What is estrogen dominance?
Estrogen dominance refers to a condition where a woman has excess estrogens circulating in her body, more than her body can efficiently metabolize and excrete. This often happens when she has too much estrogen production compared to progesterone production.
Some key signs and symptoms of estrogen dominance include:
- Irregular periods or changes in menstrual flow
- PMS symptoms like bloating, breast tenderness, and mood swings
- Weight gain, particularly around the hips and thighs
- Fatigue and low energy
- Reduced libido
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Cold hands and feet
- Brain fog, memory lapses
What causes estrogen dominance? There are a few key factors:
- Eating foods that promote higher estrogen levels - soy, non-organic meats, certain plastics
- Being overweight or obese
- High alcohol intake
- Chronic stress
- Exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals like BPA from plastics
- Getting older (perimenopause)
The good news is there are solutions for correcting estrogen dominance including:
- Eating cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower
- Taking targeted supplements (e.g DIM, calcium d-glucarate)
- Avoiding xenoestrogens
- Considering bioidentical hormone therapy if really struggling with symptoms
I hope this gives you a helpful overview explaining what estrogen dominance is, what causes it, and how it can be properly addressed! Let me know if you have any other questions.