Other Natural Treatments For Estrogen Dominance
Get your sweat on!
Sweating is an alternate route of elimination for toxins and waste products. Reduce the load on your liver by engaging in activities that help you sweat like regular cardiovascular exercise, saunas and warm baths.
Deal with stress
Excess cortisol production from being in a chronic stress state can lower progesterone production and/or halt ovulation .
Find practices that support you to work through unavoidable daily stressors like meditation, breathing practices, massage, yoga, slow nature walks and journaling.
Ditch hormonal birth control
The ethinylestradiol in your pill is a form of xenoestrogen that is stronger than natural estradiol. This contributes to poor ability to clear natural estrogen in your body and can damage intestinal bacteria, further impairing your bodys ability to eliminate hormones.
Consider a switching to a natural alternative to hormonal birth control like the Fertility Awareness Method or barrier methods . Speak to a holistic practitioner about natural alternatives.
Address underlying causes of excess weight or fat loss resistance
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Additions To The Diet
What Do The Results Mean
Your test results will mean different things depending on:
- The reasons for having the test
- The type of estrogen that was measured
- The results of other tests you may have had
Talk with your provider to find out what your results mean for your health. Because estrogen levels often change, you may need to be tested more than once to look for a trend in your estrogen levels over time.
Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.
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Symptoms Of High Estrogen In Women
The symptoms of high estrogen in women can be similar to men except for some key differences with the menstrual cycle and menopause symptoms.
- Low libido – can be from low testosterone or low estrogens
- Headaches or migraines – especially if it is in the luteal phase of your cycle
- Hair loss and skin problems – check estrogens and 5a-DHT levels
- Insomnia – can be from low progesterone or high estrogen
- Fatigue – especially if it is premenstrual fatigue
- Weight gain – this can be at any time of the menstrual cycle
- Fluid retention around the time of your cycle
- Bloating – this can be from digestion issues which often flare up during PMS
- PMS – premenstrual syndrome symptoms are common with hormonal balance issues
- Heavy periods – a common sign of estrogen excess
- Mood swings – a severe form of this is PMDD and can be from a hormone imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, or high testosterone.
A number of these symptoms are strongly connected to high estrogen levels but it is important to test your hormones because they can also be caused by low progesterone or a testosterone problem.
These symptoms may also be connected to low thyroid function, adrenal issues, or other problems which is why testing is important.
Improve Your Gut Motility:
Improving bowel movement frequency and consistency is a key detoxification concept. If you arent moving your bowels well, you are recirculating bad estrogens and microbial endotoxins that drive up more inflammation and impair liver function.
Consuming an anti-inflammatory diet with good fiber sources such as chia seed and flax seed, using bone broths, fermented foods and probiotics will improve bowel motility. You should be moving your bowels a minimum of 1-2 times per day to clear out all the waste from the day before.
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The Many Types Of Estrogen
Estrogen is not one thing. Instead, estrogen is a generic term that can refer to any of the following:
- Estradiol, which is the main estrogen from our ovaries.
- Estrone from body fat.
- Estrogen metabolites from intestinal bacteria.
- Xenoestrogens or endocrine-disrupting chemicals , which are environmental toxins that act like estrogen.
Tip: The estrogen in birth control is a xenoestrogen.
- Finally, there are plant estrogens , which are so weak that they generally have a beneficial anti-estrogen effect. Read Phytoestrogens are not estrogen.
Providence Physicians Recommend Changes To Diet Sleep And Household Products To Support Hormone Health
There are dozens of different hormones being produced and used in our bodies every single day. For women, one in particular tends to cause many issues and complaints – estrogen.
It may be the most well-known and commonly talked-about hormone in the female body, and it’s no wonder: estrogen imbalances cause a host of health problems in women.
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How Does High Estrogen Affect The Body Of A Woman Or Afab Person
Its rare for your levels to be high because of the estrogen youre producing. Its more likely that your estrogen levels are high because of medications youre taking. For instance, you may have a low sex drive because of high estrogen levels, but this is most likely caused by your birth control pills not your bodys natural estrogen.
Elevated estrogen unrelated to medication is most likely caused by PCOS prior to menopause. After menopause, high levels are more common if you have overweight/obesity.
Examine Your Caffeine Consumption
Do you look forward to your morning java even before youâve gotten into bed for the night? We feel you.
You may want to exercise caution, however: research demonstrates that caffeine consumption can affect estrogen levels:
- According to a small study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and other research institutions, Asian females who consumed 200 milligrams or more of caffeine had elevated estrogen levels . The same held true for Black females.
- On the other end of the spectrum, white females who consumed 200 milligrams or more of caffeine demonstrated lower estrogen levels.
Does this mean you should pause or plow forward before you order that full-caffeine latte based on your ethnicity? Absolutely not . But the study underscores that moderating caffeine consumption is one of the tickets to better hormonal health.
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Support Good Liver Function
The liver is responsible for clearing and flushing out toxins such as excess estrogen. From a TCM perspective, when the Qi in the liver becomes stagnant, it cant flow freely, and the liver is unable to clear toxins efficiently. Support your liver through a diet high in antioxidants by consuming foods like berries, grapefruit, and nuts. Dandelion can be consumed as tea and is shown to promote good liver health.
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What Are The Types Of Estrogen
There are three major forms of estrogen:
- Estrone is the primary form of estrogen that your body makes after menopause.
- Estradiol is the primary form of estrogen in your body during your reproductive years. Its the most potent form of estrogen.
- Estriol is the primary form of estrogen during pregnancy.
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Adopt An Estrogen Dominance Diet
An estrogen dominance diet is a diet with foods that lower estrogen. Food is not only a source of calories and energy. It also protects your endocrine system and balances the chemicals in your body.
In some cases, what you eat contributes to flushing out toxins and excess hormones.
For instance, we know that cabbage and broccoli sprouts contain DIM, which balances your estrogen levels. Fish oil helps your body produce more testosterone. Besides helping constipation, fiber regulates your gut microbiome and contributes to toxin elimination, too.
You may also want to consider reducing the intake of soy products and ground flaxseeds. They have phytoestrogens that may not be a good addition if you already have a hormonal problem.
How Long Does It Take To Reverse Estrogen Dominance
There is no specific timeframe within which everyone can reverse estrogen dominance or resolve hormone imbalance. The exact time varies from one person to another. Your overall health, lifestyle, and severity of estrogen dominance play a role here.
Most people can reverse estrogen dominance and other hormone imbalances within four months if they make necessary lifestyle adjustments.
Reversing hormone imbalances requires a proactive step-by-step approach to make your lifestyle healthier. This shouldnt be a short-term program that youll follow for a while and continue with old unhealthy habits.
Its not just about reversing estrogen dominance but maintaining these results. For that reason, you need to make healthy habits an integral component of your lifestyle.
It also helps to get informed on how to decrease estrogen, estrogen dominance treatment, blood tests, medicine the doctor may prescribe, and other parts of the process.
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Talk With Your Doctor If You Suspect You Have High Estrogen Levels
You should never self-diagnose a hormone imbalance. Certain symptoms that you may associate with high estrogen levels like pelvic pain or irregular periods may be caused by something completely unrelated. And that something could be serious.
If you suspect you may have high estrogen or another type of hormonal condition, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and concerns.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Detoxing estrogen can be a bit difficult if youre obese. The aromatase enzyme is found in the adipose tissue.
The more body fat you have, the more active this enzyme will be. So, as you correct the problem, try to reach a healthy weight. Doing so will reduce estrogen levels and improve your cardiovascular risk.
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Engage In Regular Exercise
Physical activity strongly influences hormonal health. Aside from improving blood flow to your muscles, exercise increases hormone receptor sensitivity, meaning that it enhances the delivery of nutrients and hormone signals (
7 ).
Insulin is a hormone that allows cells to take up sugar from your bloodstream to use for energy. However, if you have a condition called insulin resistance, your cells may not effectively react to insulin. This condition is a risk factor for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease .
However, while some researchers still debate whether the improvements come from exercise itself or from losing weight or fat, evidence shows that regular exercise may improve insulin resistance independently of body weight or fat mass reduction .
Many types of physical activity have been found to help prevent insulin resistance, including high intensity interval training, strength training, and cardio .
Being physically active may also help boost levels of muscle-maintaining hormones that decline with age, such as testosterone, IGF-1, DHEA, and human growth hormone .
For people who cannot perform vigorous exercise, even regular walking may increase these hormone levels, potentially improving strength and quality of life .
Summary
Strength training, aerobics, walking, and other forms of exercise may modify hormone levels to reduce your risk of disease and prevent muscle mass decline as you age.
Broccoli Kale And Cauliflower
These cruciferous vegetables are naturally rich in a sulfur-containing compound called diindolylmethane or DIM. This substance supports the function of liver enzymes that make the good kind of estrogen. They also promote regularity and detoxification by assisting in estrogen metabolism.
Cruciferous veggies also contain another type of indole, indole-3-carbinol, or I3C. IC3 has been shown to reduce the risk of hormone-related cancers by reducing how much estrogen is available in the body and by promoting detoxification .
Aim for about 1-2 cups of cooked cruciferous vegetables per day.
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Eat A Nutritious Diet
Nutrition can influence cortisol for better or for worse.
While all foods can be enjoyed in moderation, being mindful of the foods you eat may alleviate symptoms of stress and help you better manage your cortisol levels.
Regular high added-sugar intake may result in elevated cortisol levels. Interestingly, a high sugar diet may also suppress cortisol release during stressful events, making it more difficult for your body to handle stressful situations (
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Summary
For better gut and mental health, opt for a nutrient-dense diet full of whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and foods high in prebiotics and probiotics.
Minimize Xenoestrogen Containing Products:
If possible, it is wise to discuss with your doctor or health care practitioners about coming off all oral contraceptives, hormone creams, and hormone based prescription medications. You may need to wean off of these slowly so it is imperative to discuss this with your prescribing practitioner.
Additionally, you want to do your best to reduce your exposure to plastics, tin cans and conventional hygiene products that contain parabens and sodium lauryl sulfates. Look for natural and organic personal hygiene products that minimize chemicals in their manufacturing process.
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Learn To Recognize Stressful Thinking
Paying attention to stressful thoughts may help you reduce them.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction is a strategy that involves becoming more self-aware of stress-provoking thoughts, accepting them without judgment or resistance, and allowing yourself the ability to process them .
Training yourself to be aware of your thoughts, breathing, heart rate, and other signs of tension helps you recognize stress when it begins .
Recognizing stressful thoughts allows you to formulate a conscious and deliberate reaction to them. For example, a study involving 43 women in a mindfulness-based program showed the ability to describe and articulate stress was linked to a lower cortisol response (
Summary
Tending to your own happiness can help keep cortisol down. If youre feeling stressed, try listening to music or making yourself laugh.
How To Naturally Decrease Estrogen Levels
30.Nov.2021
Responsible for developing and maintaining female characteristics, estrogen is one of the two main female sex hormones. Nutrition, weight, caffeine intake, and stress may play a role in altering estrogen levels, however, its important to remember that a persons hormonal health is unique to their health history and a number of other variables play a role in overall health. Therefore if you are seeking out natural ways to decrease high estrogen levels, some of the outlined methods here may be more or less effective than others.
Some lifestyle changes that can help lower estrogen levels include:
- Ditch the caffeine
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Subtractions To The Diet
Diet And Lifestyle Tips For Healthy Estrogen Levels
Even though certain factors like diet and physical activity can help support healthy estrogen levels, there are certain things that can influence estrogen that are out of your control.
These include your age and certain medical diagnoses. Its impossible to know whether or not your hormone levels are considered healthy without appropriate testing.
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Treatment Options For Low Estrogen
If a persons low estrogen levels are the result of a typical physiological process, such as menopause, and a person has few symptoms, doctors may recommend taking no action.
However, if the symptoms are significant, a person may need medical care. The right treatment depends on the symptoms, the root cause, and a persons treatment goals.
Insulin Resistance And Estrogen
Insulin resistance and a higher carbohydrate diet can also increase estrogen levels. If you have excess body fat you may need to reduce carbohydrates. Although, you can still eat lots of vegetables and other fiber-rich foods such as flaxseeds and psyllium.
This is especially important for women with PCOS and men with excess estrogen as the insulin resistance will up-regulate the aromatase enzyme causing excess estrogen.
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