Oestrogen dominance, could you be suffering from this imbalance?

Today, the majority of people have too much of the female sex hormone oestrogen. This condition, known as oestrogen dominance, can affect both men and women and has an extremely negative effect on your health.

While oestrogen dominance plays a big role in conditions affecting women, things like endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) it can also wreak havoc in men, resulting in the growth of tissue cells (gynecomastia) , an enlarged prostate and erectile dysfunction.

At worst, high oestrogen levels also increase the risk for breast and prostate cancer.

What causes oestrogen dominance?

Aside from being genetically prone to producing more and struggling to dispose of harmful oestrogen metabolites, there are lots of other things that can contribute to having excessive oestrogen. One is taking synthetic hormones like oral contraceptives and synthetic hormone replacement therapy.

Poor gut health is another risk factor for chronic constipation and unbalanced gut bacteria can result in more oestrogen metabolites being reabsorbed than excreted. Also, fat cells produce oestrogen and high oestrogen levels result in even more belly fat so that becomes a vicious circle. For this reason, maintaining a healthy weight is important but you need to lose it in a controlled manner as rapid weight loss causes the release of a lot of oestrogens.

Lastly, be careful about what you expose yourself to. Many herbicides, pesticides and preservatives like parabens have an estrogenic effect that has them classified as xenoestrogens. You’ll also find xenoestrogens in plastics that contain phthalates and BPA so be wary of food packaging.

Know the symptoms of oestrogen dominance

Your doctor will be able to perform blood tests to check your hormonal profile and assess whether you have oestrogen dominance or not. If you have several of these signs or symptoms you should make an appointment.

– PMS

– Weight gain, especially abdominal fat

– Hair loss

– Water retention and bloating

– Irregular or abnormal menstrual cycles

– Breast tenderness

– Headaches

– Mood swings

– Depression

– Anxiety

– Poor sleep

– Fatigue

– Decreased sex drive

– Brain fog

– Hormonal pigmentation (melasma)

– Cellulite

– Acne

– Male infertility

– Erectile dysfunction

– Gynecomastia (man boobs)

– Enlarged prostate

Oestrogen dominance is also the underlying factor for conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS and fibrocystic breast disease as well as oestrogen sensitive cancers such as breast, endometrial, ovarian and prostate cancer. It also increases your risk of blood clots, high blood pressure, strokes and low thyroid function.

Bring back the balance

While our bodies have the ability to detoxify excess oestrogen, the extent is influenced by our DNA as well as the health of our liver and gut.

We can also sway things to our advantage with the correct use of oestrogen detoxifying nutraceuticals, things like sulforaphane (extracted from broccoli and sprouts) and milk thistle that supports oestrogen detoxification in the liver.

Lastly, we can support our natural oestrogen detoxification pathways with a healthy lifestyle. This means regular exercise, getting enough good quality sleep ((a lack of it leads to higher estrogen levels) and eating a diet rich in organic foods known to support oestrogen detoxification. Think cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onions, artichoke, lemon and green tea.

In conclusion

Oestrogen dominance negatively affects the health of both sexes so it’s important that you bring your body back into balance. If you make an appointment with one of the doctors at Health Renewal they can test your hormone profile and, if you’ve got too much oestrogen in your body, they can best advise on how to correct it. You’ll also get guidance on how to best enhance your own natural oestrogen detoxification pathways via nutraceuticals and lifestyle modification. Your journey back to good health can begin today!