Have you ever experienced any of the
following symptoms, which you are not able to get rid of:
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Decreased sex drive
- Worsening PMS symptoms (breast tenderness, acne flare up, headaches, etc)
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Heavy periods
- Uterine fibroids
- Bloating
- Weight gain particularly in the hips, midsection and thighs
- Anxiety
- Hair loss
- Poor sleep
- Fatigue
- Fertility issues
- Memory problems
- Brain fog
- Hot flashes & night sweats
You might be having estrogen dominance.
You might be wondering, what exactly is
estrogen dominance? Isn’t estrogen
supposed to be good for women?
Estrogen dominance is simply a type of
hormonal imbalance when the body contains too much estrogen compared to
progesterone, which occurs as a result of the body producing too much estrogen
than what is needed, or when it is exposed to excess estrogen in the
environment, or when it is unable to properly break down estrogen.
And yes, we need estrogen because it is
crucial for our day-to-day functioning. Estrogen regulates menstruation in women, hunger and satiety, insulin
sensitivity, maintains bone density and metabolizes cholesterol. Without estrogen, you will experience
symptoms of menopause.
What can be the possible causes of estrogen dominance?
Certain birth control pills add on more
estrogen on top of pre-existing excess estrogen, and release synthetic
progesterone, which suppresses the body’s natural progesterone production. Progesterone is responsible for balancing the
effects of estrogen.
Certain skincare and cosmetics may contain
chemicals which mimic estrogen and disrupt your hormonal balance.
Estrogen can also come from poultry, meat
and dairy products which have been exposed to hormones for faster growth.
Estrogen can leak from plastic bottles into
our drinking water.
Microbial imbalance in the gut reduces the
body’s ability to eliminate excess estrogen effectively.
Heavy metal toxicity.
Uncontrolled stress - as the body uses up more pregnenolone to produce the stress hormone cortisol instead of progesterone.
Why is estrogen dominance dangerous?
An excess of estrogen can increase a woman’s risk of developing endometrial (uterine) cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer!
Ways to reduce estrogen dominance include being at an ideal body weight, managing stress, increasing your intake of fiber and taking adequate healthy fats, avoiding plastic bottles, avoiding skincare products which may contain estrogen mimicking chemicals, getting adequate sleep, and considering taking certain supplements that may help the body break down excess estrogen.
Schedule your appointment with us today to get your hormone levels tested, and we will assist you in balancing your hormones, to allow to you live the life you deserve today!
