During a yearly exam I found that my progesterone level was basically zero. I didn't think much about it until, during post-menopause, I started having symptoms of estrogen dominance. Hot flashes hit me like a freight train, I developed fibrocystic breasts, and I began seeing more hair on my upper lip.
There is so much important information out there on estrogen dominance, so I will touch on what I believe to be most important. First, it is crucial that everyone (including males) understand the importance of hormonal balance in our bodies.
Progesterone, a hormone made by women (ovaries) AND men (testes), is the most protective hormone the body produces and is the body's natural complement to estrogen. Progesterone has many benefits as it helps the thyroid gland, helps use fat for energy, improves memory, normalizes blood clotting, reverses aging in the skin, reverses osteoporosis, and protects against breast, uterian and ovarian cancers, fibrocystic breasts, hot flashes, heart attacks, stress, and more.
Estrogen is a class name and not a hormone named estrogen. There are three major naturally occurring estrogens in women - estradiol (sex hormone), estriol (produced mainly during pregnancy) and estrone (only one present in any quantity in post-menopausal women). These estrogen function as the primary female hormones.
For optimum health, the levels of estrogen and progesterone must be kept in balance. Sadly, due to environmental toxins, our bodies are are becoming estrogen dominant. There are many, many symptoms of estrogen dominance and none of them are good. Symptoms include acceleration of the aging process, autoimmune disorders, breast cancer, endometriosis, fat gain, fatigue, fibrocystic breasts, increased blood clotting, osteoporosis, PMS, prostrate cancer, thyroid dysfunction, just to name a few.
We are constantly being bombarded by environmental toxins. There are over 70,000 chemicals registered for use in the United States. In addition to toxic effects, many of them have hormone effects. These chemicals, xenoestrogens, are manmade compounds that mimic estrogen and can alter hormonal activity. They are found in commercially raised meat and fruits and vegetables, canned foods, plastics (food wraps and bottles), styrofoam cups, personal care products, cosmetics, birth control pills and spermicides, detergents, all artificial scents (air fresheners and perfumes), pesticides and herbicides, and paints, lacquers and solvents. DDT was found to bind to estrogen receptor and is now considered a classic xenoestrogen.
Also, plants produce chemicals, phytoestrogens, that mimic estrogen and/or block estrogen, and/or block progesterone. Whole grains, fruits, seeds, beans, and herbs all have estrogen and/or progesterone activity. Most of them are needed for optimum health, but some can cause hormonal imbalance. Coffee exacerbates fibrocystic breast disease. Formononetin, a chemical found in clover, mimics estrogen. Laboratory studies found that coumestrol, found in sunflower seeds, causes reproductive problems. Herbs, such as Oregano, Nutmeg, Tumeric, Red Clover, Goldenseal, Licorice, and Camomille (to name a few) are able to bind to the progesterone receptor and either compete against, work against or block progesterone. Studies found that the use of cotton seed oil in cooking decreased fertility (cotton also is the most intensively sprayed field crop in the world).
Estrogen dominance is life threatening! I cannot stress enough the importance of hormone balance for optimum health. Have your progesterone level checked. Then begin eliminating products from your home that contain hormone disrupting chemicals.
For a healthier alternative in health care, personal care and cleaning products, please visit www.edennaturalproductsresource.com. Eden Natural Products Resource promotes only those companies that produce truly natural products.
REFERENCES AND OTHER RESOURCES:
Estrogen Dominance Symptoms, John Lee, MD
How To Avoid Xenoestrogens, Fibrocystic.com
Phytoestrogens, Naturally Occurring Plant Estrogens, the Ones to Avoid, Fibrocystic.com
Women's Health articles, YourLifeSource.com
Hormone Disrupters, United Nations System Wide Earthwatch
Plastics and Hormone Disrupters, Green Yes Archives
Insomnia, mood swings, irregular bleeding, irritability, anxiety, water retention, low thyroid symptoms, depression, fat gain (especially around hips, thighs, and abdomen), fibrocystic breasts, uterine fibroids, and low sex drive. If you're a woman approaching middle age, there's a good chance that you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms. Often my patients ask me, "Am I going crazy? Why does it seem like my body is rebelling against me?" The answer may be as simple as having too much estrogen in your system-a condition known as estrogen dominance.
Most women are aware that as they enter perimenopause their bodies begin to produce less estrogen. So how is it possible that along with that decrease the body may actually have too much estrogen?
The answer to that question is that estrogen dominance is relative to a progesterone deficiency. A decade or so before actual menopause the woman may stop ovulating, which causes a lack of production of progesterone from the ovaries. Menstrual cycles will continue even without the progesterone so there is no awareness that the lack of progesterone is causing symptoms of hormonal imbalance. In perimenopause and the menopausal and post-menopausal years estrogen levels drop 40-60%, but without ovulation, progesterone output drops to nearly zero.
In Dr. John Lee's book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, he writes: "Estrogen dominance is a condition in which a woman can have deficient, normal, or excess estrogen, but in the absence of ovulation, little or no progesterone to balance its effects upon the body. When estrogen is dominant and progesterone deficient, estrogen becomes toxic to the body." * It's this hormonal imbalance that can result in many of the frustrating symptoms that women associate with menopause.
However, it's not just middle-aged women who can suffer from estrogen dominance. Younger women can experience it, too, in the form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The hormonal imbalance in this case may be linked to toxins, contraceptive use, stress, extremes in diet and exercise, or xenoestrogens found in foods.
Saliva hormone testing combined with a thorough history of symptoms can accurately determine an imbalance of hormones. The results of specific hormone testing coupled with a patient's symptoms history will provide a basis for an individualized treatment program for the patient. (I'm a real patient advocate when it comes to choosing a testing laboratory-the prices and quality of tests can vary greatly and I spend a good deal of time "comparison shopping" before ordering labs for my patients.)
Once a patient's individual needs have been assessed and a treatment protocol has been started, I'll closely monitor a patient's hormone levels with follow-up testing. The goal then is to achieve the proper balance of estrogen and progesterone by supplementing with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (if needed) and other treatments. The success of the treatment, or course, is measured not only by the hormone levels in the body but also by a reduction of the symptoms that caused the patient to seek help in the first place!
* Lee, John R., MD, and Hopkins, Virginia. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: The breakthrough book on natural progesterone. New York: Warner Books; 1996.
Both Laptop6 & Dr. Tina Marcantel are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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Dr. Tina Marcantel has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management, Cancer and Nutrition. Dr. Tina Marcantel is a naturopathic physician in Mesa, Arizona. Dr. Marcantel has over twenty-five years of experience in the health care field. She practices holistic, integrative patient care. Visit her website at
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