Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen

Maintaining estrogen balance can be difficult for many. For many decades of a woman’s life circulating estrogens are fluctuating and cause both good and bad influences. The primary role of estrogen is to maintain the growth and function of the uterus so that the sex organs can become adult sized, and prepares the uterine lining to accept an egg. Additionally, estrogen affects skeletal growth, skin, fat and protein deposition, and electrolyte balance. Men also produce a certain amount of estrogen.

Progesterone

Progesterone is the building block for many other major hormones. Other sex hormones are formed from progesterone, including the corticosteroids, which are essential for stress response, electrolyte balance, blood pressure, and lastly, survival. Cortisol, DHEA, testosterone and estrogen are all made from progesterone in a process that begins with cholesterol. Progesterone is the primary hormone of fertility and pregnancy. It is essential to the survival of the fertilized egg, then the embryo, then the fetus. In pregnancy, it prevents the shedding of the uterine lining. A drop in progesterone can result in a miscarriage.

Causes of Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen dominance is generally not caused by one factor, but often many factors, including:

• Hormonal imbalance

• Hormone therapy

• Environmental estrogens

• Stressful lifestyle

• Glandular dysfunction

• Hormonal Imbalance

From the time menses begins until menopause, levels of estrogen and progesterone ebb and flow in a manner which promotes reproduction. At about age 35 to 40, women reach the time of pre-menopause, which is when their levels of progesterone and estrogen begin to reduce.

Normal Hormone Progression

During this time through age 50, there is a 35% drop in estrogen, but a 75% reduction in progesterone occurring simultaneously. This is normal, and does create many pre-menopausal symptoms that we accept as part of the aging process.

Many pre-menopausal women in their mid to late thirties, as well as many women in the menopausal stage are overloaded with estrogen. At the same time they are suffering from progesterone deficiency because of the severe drop in physiological production during this period. There is then insufficient progesterone to counteract the amount of estrogen in our body. It is most noticeable among peri-menopausal women who do not ovulate, which is quite common. You may have a fairly normal cycle, but no egg is released and very little progesterone is produced.

It is not the absolute deficiency of estrogen or progesterone, but rather the relative dominance of estrogen and possible deficiency of progesterone that is the main cause of health problems when they are not in balance. The end result: excessive estrogen relative to progesterone, add up to a condition Dr. John Lee has termed “estrogen dominance.” Dr. Lee’s books, What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Pre-menopause and What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Menopause explain this and more in-depth.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

A woman reaches menopause naturally around the age of 50, or as a result of having her ovaries surgically removed. Until recently, doctors routinely prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms. These prescription drugs are comprised of synthetic estrogen or an estrogen-progestin combination. HRT is also used to protect against the loss of bone after menopause.

But, there are risks. Concerns about hormone therapy arose from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial, whose purpose was to address the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women. The hormone replacement therapy (HRT) component of the WHI trial looked at the long-term use of oral HRT in older women in the USA for the prevention of disease. The WHI study was stopped in 2002 because the incidence of invasive breast cancer exceeded the safety level set by the WHI. Many doctors are no longer prescribing synthetic HRT.

For women taking the combination of estrogen-progestin (Prempro) used in the study, researchers found an increased risk of:

• Heart disease

• Breast cancer

• Stroke

• Blood clots

• Dementia

In addition, not only did hormone therapy increase the women’s risk of breast cancer, it also made tumors harder to detect, leading to potentially dangerous delays in diagnosis.

For women taking estrogen alone (Premarin), preliminary results showed no increased risk of breast cancer or heart disease but did find a slightly increased risk of stroke.

Women and their doctors are discovering that conventional HRT does not give them the overall health and well-being they had hoped for, and they are seeking out healthier alternatives, such as natural bio-identical hormone replacement, lifestyle changes, and diet changes. What everyone will hopefully soon realize is that menopausal and sexual reproductive problems are actually symptoms of overall hormonal imbalances. Women need to get a complete picture of their hormonal status and find appropriate therapeutic steps to maintaining balance.

Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills contain estrogen, and contribute to the development or worsening of estrogen dominance. Depending on dosage, they can be very potent, and linger for a long period of time in the body. Dr. Joseph Mercola’s webpage “Just Say No to Birth Control Pills” states the following about birth control pills:

A woman’s natural cycle is composed of rising and falling levels of estrogen and progesterone. Birth control pills work by keeping estrogen at a sufficiently high level that they fool the body into thinking it is pregnant, therefore another pregnancy cannot occur.

Cramping, painful and irregular periods are often due to a deficiency of progesterone and an excess of estrogen. Estrogen-alone birth control pills –the most commonly prescribed pills on the market now –often compound the problem. That’s why some women have intolerable estrogen-induced side effects when they are on birth control pills such as weight gain, mood swings, and breast tenderness.

What is not usually mentioned, or even known, is the metabolism of birth control pills by the liver requires extra amounts of the B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc. That means if you’re taking birth control pills for years at a time, as are most American women, you’re creating nutrient deficiencies. Weight gain, fluid retention, mood changes, depression and even heart disease can all arise from nutrient imbalance.

Environmental Estrogens

We are constantly assaulted by estrogens in our environment from the food we eat and the chemicals we use. Estrogen mimickers in the form of chemicals (xenoestrogens), and foods and plants (phytoestrogens), mimic the action of estrogen produced in cells and can alter hormonal activity.

Evidence is steadily growing that xenoestrogens and other hormone mimicking substances are implicated in a wide range of human and wildlife health problems. Estrogen dominance from these environmental hormone disrupters are causing an imbalance of female hormones, creating a host of estrogen dominance symptoms (see chart below). Girls and boys are reaching puberty too early as a result of these disrupters. Additionally, xenoestrogens produce hormonal stimuli that contributes to inappropriate growth of mammary tissue cells, resulting in a problem society is calling “man boobs.” Some theorize that estrogen dominance in men is contributing to hair loss, atherosclerosis, prostrate problems, lowered libido, and impotency.

Xenoestrogens

Xeno literally means foreign, therefore xenoestrogens means foreign estrogens. Some of the 70,000 registered chemicals for use in the United States have hormonal effects in addition to toxic effects. The synergistic effects of exposure to many xenoestrogens are well documented, but largely unknown.

Xenoestrogens found in certain pesticides, plastics, fuels and drugs are usually synthetic and difficult for the body to break down, and can amplify the effects of estrogen. These substances can increase the estrogen load in the body over time, and are difficult to detoxify through the liver. Exposure to xenoestrogens is a concern for everyone. Those with an estrogen dominance condition should be particularly concerned about avoiding xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens can be found in many of our meats and dairy products in the form of chemicals and growth hormones that are given to the animals. These can be quite powerful, and should be avoided where possible. Choosing meat and dairy items that do not contain Rbst can help decrease xenoestrogen exposure.

Sources of Xenoestrogens

• Commercially raised meat • Plant estrogens (soy, flaxseeds)

• Canned foods • Car exhaust and indoor toxins

• Plastics, plastic food wraps • Cosmetics

• Styrofoam cups • Birth control pills and spermicide

• Industrial wastes • Detergents

• Personal care products • All artificial scents

• Pesticides and herbicides • Air fresheners, perfumes, etc)

• Paints, lacquers and solvents

For a more extensive list of xenoestrogens, see our Environmental Estrogens page.

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens (phyto meaning plant) are naturally occurring estrogenic compounds that are found in a variety of foods, herbs, spices. Their chemical structure resembles estrogen. These compounds are generally weak estrogens, in comparison to real estrogen and xenoestrogens, but in a body that is already experiencing too much estrogen, adding more will contribute to the problem.

Some of the strongest phytoestrogen containing substances are soy, the lignans found in flax seed products, red clover, black cohosh, chasteberry, and dong quai. Soy includes soybeans, soy milk, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, roasted soybeans, soy granules, soy protein powders, miso, and edamames.

Over consumption of phytoestrogenic foods or herbs on a long term basis may actually increase the risk of estrogen dominance significantly. Furthermore, phytoestrogens have been shown to inhibit the conversion of T4 to the active T3 thyroid hormone, and can trigger hypothyroidism. It is suggested that those with a history of thyroid imbalance, or suffering from estrogen dominance, should consume a minimum amount of phytoestrogens.

Stressful Lifestyle and Glandular Dysfunction

Stress causes adrenal gland exhaustion and reduced progesterone output. This tilts the estrogen to progesterone ratios in favor of estrogen. Excessive estrogen in turn causes insomnia and anxiety, which further taxes the adrenal gland. This leads to a further reduction in progesterone output and even more estrogen dominance. After a few years in this type of vicious cycle, the adrenal glands become exhausted. This dysfunction leads to blood sugar imbalance, hormonal imbalances, and chronic fatigue.

In the female, a large part of hormonal balance is controlled by the three major glands: the adrenal gland, the thyroid gland, and the ovaries. Maintaining a proper balance among these three glands is of critical importance in any estrogen dominance recovery program. Excessive estrogen affects both thyroid and adrenal function, and in turn, dysfunctional thyroid and adrenal fatigue makes estrogen dominance worse. They all go hand in hand. When not functioning properly, these three glands, controlling the majority of the hormones in the body, can lead to a viscous downward cycle of hormonal imbalance. Worse yet is that conventional medicine often times are misled into treating symptom after symptom without addressing the root cause. A wide variety of prescriptions from sleeping pills to anti-depressants are dispensed. Unfortunately, such symptom-based protocol will often make things worse instead of better.

Estrogen Dominance Symptoms

The following symptoms are common among those with excess estrogen. What begins with mild symptoms in younger years often becomes moderate in the mid to late 30s, and severe by the time a woman reaches her mid 40s. If you are experiencing as few as 6 of these symptoms, you probably have some level of estrogen dominance.