Estrogen dominance refers to a condition where a woman has excess estrogens circulating her body, with deficient levels of progesterone to balance it out. This hormonal imbalance can happen for various reasons - environmental toxins that mimic estrogens, chronic stress, poor diet, etc.
The symptoms of estrogen dominance can vary but generally include:
- Weight gain
- Bloating
- Heavy or irregular periods
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Mood swings
- Foggy thinking
- Hair loss
What causes estrogen dominance?
There are a few key culprits:
- Xenoestrogens - these are essentially environmental toxins that act like estrogens in our body. Examples include BPA from plastics, pesticides, personal care products, etc. Exposure to these can ramp up our estrogen levels.
- Chronic stress - our adrenal glands produce cortisol when we're stressed, which can hamper progesterone production. With less progesterone, estrogen goes unchecked.
- Poor diet and lifestyle habits - eating lots of processed foods, alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise. All of these can impact hormonal balance.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
Getting your hormone levels tested can help diagnose estrogen dominance. Blood or saliva tests check estradiol, estriol, progesterone and testosterone levels. The key is looking at the ratio between estrogens and progesterone - they should be properly balanced.
As for treatment, both lifestyle changes and progesterone therapy can help overcome estrogen dominance.
Lifestyle changes include:
- Reduce exposure to xenoestrogens
- Adopt a clean, whole foods diet
- Manage stress with meditation, yoga
- Improve gut health with prebiotics/probiotics
Progesterone therapy involves directly supplementing with bioidentical progesterone to balance out the estrogens. This can be done short-term to help relieve symptoms during certain phases of the menstrual cycle or it can be continuous.
The experts at
Balance Hormone Clinic specialize in customized natural hormone therapy to help women suffering from estrogen dominance and other hormone imbalances. They use cutting-edge testing and only prescribe
bioidentical hormones tailored to your body's needs.
In summary, estrogen dominance stems from excess unsupported estrogen in relation to progesterone. Getting tested, making lifestyle improvements, and considering bioidentical hormone therapy can all help overcome this common but often overlooked hormonal imbalance in women. Don't hesitate to reach out to a specialist like Balance Hormone Clinic for specialized care. I wish you the very best in balancing your hormones and feeling your best again soon!