When my clients come to me with heavy, painful periods, breast tenderness right before their period, and mood issues (like PMS, mood swings, and irritability), among other symptoms, it’s a sign to me that they may have estrogen dominance.
The good news is, if you have estrogen dominance, there are ways you can naturally support your body to manage your estrogen dominance.
What is Estrogen Dominance?
The name “estrogen dominance” is a little misleading. It makes it sound like estrogen is just flooding your body.
Estrogen dominance is actually when your estrogen levels are relatively high compared to your progesterone, even if your estrogen levels are “in range” or at a normal level. So, estrogen dominance is not about having too much estrogen, but estrogen being imbalanced compared to progesterone.
Estrogen dominance can happen at any stage of life – not just in perimenopause as your hormones begin to shift.
Why is Estrogen Dominance a concern?
When you have estrogen dominance, it’s not uncommon to have your quality of life impacted. From your mood, to your energy levels, to weight that’s harder to budge, to your confidence and self-esteem.
The imbalance of estrogen is not only uncomfortable, but it’s a driving force to other hormonal imbalances, like
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Fertility issues
- Thyroid disruption
- Breast cancer
- Endometrial cancer
So, why does Estrogen Dominance happen?
There are several ways that estrogen dominance can happen in your body.
- Chronic stress, which leads to low progesterone levels
- Poor liver detoxification, meaning estrogen isn’t being cleared from your body, and when estrogen is not cleared from your body, your body is reabsorbing the estrogen
- Gut issues, also connected to liver detoxification and the body not clearing estrogen
- Environment xenoestrogens, which pose as estrogen in your body and leads to more imbalances
- Hormonal birth control or HRT
- Lack of ovulation, which is a sign that you have low to no progesterone in your body
Common signs and symptoms of Estrogen Dominance?
There are several signs that you may have estrogen dominance in your body.
- Heavy, painful periods
- Breast tenderness
- PMS, mood swings, and irritability
- Weight gain, especially in your hips and thighs
- Consistent bloating and or water retention
- Fatigue or brain fog
- Anxiety
- Sleep issues
A lot of women experience these symptoms around their period as their hormone levels are shifting, but they can be experienced throughout the month as well.
What to do to about your Estrogen Dominance
If you can relate to some of these symptoms or you have had blood work and the ratio of your estrogen to progesterone is off, there are several natural ways you can support your estrogen and progesterone levels to improve your symptoms.
The most important thing you can do is…
Support your liver detoxification
As you know, when your body is not getting rid of your estrogen, it’s re-circulating in your body and causing imbalances.
The best way to know that your liver detoxification is working is by how often you have a bowel movement. Estrogen leaves your body in your stool, so if you are going frequently, you should be good! If you are more backed up, your liver needs some TLC in order to get things moving and get the estrogen out of your body.
A few things to help with your liver detoxification are
- Eating your cruciferous veggies
- Keep hydrated
- Avoid or limit alcohol
And one supplement you can look into – though I recommend working with a professional, such as myself, before starting it – is DIM.
Reduce xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens trick your body into believing they are estrogen, which causes an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone in your body.
They can be found in your cleaning products, packaged foods, plastic water bottles, your make up, and even the seasonal candles.
A few things you can start doing to reduce your xenoestrogens
- Use glass containers and water bottles
- Switch to natural personal care products and cleaning supplies
- Check out Skin Deep
Balance your blood sugar
Balancing your blood sugar is the key to balancing your hormones, having good energy levels, and supporting your body with nutrients.
In order to balance your blood sugar, focus on
- Eating balanced meals with protein, fiber, healthy fats, and carbs
- Don’t skip meals – you want to be eating every 3 to 4 hours
- Avoid extreme diets, especially diets that cut out full food groups
Manage your stress to support progesterone levels
Stress depletes your progesterone, which can lead to estrogen dominance.
Though stress management looks different for everyone, focus on these to help support your progesterone levels
- Don’t overtrain – you need rest days from working out and you need to fuel your body for your workouts
- Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is your hormone rehab, you absolutely need it
- Get restorative movement with a walk or yoga
Support your gut health
Stemming off of liver detoxification, even if you are going to the bathroom frequently, your gut health may be the reason you have estrogen dominance.
Additional ways you can support your gut health are
- Getting your daily fiber (25 to 35 grams per day for women)
- Consider fermented foods or probiotics
In conclusion…
Estrogen dominance is common, but can be fixed naturally and without overhauling your entire life. When you practice small lifestyle and nutritional changes, you will feel better overall and support both your estrogen and progesterone levels.
And just remember, your symptoms are just whispers from your body that something needs a little TLC underneath the hood.
If you have painful periods, check out the free ebook From Painful to Pain-free Periods.
And if you want to dive a little deeper into your own hormonal journey, let’s schedule a Free Hormone Analysis Call to talk about your symptoms!
