are always working to find an optimal balance.

Then there is life: work stress, nutrient depletion, interrupted sleep, imbalanced gut bacteria and many other factors that can play a role in interrupting the natural flow of our hormones. Over time, this can cause more pronounced imbalances in hormones and possibly lead to higher estrogen during the first half of the cycle.

Estrogen in excess can cause a host of symptoms and lead to suboptimal levels of other hormones, like progesterone. 

Estrogen dominance is something I see often in patients experiencing: 

  • Heavy periods 

  • Painful periods/intense cramping 

  • Breast tenderness, especially the week before bleeding begins 

  • Low libido

  • Noticeable mood symptoms, especially depression, around period onset

  • Acne 

  • Stubborn abdominal weight gain

  • Infertility 

  • Irregular menstrual cycles

What are some common causes of high estrogen?

  • Stress & adrenal dysregulation

  • Chronic environmental exposures to things like BPA or other endocrine disruptors

  • Low fiber diets lacking in plant based nutrients

  • Autoimmune conditions 

  • Imbalanced gut bacteria 

  • Low progesterone

Conditions associated with estrogen dominance include: 

  • Endometriosis

  • Fibroids 

  • Breast or uterine cancer

  • PCOS

  • Anovulation 

Natural support for symptoms:

  • Individualized care.  Find a trusted healthcare practitioner who can assess your individualized symptoms and find the best balanced therapies.

  • Test, don't guess. Seriously, this matters. All too often I see people who have been treating something for too long and spending too much money on treatment without getting the data from their body as to what is going on. My favorite hormone test is the DUTCH Complete by Precision Analytical. Reach out if you want more info about testing.

  • Ground flax seeds. Fresh, ground flax seeds daily can help bind excess estrogen in the body for excretion. I love adding ground flax to smoothies, salads or yogurt. Be sure to drink an extra glass of water when adding flax to avoid constipation.

  • Increase plant based fiber in your daily meals.

  • B vitamins are essential in the biochemical breakdown of estrogen. I see estrogen imbalances often in patients with certain genetic variants that impact metabolism of estrogen, namely MTHFR and COMT. The right form of B vitamins for your body is a great way to support estrogen balance.

  • Liver support. A lot of our estrogen is processed through the liver’s detox pathways. If your liver is burdened processing out other toxins in your body (not that estrogen is a toxin, our body needs it!) it will have less efficiency in metabolizing estrogen. Support your liver with avoiding or limiting alcohol, environmental exposures, pesticides and caffeine.

  • Work to lower stress. Find outlets for processing stress that resonate with you: walking, meditation, knitting, reading, gardening, petting your dog. Stress management doesn’t look the same for everyone, but finding a way to calm your nervous system will help support your hormonal balance. Find more adrenal supportive tips here.

References 

  1. Patel S, Homaei A, Raju AB, Meher BR. Estrogen: The necessary evil for human health, and ways to tame it. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018;102:403‐411. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2018.03.078

  2. Marquardt RM, Kim TH, Shin JH, Jeong JW. Progesterone and Estrogen Signaling in the Endometrium: What Goes Wrong in Endometriosis?. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(15):3822. Published 2019 Aug 5. doi:10.3390/ijms20153822

  3. Baker JM, Al-Nakkash L, Herbst-Kralovetz MM. Estrogen-gut microbiome axis: Physiological and clinical implications. Maturitas. 2017;103:45‐53. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.06.025

  4. Konieczna A, Rutkowska A, Rachoń D. Health risk of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA). Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2015;66(1):5‐11.

  5. Palioura E, Diamanti-Kandarakis E. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2015;16(4):365‐371. doi:10.1007/s11154-016-9326-7

Kelsey Stang