The true causes of estrogen dominance (a.k.a. high estrogen) usually comes down to two things:
1) Increased exposure to endocrine disruptors that mimic estrogen in the body (a.k.a. xenoestrogens) that are in many conventional skin care and beauty products, pesticides, plastics.
2) And a decrease in the ability to detoxify and excrete estrogens.
This post here goes into more detail on where these xenoestrogens are coming from and how to reduce exposure as well as dietary and lifestyle factors that can support estrogen detox and clearnace.
In this post I want to delve more deeply into some of the other contributing factors that can be conspiring to cause estrogen dominance.
Here’s the thing… and a key cause of estrogen dominance…
Your body has to detox hormones just like anything else.
And if it can’t, hormones like estrogen can build up and cause estrogen dominance.
Estrogen dominance can cause symptoms like…
- PMS
- Heavy periods
- Bloating
- Headaches
- Breast tenderness
- Cramps
- Anxiety
- Poor sleep
So let’s talk about the missing pieces and what may be getting in the way of estrogen detox….
Some of the Most Common Causes of Estrogen Dominance…
- Low progesterone (stress-related)
- Too much caffeine (up-regulates estrogen receptors)
- Low levels of B vitamins (due to low stomach acid/enzymes, vegan diet, chronic stress, low veg intake, birth control pills)
- Constipation
- Fatty liver
- Low bile production or missing gallbladder
- High beta-glucaronidase – an enzyme byproduct of unfriendly microbes in the gut that decouples estrogen so it re-circulates
- Genetic SNPs / methylation impairments
The good news —
Most of these things are fixable.
When we know more specifically what’s missing or in the way, we can address it, improve function, and get rid of the symptoms. Read: less PMS and perimenopause symptoms, and even less cancer risk.
Looking to improve your hormonal health, get rid of any of the symptoms above (PMS, heavy periods, bloating, anxiety, etc.) so you feel good no matter what time of the month?
This is one of the areas I’ve had resounding success with my functional health coaching clients.
Ready to get started? First thing to do is schedule a chat here so we can get to know each other.
P.S. Ready to kick your PMS to the curb so you can feel good no matter what time of the month? Book a chat with me here and let’s get started.
The content in this post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice.
