Estrogen dominance among women has been more and more prevalent in the past few decades due to the increased exposure to xenohormones and environmental toxins, and our liver is just not able to keep up with the tasks. 

You may wonder what is estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is a type of hormone imbalance due to high estrogen, low progesterone, or both. When progesterone is too low, estrogen becomes comparatively high, which manifests as a dominant effect on the body. You can still have estrogen dominance if your estrogen level is low, but your progesterone is much lower, so the estrogen and progesterone ratio is off balance. The same effects can occur if your estrogen levels are too high. The common symptoms of estrogen dominance are PMS, endometriosis, estrogenic cancers such as breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers, fibroids and uterine polyps, heavy periods, irregular periods, weight gain, water retention, thyroid nodules, tender and fibrocystic breasts, PCOS, infertility due to lack of ovulation, etc.

What about the cosmetics you are using? There are lots of hidden culprits for your hormone imbalance.

toxic estrogens

H. Leon Bradlow, Ph.D., a well-known breast cancer researcher, discovered women with breast and uterine cancer made very little of the good metabolite of estrogen such as 2-hydroxy estrogens, and too much of the bad variety including 16-hydroxy estrogens, which can result in mutations, abnormal growth, and an increased risk of breast cancer. Overproduction of 16-hydroxy estrogen is also linked to obesity and exposure to various environmental estrogens such as plastics, pesticides, and petroleum-based skin and hair products.

Estrogen dominance

What are the solutions for estrogen dominance? Eliminating toxins from your personal products, your home, and your environment is the first step, the second step is to opt for a clean and healthy diet and boost your liver detoxification capacity. Some natural remedies can help reduce estrogen dominance symptoms. Let’s dive into it.

DIM is a phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, mustard, and turnip. When you eat cruciferous vegetables, your stomach acids break down indole-3-carbinol into Di-indolylmethane (DIM), which helps promote healthier estrogen metabolism. DIM is beneficial in creating a healthy balance of estrogen and testosterone.

Sulforaphone rich food

This is because DIM converts the more potent form of estrogen – estradiol into the weaker form -estriol. Estradiol is considered the more “potent” form of estrogen. The key difference between estriol and estradiol is their function. Estriol is dominant during pregnancy and helps support both the mother and fetus, while estradiol is dominant in nonpregnant women and helps regulate the menstrual cycle. Low estradiol levels can cause irregular menstruation cycles, while higher than normal estradiol levels may cause acne, weight gain, low libido, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue, and irregular cycles. Your body contains estrogen receptors, when estriol occupies an estrogen receptor, it prevents the signal of estradiol.

Since DIM is a naturally occurring compound produced by your body when you eat certain foods. Studies have found that DIM can provide a variety of health benefits including the following:
  • Supports healthier estrogen metabolism and prevents estrogen dominance in women
  • Promotes a healthy balance of testosterone and estrogen in the body
  • Supports Phase-I liver detoxification
  • Works as an antioxidant to protect cells from oxidative damage
  • Promotes weight loss
  • Improves acne and helps with fibroid problems

DIM supports estrogen balance by increasing beneficial 2-hydroxy estrogens and reducing the bad 16-hydroxy variety. DIM may also help normalize the cardiac risk in both men and women related to unhealthy estrogen metabolism. The beneficial 2-hydroxy metabolites are also powerful antioxidants, which may help prevent the early stages of heart disease. DIM only partially helps remove metabolized estrogen from the body because your gut health and liver function also play an important role in the elimination of toxins including toxic estrogens. When DIMis combined with other compounds, it becomes more efficient to do its job, such as sulforaphane and calcium D-glucarate. Sulforaphane works with DIM by supporting Phase II of liver detoxification, which is the sulfation pathway, and it is the main pathway for estrogen metabolism. Sulforaphane also increases protective estrogens and helps maintain a healthy balance of estrogen.
DIM

Calcium D-glucarate works on the glucuronidation pathway of Phase II liver detoxification, and it is another key pathway for metabolizing bad estrogens. There is an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase produced in the gut. High levels of this enzyme are associated with breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Calcium D-glucarate helps keep metabolized estrogens from being reabsorbed in your gut. It also clears out toxic estrogens that contribute to estrogen dominance. Because Calcium D-glucarate can speed up the metabolism of toxins, it can also decrease the effectiveness of medications you are taking when you take them at the same time. if you decide to take calcium D-glucarate, it is a good idea to take it a few hours away from your medications. I highly recommend that you consult a clinician before taking these supplements. Some effective tests can analyze your hormone profile in a more detailed way, such as the saliva test and the Dutch test. The Dutch test is a type of hormone test that measures levels of hormones and hormone metabolites in dried urine samples. After a good analysis of your hormone profile, you can take proactive ways to help balance your hormones through diet, nutrition, and natural remedies.

From the dietary perspective, a high-fiber diet can help decrease the amount of estrogen being re-absorbed and increase the elimination of toxic estrogen.cruciferous-vegetables

Incorporating foods high in cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts can help prevent estrogen dominance. If you suffer from constipation, you are recirculating bad estrogens and endotoxins that can drive up more inflammation and affect your liver function. A high-fiber diet can help regulate your bowel function and prevent constipation. Hydration is another key when it comes to detoxification.

Lemons and other citrus fruits contain the compound D-limonene. D-limonene increases liver enzymes to metabolize and remove toxic estrogen. Magnesium promotes healthy estrogen clearance by supporting certain liver enzymes, and magnesium also helps reduce estrogen dominance by clearing excess estrogen. High blood levels of vitamin D are linked to reduced toxic estrogens in the body. Exposure to sunlight regularly is a great way to boost Vit.D levels in your body. A vitamin B6 supplement may help improve progesterone production in your body, which can counteract excessive estrogens. In phase two of liver detoxification, known as “conjugation,” toxins are combined with another compound that will safely escort them out of the body. Vitamin B6, along with B12, and folate support the methylation pathway that clears estrogen from the body. Vitamin B6 is required for the functioning of diamine oxidase (DAO), an enzyme that helps break down histamine in the body. Without adequate levels of DAO, histamine levels can increase.Vit. B6

High histamine can contribute to PMS. Estrogen stimulates mast cells to produce more histamine, and histamine then stimulates the production of more estrogen. Vitamin B6’s ability to raise progesterone can also help reduce histamine levels and break this vicious cycle. Foods that are high in vitamin B6 include tuna, beef, poultry, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale, bell peppers, carrots, turnip greens, beet greens, Swiss chard, asparagus, walnuts, eggs, salmon, sweet potatoes, potatoes, sunflower seeds, garlic, and maca root. Artichoke promotes liver function because it boosts bile production. This helps with the removal of excess estrogen; it also lowers high cholesterol levels.

Some herbs can also help reduce estrogen dominance.

Burdock root is one of the herbs for estrogen dominance that works as a diuretic, which helps get rid of any excess estrogen in your body through your body’s natural elimination process. You can take this herb as a tea. Vitex or Chaste Tree Berry supports pituitary gland function and increases progesterone production. Passionflower is high in chrysin, which is a flavonoid that is found in plants like passionflower and chamomile that help lower estradiol. Passionflower can also aid sleep for women undergoing perimenopause because it has mild sedative properties that promote sleep.

Raspberry Leaf has high levels of antioxidants called ellagic acid which helps improve estrogen metabolism and reduce your cancer risk from hormoneBurdock Root imbalance. Maca root is an adaptogen that helps balance hormones. Long-term use of this herb may increase your progesterone levels. Dandelion Root and Leaf are bitter herbs that stimulate bile production and help with the detoxification process of the liver, which in turn helps the natural removal of toxic estrogen from your body. It is also a gentle laxative that stimulates bowel movements. Milk thistle supports liver function and helps with the metabolism and removal of excess estrogen.

Adaptogens work on various pathways to help regulate your hormones. Schisandra berries improve your liver detoxification and reduce adrenal fatigue, they support the liver’s function to eliminate toxins including toxic estrogens. Maca is also a member of the cruciferous family that contains compounds called glucosinolates. These glucosinolates play a major role in metabolizing estrogen. They are high in sulfur, which the liver uses to make the major detoxifier and master antioxidant glutathione. Maca also helps boost your fertility and libido and reduces adrenal fatigue.Schisandra berries

Ashwagandha is a popular herb from Ayurvedic medicine that is effective at regulating cortisol levels. Ashwagandha helps keep your progesterone-to-estrogen ratio in a safe range. Ashwagandha also improves your insulin sensitivity and reduces stress. Rhodiola Rosea grows mainly in cold mountainous areas of Europe and Asia, it is famous for its stress-reducing abilities. By improving how the body responds to stress, Rhodiola lowers cortisol, which contributes to estrogen dominance. Rhodiola also helps relieve depression and boost your energy levels.

In summary, the first step to balancing your hormones is a clean and healthy diet and eliminating toxins and pollutants as much as you can from your kitchen, your cosmetics, your laundry cleaning detergents, etc. Stress plays an important role in elevating your cortisol levels and affecting your hormone balance, there are so many parts to the picture. This content only focuses on a few solutions.

I hope you enjoy the information, I offer a variety of healing modalities to improve your health holistically and naturally, please check my services here.

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About the author: Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu

As a Holistic Health Practitioner, Registered Dietitian, TCM Practitioner, Energy Healer, Master Hypnotist, Reiki Master, Advanced Theta Healing Practitioner, Author and Speaker, Lucy Liu, the founder of optimalhealthsolutions.ca, has gained a good reputation in holistic health after many years of serving patients and clients as a holistic health practitioner. Lucy has developed a unique and comprehensive approach, which combines Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Energy Medicine, and Alternative Medicine together, to help others achieve optimal health by creating harmony between the body, mind, and spirit, and maintain long-term success for healthy lifestyle changes.
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