Much Ado About Estrogen

The lady part…

Every woman understands that estrogen is the “woman’s” hormone, compared to men, who have testosterone. Technically it’s not that simple because each sex has both hormones except one is higher numbers and has a dominant effect starting in the womb forming distinct sex organs and all through life. But it is estrogen that gives women curves, breasts, and supports our reproductive system.

We say estrogen as if it is a single hormone, but actually, it is a group of hormones. Three of them in fact, estrone, estradiol, and estriol. They are also called E1, E2, and E3 respectfully. Estrone and estradiol are the most active, estriol is the least active, especially in women who aren’t currently pregnant and in men. Estradiol is made in the ovaries and has levels that fluctuate up and down depending on the stage of the cycle and is made in fat cells. The body creates it from testosterone which is created from cholesterol, by making a few structural changes. Estrone and estradiol can go back and forth and change from one to the next.

So, you can see that the levels fluctuate and the body normally tries to keep them all at just the right levels. Just like any conversation about hormones…its’s all about balance. So there is a healthy ratio of all three forms of estrogen. E1, E2 are the most active so if they get too high they can start doing more harm than good. E3 is thought of as the protective form.

Estrogen plays a huge role in our health not just our reproductive system. It is needed for bone, heart, and even brain health, just to name a few. However, even though it is very supportive of our function and longevity, it needs to be held at just the right level to have its best function. Think of it kinda like a goldilocks effect.

Estrogen dominance…

There is a perfect ratio, a set point where all three forms of estrogen can function in the proper balance. When this value is off, women are more prone to negative health effects. Not only that, the ratio compared to progesterone is monitored as well. When estrogen levels get too high the protective effect of the “good estrogen” and progesterone are reduced, increasing the risk of certain types of cancers and other symptoms felt on a daily basis.

Signs/symptoms of estrogen dominance:

• Fertility challenges

• PMS

• Fibrocystic breast

• Endometriosis

• Fibroids

• Infertility

• Difficulty losing weight

• Irregular or heavy periods

• Ovarian cancer

• Breast cancer

What causes estrogen dominance:

It all comes down to hormone balance. If your hormones are not produced and/or eliminated correctly, estrogen levels can get out of whack.

A few causes are:

• Excess body fat

• Hormonal birth control

• Chronic stress

• Fragrances

• Plastic water bottles and food storage containers

• Non-organic feminine products

• Food additives and preservatives

The good news is there is a way to reset the scales and get estrogen levels back in check.

Support estrogen levels with:

• Gut health

  • Reduce the bad bacteria that create estrogen

• Low tox living habits

  • Reduce estrogen mimics

• Supporting your liver health

  • Encourage proper elimination of extra estrogen

• Proper diet

  • Feed your body what it needs to support the estrogen pathways

Just remember that your body strives to keep everything in balance. And it can if we reduce some of the burden on our system and remember to support it with healthy habits.

Reference:

Coelingh Bennink H. J. (2004). Are all estrogens the same?. Maturitas, 47(4), 269–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2003.11.009