As the name implies, estrogen dominance is when there is an excess of estrogen in a woman’s system. This can be due to a high level of estrogen, or a lower than normal level of progesterone. When this happens, a myriad of symptoms emerge, and these can range from the annoying to the irritating to the life-threatening. Those who are suffering from an over-abundance of estrogen may experience weight gain, appearance of varicose veins, vaginal itchiness and dryness, skipped or missing menstrual periods, and mood swings.
Those who are experiencing estrogen dominance are also in danger of developing ailments like breast cancer, lupus, and uterine cancer, to mention but a few. There are many reasons why estrogen levels can go beyond what is normal, and why progesterone also drops to cause these symptoms to emerge. Knowing what these are will help your doctor come up with the right treatment for you.
Causes of Estrogen Dominance
There are many reasons why estrogen levels in a person’s body increases drastically. These can include lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and nature. To show you what these causes are, here is a list:
- Liver problems – those who suffer from liver problems may see an increase in estrogen levels in their system due to the fact that their liver was not able to flush out the used hormones out of the body. This causes used estrogen to recirculate, thereby causing the spike of such a hormone in your system. Estrogen is not detoxified by the liver due to protein deficiency, so this needs to be addressed in order to stop this estrogen increase from happening.
- Poor diet – when you do not eat a balanced diet, hormonal imbalance is one of the things you will suffer. The body needs ample sustenance and nutrients for it to produce the right amounts of progesterone and estrogen to keep it healthy. Low progesterone is sometimes due to the lack of nutrients needed to produce it, like vitamin A and cholesterol. Having a balanced diet, and with nutrients that can aid in the production of progesterone, should help you alleviate this problem.
- Birth control pills – these are packed with estrogen, so it is but natural that you will find yourself with a surplus of this hormone when you are on the pill. If you are experiencing the symptoms associated with estrogen dominance, and you are on oral birth control, you might want to ask your doctor for other means to keep you from getting pregnant.
- Perimenopause and menopause – if you are at that age when these are bound to occur, then it is natural for you to experience a drop in progesterone levels, which can cause estrogen dominance. Having your doctor check to see if you are indeed experiencing a decrease in progesterone will prompt them to suggest treatments that will help balance out your estrogen and progesterone levels.
