Estrogen Dominance: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Are your breasts tender each month?

This is just one sign you may be having a hard time clearing excessive estrogen from your body.

It's normal and natural for your hormones to fluctuate monthly if you're a woman who menstruates.

But, when you're having multiple symptoms the week before your bleed, you may have something known as "estrogen dominance".

Now, it's not a true "medical diagnosis". 

Actually, your doctor may not even recognize it, but once you know you are prone to more estrogen symptoms, it can help you take the next steps toward healing your body and reducing symptoms naturally.

But, wait.  Always listen to your body whenever you add any new herbal remedy and notice how you respond.

In this post, we'll cover the 16 signs of too much estrogen - or too little progesterone- and the steps you can take to start clearing it from your body.

Let's get started.

So, what is estrogen dominance?

What is Estrogen Dominance?

• It's a blanket term to describe hormone-related illnesses

• It's not a true “condition.”

• The level of estrogen outweighs progesterone and causes symptoms each month

"Estrogen Dominance” is the term used, it’s when the level of estrogen outweighs progesterone… but this happens throughout your cycle… the problem is when your symptoms increase due to this imbalance.

Estrogen Dominance Symptoms

1. Cyclic breast tenderness, Breast tenderness - could also be low iodine

2. Menstrual migraines

3. Heavy periods

4. Hot flashes

5. Uterine fibroids

6. Endometriosis

7. Uterine and breast cancers

8. Short menstrual cycles {<21 days}

9. Heavy periods

10. Mood swings

11. Depression, anxiety

12. Irregular bleeding

13. Weight gain

14. Gallbladder problems

15. History of using estrogen-containing birth control {last 3 months}

16. A pear-shaped body

What causes excessive estrogen?

Here are the top six reasons you may be having symptoms.

1. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals - EDC

   1. Check your cleaning products and beauty products with the EWG website https://www.ewg.org/

   2. Stop drinking and eating out of plastic containers

2. Slow gut elimination/dysbiosis {constipation}

   1. Healing your gut can reduce digestive issues AND your symptoms.

   2. Excessive estrogen is eliminated through your poop!

3. Low fiber diet

   1. Take the Thorne gut health test and consider the supplements they suggest for your digestion.  Start slow with any fiber supplement and drink lots of water.

   2. https://www.thorne.com/products/dp/gut-health-test

4. Methylation; MTHFR gene - {Read this post to learn more about the MTHFR gene}

5. Obesity

   1. Those who hold more weight will have more estrogen.  This is good for the prevention of osteoporosis, but not for your menstrual cycle.

6. Estrogen pill

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12 Ways to flush out excessive estrogen

1. Remove the toxins! Reduce endocrine disruptors in your environment called xenoestrogens

• Invest in plastic-free storage containers and remove food from them right away

• Try eating organic fruits and vegetables, especially from the dirty dozen

• Choose wild-caught fish

• Choose grass-fed meats

• Consider non-toxic cleaning and beauty supplies

• Skip herbicides and pesticides when gardening

2. Skip the soda

• Women who drink soda have been found to have 15% higher estradiol concentration

3. Skip the wine

• Elevated estradiol levels have been found in those who consume alcohol.

• Drinking also depletes you of B vitamins, selenium, and zinc. It’s also a depressant, so skip the alcohol and replace it with a tincture or a mood-lifting experience.

4. Reduce or skip the coffee

• Not only can it cause anxiety, but in white women, coffee can lead to lowered estrogen levels, BUT it's very drying. So, if you're constipated, either add coconut oil to your coffee or skip it altogether if you can!

5.  Increase your veggies!

• Focus on leafy greens daily to reduce excess estrogen and increase your folate levels.

6.  Poop!

• We release excessive estrogen through pooping! Make time to poop each day and follow the constipation tips.

• Move your bowels with a high fiber diet, flaxseeds, fruits, and vegetables to reduce toxin overload

7. Nourish your estrobolome!

• Eat fermented foods a 2-3x week and consume Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics (10 billion) to support healthy gut bacteria and aid elimination

8.  Add in Vitamin C & B6 at night

9.  Eat methionine-containing foods: {This is an essential amino acid that supports the liver}

• Some examples of methionine-containing foods are: fish, poultry, spirulina, sesame and sunflower seeds, beans, legumes, onions, garlic, and egg yolks

10.  Add 1 tbs. Add ground flaxseed to your diet daily to reduce estrogen and improve elimination

11. Try gluten-free

• Wheat, barley, and rye can be associated with nutritional deficiencies of protein, fat, zinc, vitamin D, iron, and selenium.

• Try a few days without wheat and see how you feel.

• Once you "heal your gut", you may be able to add gluten into your diet again

12.  Skip the diary

• The A1 casein in dairy has been shown to cause inflammation in some individuals.

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Supplements for estrogen dominance

#1 Bitters

• Foods like dandelion greens, endive, radicchio, and arugula aid digestion and support liver function

• Add lemon and salt to make them taste better!

#2 DIM

• DIM stands for diindolylmethane and is also known to block estrogens. It also blocks an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen. 

• DIM is what your body creates when you eat cruciferous vegetables. Check with your doctor if you’re breastfeeding.

#3 I3C

• Indole-3-Carbinol is what’s found in cruciferous vegetables.  This aids in healthy estrogen metabolism and detoxification.  

3 Estrogen-clearing herbs

#1 Milk Thistle

• Historically Used for:

• Detoxification: eliminate excessive estrogens

• Modern uses

• Detoxification, hormonal acne

• Breastfeeding Safety:

• Safety Class 1, Interaction Class A - safe

• Monitor your blood sugar if you have diabetes, as milk thistle may modify glucose regulation.

#2 St. John's Wort

• Historically Used for:

• The nervous system, anxiety, and nervousness - hysteria

• Modern uses

• Primary medication for depression in Europe

• Supports the liver in processing excessive estrogen

• Breastfeeding Safety:

• L2/L3 Safer/Moderately Safe {The complete German Commission E monographs}

• Lactation and medication expert Hale states that St. John’s Wort is safe while breastfeeding. ¹

#3 Vitex Chaste Berry

• Historically Used for:

• To prevent miscarriages and boost the milk supply

• Modern uses

• Cyclic breast pain, fertility, heavy periods, hot flashes, low progesterone, menstrual migraines, ovulation, perimenopause, PCOS, PMS, skipped periods

• Breastfeeding Safety:

• Safety Class: 2b, 2d - not to be used during pregnancy {unless supervised}

• Interaction Class A

Conclusion

You may struggle for years with estrogen dominance and not know it!

One way to tell is if you start tracking your cycle and symptoms and notice if you have symptoms the 1-2 weeks before your period.

Work on cleaning up your diet first, adding in one supplement at a time, and reducing anything that is taxing your liver, like alcohol.

What questions do you have about estrogen dominance? I’d love to answer them. Comment below, and I’ll be sure to get back to you.

xo Tara

Read more

Supporting your liver will help clear the excessive estrogen. Read more here: https://www.taragregorio.com/blog/natural-liver-detox-9-ways-to-support-your-liver-estrogen-clearance

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