Estrogen dominance - Rebalance Clinic

Estrogen dominance refers to a condition where a woman has excess estrogen in relation to progesterone. This hormonal imbalance can lead to various symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, irregular periods, mood changes, and more. Some key things to understand about estrogen dominance:

• It's often caused by lifestyle factors like diet, stress, environmental toxins, etc. Making changes in these areas may help rebalance hormones.
• Common symptoms include:
  • Irregular, heavy, or painful periods
  • PMS symptoms like bloating, cramps, acne
  • Weight gain, especially around the hips and belly
  • Fatigue, trouble sleeping
  • Low libido
  • Mood changes like anxiety, irritability, depression
• There can be long-term health risks like infertility, osteoporosis, heart disease, and certain cancers if high estrogen levels persist untreated.

How do you know if you have estrogen dominance? Some signs to look out for:

• Your menstrual cycle is less than 24 days or greater than 35 days
• You suffer from PMS symptoms like breast tenderness, bloating, acne, or mood swings
• You have fibrocystic breasts and ovarian cysts
• You struggle to lose weight or have extra weight around the hips and belly

What causes estrogen dominance? Common culprits include:

• Diet high in sugars, refined carbs, alcohol
• Chronic stress
• Obesity
• Exposure to xenohormones from plastics, cosmetics, etc.
• Perimenopause
• Certain health conditions

What can you do about it? Making the following lifestyle changes may help treat hormone imbalance naturally:

• Improve diet - eat clean, whole foods, reduce alcohol intake
• Manage stress - try meditation, yoga, journaling
• Exercise regularly
• Maintain healthy weight
• Avoid xenohormone exposure from plastics, fragrances, etc.
• Consider supplements like magnesium, vitamin D, omega 3s

If symptoms persist, see your doctor to check hormone levels via bloodwork. From there, they can offer guidance on medical treatment options as needed. Catching and addressing estrogen dominance early on can help minimize short and long-term ramifications.