Understanding the Female Hormonal System
The female hormonal system is highly complex. All of our hormones cooperate to send messages to and from our organs in a harmonious way when our hormonal system is in balance.
Sustaining a harmonious equilibrium between estrogen and progesterone significantly affects overall wellness.
Both estrogen and progesterone originate from the same sites and act together to regulate menstrual cycles, support pregnancy, and maintain hormonal balance.
Progesterone and estrogen are designed to work like a seesaw, balancing each other’s levels to promote easy communication with our brain, ovaries, and adrenal glands.
Sadly, an imbalance in one of our hormones can disrupt communication and lead to symptoms such as PMS, painful periods, weight gain, and mood swings.
What Is Estrogen Dominance?
Both men and women have estrogen, even though women produce it on a much larger scale. Together, the hormones progesterone and estrogen regulate the menstrual cycle and keep the uterine lining from becoming overly thick.
During the first half of the menstrual cycle (the follicular phase), estrogen takes the lead, while the second half (the luteal phase) is governed by progesterone, ensuring the balance of estrogen levels.
However, issues can arise when there isn’t enough progesterone to balance out the effects of estrogen, which can result in an imbalance known as estrogen dominance.
| NOTE: Additionally, hormonal imbalance disrupts the delicate harmony between estrogen and progesterone, leading to elevated estrogen levels and insufficient progesterone levels, which can occur and have negative effects on physiological processes. Estrogen is one of the hormones that is most frequently out of balance. Estrogen levels can be both too low and too high, but estrogen dominance is more typical. |
Understanding the Causes of Estrogen Dominance
Some causes of estrogen imbalance include excessive estrogen production, poor clearance, or insufficient progesterone levels. Here is a brief explanation of the possible reasons for this imbalance.
1. Unhealthy body fat
Adipose tissues or body fat can also secrete estrogen in addition to the ovaries. Some studies have shown that if you are overweight, you may be suffering from estrogen dominance.
2. Stress
Stress disrupts the hormonal balance in your body and fosters an atmosphere that is more susceptible to estrogen dominance.
For instance, greater cortisol levels during stressful times can flush out sex hormones, particularly progesterone, resulting in excessive estrogen.
3. Insufficient ovulation
Your body naturally secretes progesterone during ovulation. Progesterone levels fall when ovulation becomes erratic, which ultimately causes an increase in estrogen.
4. Liver Dysfunction and dysbiosis
Any liver damage can make it more difficult for your body to detoxify and metabolize estrogen, which raises the amount of estrogen in your blood.
On the other hand, dysbiosis or poor gut health is another cause of estrogen imbalance.
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5. Environment-related factors
Another significant factor in the imbalance of estrogen is exposure to plastic, cosmetics, or personal care items. This is because the presence of xenoestrogens that mimic estrogen can cause endocrine system disruption and increase estrogen production.
Managing Estrogen Dominance
Maintain a Healthy and Balance Diet
A healthy diet is crucial in the fight against estrogen dominance. By maintaining liver function, balancing hormones, and boosting gut health, a balanced diet can play a significant part in treating this illness.
Foods to Prevent Estrogen Dominance
- To support estrogen metabolism and aid in the removal of extra estrogen from your body, eat foods like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and kale.
- Include chia, pumpkin, and flax seeds in your diet. The lignans in the seeds have the ability to bind to estrogen receptors and reduce the body’s estrogen dominance.
- Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons are examples of citrus fruits high in vitamin C which can aid in the detoxification of estrogen.
- Prebiotic fibers and anti-inflammatory characteristics can help the metabolism of estrogen in whole grains and leafy greens that have been supplemented with fiber.
- To assist in limiting the consumption of extra hormones that may disturb the hormonal balance, organic, lean meat is advised.
- Due to their high content of active catechins, green tea, spearmint tea, and dandelion root tea are excellent for producing anti-estrogenic effects.
Avoiding Foods with Estrogen Dominance
- Stay away from consuming anything processed and bakery-related.
- Caffeine and alcohol may affect your liver and prevent estrogen from being broken down, so try to consume them in moderation.
- Limit your consumption of soy products, which may encourage your body to produce additional estrogen.
- Avoid commercially and non-organically grown meat, which can disrupt hormone balance.
How Long Does it Take to Reverse Estrogen Dominance?
The length of time needed to overcome estrogen dominance can vary depending on a number of variables, including a person’s overall health, the seriousness of the imbalance, the chosen treatment options, and lifestyle changes. However, hormone disruption is a difficult process that requires your patience to produce the best results.
For some people, the improvement period could last a few weeks or months, while others could require a little more time to notice any appreciable changes.
Conclusion
An imbalance between estrogen and other hormones, stemming from various factors, causes estrogen dominance. However, regaining control over your well-being and addressing these abnormalities requires a multifaceted approach.
Keys to achieving ultimate vitality include consistency, patience, and seeking support from healthcare professionals.
Start feeling healthier with the support and expertise of Clinical Nutritionist Sania Gul. Book an appointment at Nutrition by Sania for Personalized Meal Planning, PCOS, Weight Management Issues, Nutrition Advice, and Support.