Here Are Some Of The Main Symptoms Of High Estrogen Levels
- Problems related to fertility. A key factor in the production of sperm is the hormone estrogen. High estrogen levels have been shown to adversely affect sperm production and, as a consequence, can make it more difficult for women to conceive.
- Gynecomastia in men. Manboobs are an enlargement of the male breast tissue caused by increased estrogen levels in the body. Gynecomastia can be caused by high levels. Breast tissue in this area is abnormally high.
- The condition is known as erectile dysfunction . Having an increase in estrogen can affect the balance of hormones that are essential for obtaining and maintaining an erection. Low testosterone is especially relevant if you are also experiencing slowed growth. Short stature or delayed puberty may also be a consequence of excess estrogen.
- Closure of the epiphysis. It is possible for male adolescents to have short stature when estrogen levels are high.
The following is a list of possible symptoms of high estrogen that may occur in conjunction with other hormone imbalances:
- Reduced sexual activity
Signs Of High Estrogen Levels
Medical signs are quantifiable tests that doctors analyze in order to diagnose a patient with a certain condition. When paired with symptoms of high estrogen, these signs will help distinguish the underlying cause of the hormonal imbalance.
- Vaginal infection
- Fibrocystic breasts
- High levels of estrogen
- Low serotonin levels by blood tests
- Mental health consultations
Moreover, the presence of high estrogen levels can lead to a host of more serious disorders if the imbalance evolves into a state of estrogen dominance. These ailments include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer
- Thyroid dysfunction
Symptoms Of High Estrogen In Women
The signs and symptoms of high estrogen levels vary from person to person. Given below are some of the common high estrogen symptoms females usually experience:Weight gain: High estrogen levels in the body can lead to weight gain. One can experience fat build up in their hip, midsection and thigh area. Due to estrogen dominance, it also becomes difficult to get rid of all the fat in the body.
Swollen or tender breasts: High levels of estrogen in the body can make ones breast more tender and swollen especially around the nipples and front area. This happens because our breasts are sensitive to hormone changes.
Fibrocystic breasts: The high estrogen level makes the quality of the connective tissues in the breast to change from soft to bumpy and rope-like tissues known as the fibrocystic breast lumps.
Irregular menstrual periods: Since estrogen plays a crucial role in regulating the menstrual cycle along with other hormones, a slight variation can lead to irregular periods, causing it to be late or early.Heavy periods: Estrogen is responsible for the thickening of the uterine lining. With the rising levels of estrogen hormone, the uterus lining thickens, which leads to painful and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Mood swings: Estrogen dominance can cause a range of mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.
As the levels of estrogen hormone rises, one may notice a dip in their sexual drive.
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Estrogen Levels After Implantation
Optimal estrogen levels are essential in priming the uterus for the implantation of a fertilized embryo however, the uterus only remains in this state for a limited amount of time each cycle. One study found a link between estrogen levels and the time the uterus remains in its ideal state for implantation. Higher estrogen levels resulted in a shorter ideal state for implantation, while lower levels resulted in a longer ideal state.
The same study highlights low in-vitro fertilization success rates when the uterus isnt receptive to implantation, establishing estrogen as a critical influencing factor.
Signs And Symptoms Of High Or Low Estrogen Levels
Men also produce estrogen, though at lower levels than women. They too experience adverse health effects when those levels fluctuate. Estradiol is the estrogen hormone typically found in men.
Sometimes the body produces too much or too little estrogen. Men with lower estrogen levels may end up with additional belly fat and a lowered sex drive. Women with low estrogen levels typically have symptoms like:
Without treatment, women can experience various complications from low estrogen levels, like:
Osteoporosis
Estrogen prevents calcium loss, which keeps your bones strong. Without enough estrogen, a womans calcium loss often accelerates, leaving her at risk for fracturing the bones in places like the hips, legs, arms, and spine. Women may be more at risk for developing osteoporosis if they have one or more of the following risk factors:
- Consume excessive amounts of alcohol
- Have a thin or petite frame
Heart disease
Estrogen helps protect the heart from disease, potentially by maintaining higher levels of good cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein , in your blood. Lower estrogen levels, especially during menopause, can increase your risk of developing heart disease.
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How Does Estrogen Function In The Body From Puberty Through Menopause
During early puberty and the first years of menstruation, estrogen and other hormone levels are rising rapidly. This is associated with irregular menstrual periods and cycle lengths at first. Dr. Jenn Conti, MD, MS, MSc, an OB-GYN and Modern Fertility medical advisor, explains: “The irregularity is technically caused by the GnRH release from the brain being not quite smooth/regular at first.”
Luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone stimulate ovarian follicle growth, ovulation, and endogenous estrogen when at this stage.
Estrogen levels rise and peak again in your early to late twenties, often resulting in more predictable periods. During perimenopause, ovulation, estrogen, and follicle growth significantly decline.
Chronic Stress Or Inflammation
Chronic stress is our generations perpetual concern. Its not just insomnia and adrenal fatigue, but also serious conditions like autoimmune diseases, cancers, and even fertility issues that are triggered by high stress levels.
If youre among 49% of women struggling with chronic stress, know that it can impact your estrogen levels.
Heres how it works:
- Pregnenolone is a hormone that helps make progesterone and cortisol .
- When youre facing chronic stress, your body goes into inflammation.
- To fight inflammation, your adrenal glands produce more cortisol .
- This means your body is diverting resources to make more cortisol than progesterone.
- Reduced progesterone levels equal high estrogen in women because these two hormones are intrinsically linked .
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How To Use Moringa Powder
Animals have been employed as test subjects in a lot of moringa research thus far. We dont know if the same consequences would occur in humans. Researchers are still trying to figure out how extracts from this tree affect individuals, but preliminary research suggests it may help with:
Diabetes: moringa powder uses insulin-like proteins that have been shown in preliminary trials to help decrease blood sugar levels. Plant compounds present in the leaves may aid in the bodys sugar processing and influence how insulin is released.
Cancer: Leaf extracts reduced the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in lab studies, allowing chemotherapy to work more effectively. Moringa leaves, bark, and roots have all been shown in lab trials to have anti-cancer properties, which could lead to the development of novel medications.
Memory: Some experts believe that antioxidants and other health-promoting plant compounds can help the brain repair from stress and inflammation.
Estrogen Levels Throughout Your Cycle
Once menstrual cycles begin, estrogen levels typically rise and fall twice in one cycle:
- During the follicular phase, one dominant ovarian follicle produces an increase in estrogen as it grows. These high estrogen levels signal to the brain to ramp up LH production, which triggers ovulation and can often be picked up by ovulation tests 24-48 hours before the egg’s release.
- During ovulation, estrogen levels drop.
- After ovulation and during the luteal phase, the ruptured follicle turns into the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum ramps up estrogen levels to thicken the uterine lining in preparation for a growing fetus. If the egg isn’t fertilized, the corpus luteum decays and estrogen levels drop again.
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Causes Of Estrogen Level Fluctuations
The levels of estrogen in women decrease as they approach menopause. Surgery to remove a womans ovaries can also lead to low estrogen levels. A womans estrogen levels may increase due to medications like birth control. Higher levels of the estrogen estradiol have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
How Can You Check Your Estrogen Levels
If you’re curious where your estrogen levels are right now, the Modern Fertility Hormone Test is an easy way to check in with them from home. If you’re not on hormonal birth control or you’re on certain continuous contraceptives and still get periods, you’ll be able to measure the levels of the estrogen estradiol in your body through a simple finger-prick blood test.
About 10 days after you send your sample in, you’ll get a personalized digital dashboard breaking down your hormone levels and what they mean for your reproductive health plus in-depth reports on estrogen and more.
This article was reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Conti, MD, MS, MSc.
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Diagnosing High Or Low Estrogen
A doctor will have you take a laboratory blood test if they believe you may have either high or low levels of estrogen.
For this, youll go to a laboratory that collects samples, and someone whos trained to take samples will use a needle and vial to collect the blood for testing.
You should receive your results in about a week. Youll see your blood estrogen levels shown in measurements of picograms per milliliter . Once you get your results, your doctor will let you know what youll need to do next.
If theyre normal, you wont necessarily need to do anything. But if your levels or high or low, your doctor will recommend the next steps to help get your estrogen levels balanced.
Here are some of the possible treatments a doctor may recommend to help control your estrogen levels.
Need Help Balancing Your Hormones
Hormones, including estrogen, are chemicals that impact how your organs and cells function. Estrogen dominance begins overstimulating the body and the brain. Some common symptoms of high estrogen include fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, low libido or insomnia. Our integrative womens health practitioners understand that there are many things that can affect the bodys ability to make and regulate hormones. They will work with you to help improve your health through diet, exercise, stress reduction, natural remedies, and hormone replacement therapy when necessary.
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How Is Low Estrogen Diagnosed
Diagnosis and treatment of low estrogen can help prevent many health issues.
If youre experiencing symptoms of low estrogen, talk with your doctor. They can assess your symptoms and make a diagnosis if needed. Early diagnosis may help prevent further complications.
During your appointment, your doctor will discuss your family health history and assess your symptoms. Theyll also perform a physical exam. Blood tests will likely be needed to measure your hormone levels.
Your follicle stimulating hormone levels may also be tested to determine whether your estrogen is low if youre experiencing:
- frequently missed periods
Should You Get Your Hormones Tested
When my patients ask about estrogen dominance, Im sure they are hoping that this is the answer to all their problems, and that theres a simple test that will reveal exactly whats going on with their estrogen levels.
It can be helpful to get your hormone levels tested, though its not always necessary and the tests may not provide a conclusive link between your hormone levels and your symptoms. They will mostly often just indicate whether theres a significant hormone shift going on or whether theres a more overt hormone imbalance. The panel I run in my practice includes:
- Sex-hormone-binding globulin
- Free testosterone
Running these tests can help identify whether you do have a specific hormone imbalance, and your health care provider can help you understand exactly what the results mean.
Unfortunately, this still doesnt tell you why your hormone levels are off. As we already know, there are different types of estrogen that all come from many different sources. In addition, you may have high estrogen levels caused by excess estrogen exposure, but you might also have too much estrogen because of an issue metabolizing or eliminating it.
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What Is High Or Low Estrogen Levels
Estrogen is a naturally occurring hormone that your body produces to aid in sexual development and other important body functions. Prior to menopause, women generate estrogen primarily from their ovaries. After that, most of their estrogen comes from fat cells and the adrenal glands found at the top of the kidneys. When estrogen levels get too high or too low, this can negatively affect the body.
Estrogen helps regulate the health of the following areas:
- Mucous membranes
Estrogen plays an essential role in girls when they reach puberty, prompting changes like the growth of pubic hair and the start of menstruation. It also helps control cholesterol in the blood. Three of the most common types of estrogen produced in women include:
Estrone
Estrone is the main estrogen hormone produced by women after they hit menopause.
Estradiol
Estradiol is the primary estrogen hormone produced by non-pregnant women.
Estriol
Estriol is an estrogen hormone whose levels increase in pregnant women.
Living With Estrogen Dominance
There are many factors to consider when treating estrogen dominance. If you suffer with any of the above symptoms, you may want to consider working with a provider of holistic gynecology in Atlanta. The following are ways that you can start to address possible root causes for estrogen dominance:
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What Is Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen and progesterone work well together to prevent the lining of your uterus from getting too thick. Some peoples bodies dont make enough progesterone, leading to whats called unopposed estrogen. Unopposed estrogen is called estrogen dominance in some medical literature. Without progesterones balancing influence, estrogen can work overtime in your body and cause cell overgrowths, like tumors in your uterine lining.
What Causes High Estrogen Symptoms
There are two cases where estrogen levels can become high in women:
- A woman may produce too much estrogen herself
- A woman may not produce enough progesterone to balance out the excess estrogen
Either way, the result is the same â an imbalance that can lead to a variety of problems and symptoms. High Estrogen level is often caused by exposure to environmental toxins, stress, and poor diet. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as birth control pills.
Now, lets look into specific causes of Estrogen imbalance in your body:
1. Poor Liver Health
In majority of the cases, a malfunctioning liver is the primary cause of high Estrogen inside the body. In fact, for males liver is to be blamed for high Estrogen.
This is because, liver is where excess Estrogen gets neutralized and disposed off from the body.
And when it doesnt work properly you end up accumulating all that you should have gotten rid of!
2. Hormonal contraceptive or Birth Control Pills
Some of the birth control pills contain synthetic estrogen. And when you take it on regular basis, it really disturbs the natural hormone balance that your body should have.
3. Menopause
During menopause, progesterone production drops significantly and Estrogen may stay as such or decrease just a little.
This often leads to relative high Estrogen and hence hormone imbalance.
5. Excess Stress
6. Endocrine Disrupting Materials
6. Poor Diet
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Treatment Options For Estrogen Imbalance
If you are experiencing a hormonal imbalance, there are estrogen treatment options for you. Most commonly when a woman is having problems with her hormones, she is prescribed some type of hormone replacement therapy .
This includes an injection or vaginal suppository that helps to mimic the effects of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. While these supplements do help relieve symptoms, they usually are not a long-term solution.
Estrogen treatments can also include medications called estrogen receptors blockers. Unfortunately, this type of treatment does not always work as well as the hormones replacement therapies because estrogen does many different things in the body and is not simple hormone-like progesterone and estrogen.
Also, these estrogen blockers have many side effects such as memory loss, hot flashes, acne, vaginal dryness, and some weight gain.
There are alternative treatments for estrogen imbalance that are becoming more popular each year. Many women find relief with herbs and vitamins that are taken internally.
These herbs act like the hormones do and help balance out the estrogen in the system to reduce the effects of the imbalance.
Some of the treatment options for estrogen treatment include drinking soy milk, taking progesterone and DHEA supplements, taking herbal dietary supplements, and eating foods that contain phytoestrogens.