What is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen dominance refers to a condition where a woman has an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone levels in her body. Some key things to know:
- Estrogen and progesterone need to be properly balanced for optimal health. When estrogen is high relative to progesterone, it leads to estrogen dominance.
- Common symptoms include weight gain, fluid retention, breast tenderness, mood changes, fatigue, and irregular periods.
- There are various potential causes like chronic stress, poor gut health leading to impaired estrogen metabolism, obesity, hormonal birth control use, perimenopause, and more.
- Diet, exercise, stress management, natural progesterone supplementation, or medications can help treat estrogen dominance. Rebalancing hormones gently is ideal.
Estrogen and progesterone are both important hormones in a woman's body that regulate menstrual cycles and reproduction. Here's a quick overview:
- Estrogen - Stimulates tissue growth in the breasts and uterus. Also regulates bone density, skin health, body fat distribution, and more all over the body. There are three main forms of estrogen.
- Progesterone - Balances out estrogen's growth promoting effects. It gets elevated after ovulation, helping build up the uterine lining. It supports pregnancy and regulates menstrual cycles.
Estrogen dominance arises when:
- More estrogen circulates relative to progesterone
- The body can't properly breakdown and excrete excess estrogen
- Issues converting estrogen into its safest form (estradiol)
This imbalance causes estrogen's effects in the body to become more dominant. It leads to issues like:
- Heavy, irregular, or painful periods
- PMS, breast pain, mood swings
- Bloating, water retention, weight gain
- Fibroids or endometriosis
- Fatigue, trouble sleeping
- Reduced libido
- Headaches or migraines
If you're experiencing symptoms consistently, see your doctor to get tested. They can check hormone levels via blood or saliva tests to determine if estrogen dominance is present.
Treatment approaches aim to rebalance hormones gently. Lifestyle changes, herbal medicines, bioidentical hormones, or medications may help. What works best depends on the underlying cause and the individual. Seeing a functional or naturopathic doctor who specializes in hormones can help personalize an effective plan.
I hope this overview gives you a better understanding of estrogen dominance! Let me know if you have any other questions.