The elephant in the room called Estrogen dominance

It is not surprising that women often hear that they are hormonal creatures.

Yes, we are, and it´s not easy to keep all those hormones in balance so we can stay sane and in optimal health.

Everything is affected by hormones and everything around and inside of us is affecting our hormones. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Everything from what you eat, how you sleep, how you deal with stress, how you think, how you exercise to what cosmetics you use, how toxic is the air you breathe or if you are radiated too much with non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation.

That´s why it is so easy to have your hormones out of balance. There are few forms of hormonal unbalance modern women suffer nowadays, but the most common is probably the ESTROGEN DOMINANCE. Estrogen dominance is a medical term, which has been invented by Dr John R. Lee who realized, that more than 50% of the world´s female population in premenopausal and menopausal age, suffers this type of hormonal imbalance.

Now, what is Estrogen dominance? Simplifying, it´s when your estrogens are out of whack. That can have 3 scenarios:

1. The imbalance between all your estrogens.

You have 3 main estrogens:

• Estron (E1) is the "I can´t be bothered, only if you are pregnant or menopausal" estrogen, predominant in menopausal and pregnant women. It´s considered the weaker form of estrogen but if it´s too high it can be responsible for breast cancer.

• Estradiol (E2) is the "aggressive, mean" estrogen predominant in pre-menopausal women. If it´s high is again responsible for cancer growth, especially breast cancer.

• Estriol (E3) is the "come on guys, let's stay in balance" estrogen. It contributes to healthy and youthful skin, moistened vagina, it prevents hot flashes and night sweats and prevents breast cancer. If there is not enough of Estriol controlling the other two "guys", then you are going to feel a bit on the nutty side.

2. Metabolites of estrogen broken down unfavourably

When you have too much “harmful” - carcinogenic, inflammatory estrogen metabolites as compared to the protective one. The estrogens break down to metabolites through 2 phases of detoxification and there are 3 different pathways by which the detoxification occur.

The phases of detoxification are:

• Phase 1- hydroxylation

• Phase 2- methylation

The pathways are:

A. 2-Hydroxyestrone

Estradiol and estrone both go through the same metabolic pathways. This pathway is optimal as it has the lowest risk for cancers and other problems.

If methylation is not working well then we can have elevated levels of 2-OHE1 (and 2- OHE2). 2-OHE1 (2-hydroxyestrone) is considered to be a ‘good estrogen’ and it does not stimulate cell growth. It can block the action of stronger, potentially carcinogenic estrogens. When it is methylated to 2-MeE1 it is cancer-protective.

Measuring the 2-OHE1 : 2-MeE1 ratio is a good indicator of the body’s ability to methylate. Interestingly, low 2:16 ratio is also associated with an increased rate of developing lupus.

B. 4-Hydroxyestrone

In this pathway, Estrone breaks down to 4- hydroxyestrone and 4- methyoxyestrone. When 4-OHE1 is properly methylated to 4-MeE1 it is relatively benign as the 4-MeE1 is easily eliminated and risks are low. The problem starts when there is incorrect methylation which produces high levels of 4-OHE1. This may lead directly to damage DNA and cause mutations which enhances cancer development.

Women with uterine fibroids may have increased levels of 4-OHE1.

C. 16-Hydroxyestrone

This pathway, while needed, is not as desirable as the 2-Hydroxyestrone pathway. Phase1 of detox in the 16-Hydroxyestrone pathway is the same as in the other pathways, it is a hydroxylation. However, Phase 2 is a reduction phase and produces very weak estrogen Estriol (E3).

16-OHE1 has significant estrogenic activity and studies show it may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Higher levels are associated with obesity, hypothyroidism, pesticide toxicity (organochlorines), too much Omega-6 fatty acids, and inflammatory cytokines.

3. The imbalance between your Estrogen and your Progesterone.

Progesterone is another calming hormone that is also important for your pregnancy. When there is insufficient, progesterone to oppose the more aggressive estradiol (E2) you will also suffer the symptoms of estrogen dominance. During the life of a female both estrogens and progesterone drop down but the progesterone even more compared to estrogen, especially after the age of 50.

You can suffer one, two or all of those scenarios at the same time. You can also suffer estrogen dominance even though your estrogen it´s low and that´s because in the scenario:

1. Your Estradiol (E2) is too high compare to the other estrogens.

2. You are breaking your estrogens into too many dirty estrogenic metabolites.

3. Your estrogens are still too high compare to your progesterone.

Who is guilty of the crime?

There are a few different factors that might be contributing to estrogen dominance and most of the time is the combination of a few of those factors. That just shows you how important it is to treat it from a holistic point of view. It is important to understand all the pillars of our health.

The internal factors:

1. Obesity.

The fat cells produce estrogen and if you have too much of those fat cells you will have an excess of estrogen.

2. Gallbladder removal and problems with bile.

Those organs are responsible for the evacuation of toxic estrogenic metabolites.

If you don´t have these detoxification helpers, you will have an excess of estrogen.

3. Sluggish liver.

The liver is also responsible for the detoxication process of estrogens.

4. Bad gut, lack of fibre and poor microbiome.

Your intestinal microbiome is also responsible for the elimination of bad estrogen metabolites.

5. Adrenal problems due to a high level of stress.

Chronicle stress elevates the levels of cortisol (your main stress hormone) which after some time starts to steal from pregnenolone (precursor of progesterone) resulting in low levels of progesterone. That creates the scenario of unbalanced estrogen and progesterone.

6. Aromatization of testosterone to estrogens.

A process called aromatization converts testosterone and progesterone into estrogens.

Increased aromatase estrogen activity is associated with various cancers in women including the breast, ovaries, and uterus. For men, it is a colon, prostate, and male breast cancer. Aromatase is an enzyme located in estrogen-producing cells in the ovaries, placenta, testicles, brain, fat tissue, and adrenal glands. An unhealthy balance of aromatase in the body means that there are higher levels of testosterone and progesterone being converted into estrogen.

7. Genetic predispositions.

The external factors:

1. Phytoestrogens.

Synthetic estrogens found in the processed food and mass-produced such as meat, soya and dairy.

2. Xenoestrogens.

Synthetic estrogens found in cosmetic, cleaning products and plastic containers (phthalates, parabens, BPAs, DHEA, etc.).

3. Contraceptive pills

Synthetic estrogens and progesterone are producing a great imbalance in the female body.

4. Hormones replacement therapy.

Again, synthetic non-bioidentical hormones.

5. Dietary habits

Diet high in refined sugar and carbohydrates plays a great roll in the excess of estrogen.

Do I have estrogen dominance?

There are many symptoms of estrogen dominance but to be sure how imbalance your estrogens and all hormones in general are, your doctor should evaluate the clinical tests of blood and dry urine (DUTCH TESTING) or saliva (check the ABC of testing) and should evaluate all of your symptoms:

· Acceleration of the ageing process

· Allergy symptoms, including asthma, hives, rashes, sinus congestion

· Autoimmune disorders such as lupus erythematosis and thyroiditis, and possibly Sjögren’s disease

· Breast cancer/ Breast tenderness

· Cervical dysplasia

· Cold hands and feet as a symptom of thyroid dysfunction

· Copper excess

· Decreased sex drive

· Depression with anxiety or agitation

· Dry eyes

· Early-onset of menstruation

· Endometrial (uterine) cancer

· Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips, and thighs

· Fatigue

· Fibrocystic breasts

· Foggy thinking

· Gallbladder disease

· Hair loss

· Headaches

· Hypoglycemia

· Increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes)

· Infertility

· Irregular menstrual periods

· Irritability/ Mood swings/ PMS

· Insomnia

· Magnesium deficiency/ Zinc deficiency

· Memory loss

· Osteoporosis

· Polycystic ovaries

· Premenopausal bone loss

· Prostate cancer

· Sluggish metabolism

· Thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism

· Uterine cancer/ Uterine fibroids

· Water retention, bloating

All the information mentioned in the article is here for you to understand how your body works and what is happening to you. Once you understand you can start to learn to observe your body and assist yourself with your symptoms which are so important for detecting what kind of imbalance is happing in your body.

You can get back to feel great, full of energy and life through dietary and lifestyle adjustments, supplements and herb remedies before you need to apply any medication or hormonal replacement therapy but you need to also do proper clinical hormonal testing and you should be working together with your medical practitioner. For more information on this subject check the article ABC of testing for hormonal balance.

So, keep educating yourself on this subject. You will find lots of useful information on my blog. Make sure you are in the hands of a medical specialist who will respect your holistic approach and who will be willing to guide you through your process of balancing your hormones naturally and holistically.