Estrogen Dominance
The quiet dominator
It’s beginning again. Your body feels out of sorts…swelling, sensitive and seemingly unwilling to cooperate. And then we make the connection. It’s a mere few days before the time of month thus all of these feelings and the mild (to sometimes debilitating) discomfort is normal. But is it?
Out of control hormones
When one thinks of hormones, one tends to conjure up love-drunk teenagers or weeping women yet there’s more to this one-sided story. Hormones, simply put, are our body balancers. If they are in sync, all works well…when they are skewed…they can silently take over.
Hormones play a vital role. Estrogen and progesterone help to initiate sexual development alongside progesterone. They regulate womens’ cycles and affect the entire reproductive system1. And the dominance of estrogen plagues a myriad of women. The symptoms are no different from PMS and there are many more including headaches, fatigue, panic attacks, cysts, fibroids and a lower sex drive. The list goes on and on. What’s more, studies have shown a relationship between estrogen dominance and hormone-sensitive forms of cancer, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer and cervical cancer2. But why are some women affected and not others?
The unfortunate genesis
Some of you might have been late bloomers, cursing your small chest in P.E. lessons and wondering why your monthlies hadn’t arrived. Others of you might have hit puberty early and along with that, started your period before the age of 13, filled with confusion at your body changing. The latter is a strong indicator of estrogen-dominance – sometimes linked to genetics but often connected to a badly-balanced diet. It’s not just about adolescence. Chronic stress and those that have suffered burnouts might find themselves battling more estrogen than they should. Furthermore, ladies who are menopausal and use estrogen replacement therapy3 drugs, might find their estrogen levels skyrocket to problematic levels. Therefore, many woman, at different points in their life, could very well find themselves in the midst of a fight against their own hormones.
Combatting the dominator
Often, when we discover we have a health issue, we have a tendency to run to the doctor, fill a prescription and pop pills. In certain circumstances, this is certainly the best solution but at other times, we can heal ourselves by changing our lifestyle and taking supplements. The most sure-fire way to know if you have this imbalance is to have a blood test at your local doctor’s surgery.
Yet there are simple steps in re-establishing balance internally. Firstly, avoiding stress is critical. This is much easier said than done. However, no matter your lifestyle, you can reduce your stress levels. From exercising to self-pampering, you can have a more balanced lifestyle. The adage of old still rings true – eat less and move more. Opting for organic fruit and vegetables, balanced carbohydrates and proteins can do wonders for our hormone levels. Fatigue is another strong contributor to stress so sleeping more and avoiding drinking too much caffeine can help vastly. Supplements such as Milk Thistle, Zinc, Magnesium and DIM are known to balance hormones and detoxify the body. Even increasing your progesterone levels can help. Some women select progesterone creams or medication which can help to regulate blood sugar levels, maintain women’s uterine lining, restore libidos4 and more.
If you think you may have a hormone imbalance or estrogen dominance, talk to your doctor and start taking small but significant steps to living a healthier life.
1https://www.healthline.com/health/high-estrogen#causes
2https://www.womenshealthcarecenter.nl/en/oestrogeendominantie-teveel-oestrogeen/3https://www.healthline.com/health/high-estrogen#causes
Article Written by Sade Ademakinwa
