Oestrogen Dominance
It can Affect Women in Menopause
What is Oestrogen Dominance, and What to Do About It?
Firstly, just let me say the term oestrogen dominance is a real condition and, at the same time, not a very helpful term. There are better ways to discuss oestrogen and progesterone balance, because in actual fact what it is referring to is that oestrogen is higher is compared to progesterone. So, I prefer to use the term unopposed oestrogen.
You see these two hormones oestrogen and progesterone, compliment and oppose ease other in an ideal ratio, which when in this ideal ratio makes our menstrual cycles work like a dream.
When the are out of balance with each other, that’s when we run into problems such as:
Irregular or heavy periods
Water retention
Breast swelling and tenderness
Migraines, headaches
Fibrocystic breast changes
Weight gain
Mood swings
Hair loss
Painful periods
PMS
We are all unique, s some women experience a range of symptoms, while others may only experience one or two.
Additionally, unopposed oestrogen can increase your risk for certain conditions such as
Fibroids
Endometriosis
Oestrogen sensitive cancers
Why does it happen?
It can develop for various reasons: age, excess body fat, exposure to hormone-mimicking chemicals in your environment called xenoestrogens, poor digestion, poor detoxification, stress, adrenal issues, and even autoimmune conditions.
Let’s take a deeper look at some of these causes in more detail:
Xenoestrogens
These are oestrogen-mimicking toxins in our food and environment. Plastics like BPA, many household and beauty products contain them. They are so similar in structure to oestrogen that our body can’t tell difference between real and fake oestrogen, Also the ‘fake’ oestrogen can be far more potent in their effect on the body. In this way our oestrogen and progesterone get out of balance, resulting in all the above symptoms, plus the reason why girls are going into puberty earlier, and menopause earlier and are even and often the reason for man boobs!
Stress
Stress wreaks havoc with not just our hormones but many other body systems. When we have chronic stress in our lives, and I can tell you most of us do, we produce the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol and progesterone are made from the same raw material, and so when we are making loads of cortisol, we end up making less progesterone, sometimes referred to as the cortisol steal. And in this way, there isn’t enough progesterone to oppose the action of oestrogen.
Detoxification
Our wonderful liver has over 500 functions, and one of those is to package up oestrogen so your gut can eliminate it. If either your liver or your gut can’t do its job properly, then oestrogen can build up. Your liver needs a good supply of nutrients to carry out its function, and you must have a bowel movement every day to remove excess oestrogen from the body.
Anovulatory Cycles
Anovulatory cycles (months where you don’t release an egg) could also lead to. This is because when you ovulate and through this second half of your cycle (from ovulation to period) called the luteal phase, your body increases its progesterone production, in preparation for a possible pregnancy. , If you don’t ovulate or are otherwise having issues getting progesterone levels up during your luteal phase, this can cause unopposed oestrogen.
Gut Health
Your gut bugs that your body depends on to function, if they are out of balance and making too much beta-glucuronidase, you can also find yourself with oestrogen excess. This can be investigated with a gut test, and some simple supplementation to help your body break down excess oestrogen.
Luckily there is a lot we can do to rebalance our oestrogen to progesterone ratio. You do need to work with someone who can help you identify why the imbalance is there in the first place. If you think your hormones are out of balance and want to find out how to figure this out, please get in touch with a 30min complimentary call.
6 Steps to reverse unopposed oestrogen (oestrogen dominance)
1. Support Your Liver
Remember, your liver is responsible for getting oestrogen broken down and ready to be moved out of the body. Here are some simple steps to support your liver:
Eat quality protein
Eat plenty of garlic and onions
Take a B complex (looked for one with methylated B’s)
Eat at least 1 cup of cruciferous veggies a day
2. Fix Your Gut
It’s all well and good your liver packaging up your used hormones and toxin ready for elimination, however, if the channels of elimination aren’t working as they should, well, that’s only going to result in it all going back into circulation in the body.
Figuring out and treating the underlying cause of your digestive issues is crucial in creating optimal hormonal health. When there is dysbiosis (an imbalance between good and not so good gut bugs), these not so good organisms can make more beta-glucuronidase. This is an enzyme that can lead to higher levels of estrogen in the body.
Taking a high-quality probiotic may help shift the flora to be more favourable in some women, but also add in lots of fermented foods like sauerkraut kimchi, kefir, yoghurt…if you can make them yourself even better. It’s also a good idea to get a comprehensive stool test done, so your practitioner knows what they are dealing with and can personalise a solution for you.
3. Lots of Fibre
Not only will fibre keep your bowels regular and help eliminate waste, including unnecessary oestrogen, it also feeds your friendly gut bacteria keeping them happy and healthy.
Aim for at least 25 grams per day by eating plenty of vegetables and low sugar fruits like berries.
Some good sources of fibre are avocado, olives, non-starchy veggies, berries, chia seeds, flax seeds, psyllium husk.
4. Reduce Your Toxin Exposure
Reduce exposure by going organic, filtering your water, eliminating plastic, and buying better beauty, care, cleaning products, there are so many clean brands available to us nowadays.
Here are some great websites if you would like to learn more about which toxins to avoid. Think Dirty, and EWG, and INCI Beauty
5. Stress Less
Easier said than done — I know! But here’s the thing, all that stress is wrecking your mood, your hormones, and, well, your life. I know this sounds dramatic, but I cannot emphasise enough how much of an impact stress can have on your hormones.
It’s hard to escape stress, so we need to adopt methods of helping our bodies and minds cope, I wrote a whole article on stress management here.
I do also add additional botanicals and supplements for some of my clients, which can be powerful at building stress resilience and the ability to cope under stress.
6. Sleep!
On average we need 7-9 hours minimum each night. Your body needs sleep and your hormones demand it. See my tips on improving sleep if you’re struggling. Most of my clients get a much better sleep when adopting these sleep hygiene techniques. And if after adopting and keeping on with these techniques, and still struggling with insomnia, restlessness, or fatigue all day despite 7-9 hours sleep, seek help to determine the root cause, it could be your hormones are the reason of your sleep issues!
If you’re struggling with hormones imbalances or any other issues discussed in the post, do reach out to see how we can help you with a free 30 min call
