Estrogen dominance is an incredibly common hormonal imbalance. It occurs when there is too much estrogen in relationship to progesterone, either because of excess estrogen (referred to as “frank estrogen dominance”) or low progesterone (“relative estrogen dominance”).
I commonly see estrogen dominant symptoms in women who are on the birth control pill, as well as for several months or so after discontinuing it. Many post-birth control symptoms reflect an estrogen dominant state.
You want the right balance of estrogen in your body: not too little and not too much. Too much estrogen upsets the balance of your other hormones.
Higher levels of estrogen also put a major burden on your liver, which is responsible for hormone metabolism. Eventually your liver gets bogged down and stops processing hormones as well as it should, perpetuating an estrogen dominant state.
Excess estrogen also negatively impacts the flow of bile, impairing gallbladder health. Since estrogen is excreted via bile in your stool, poor bile flow can lead to impaired excretion of estrogen, which also exacerbates estrogen dominant states.
Causes of Estrogen Dominance
There are a number of causes of estrogen dominance, including:
- Environmental toxins (xenoestrogens)
- Birth control pill
- Excess body fat (adipose tissue is a primary site of estrogen conversion)
- Stress (autonomic nervous system dysregulation leads to hormone imbalances)
- Poor liver function (responsible for metabolizing excess estrogens)
- Poor gallbladder function (bile from the gallbladder is necessary for estrogen excretion)
- Poor gut health (your gut is responsible for clearing estrogen metabolites out via your stool)
- Poor eliminatory function (especially liver, kidneys, colon, and lymph)
- Low progesterone (often due to anovulation)
Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
If you’ve taken my hormonal acne quiz, you might know that estrogen dominance is a common cause of acne, but it can cause other symptoms as well, including:
- Weight gain or difficulty keeping weight off, especially around hips and thighs
- Heavy, painful periods
- Feeling bloated or puffy
- Mood swings, irritability, PMS
- Fibrocystic breasts, breast tenderness
- Uterine fibroids, endometriosis, or adenomyosis
Depending on the causes, treatment for estrogen dominance will vary. However, let’s discuss a few key steps to restoring hormonal imbalance when faced with estrogen excess!
A Natural Approach to Estrogen Dominance
1) Avoid xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens are toxic synthetic estrogens in the environment that disrupt your endocrine system and contribute to symptoms of estrogen dominance.
So where are these harmful xenoestrogens found? Nearly everywhere!
Here’s just a sampling of places you’ll find them:
- Plastics
- Food preservatives (i.e. BHA)
- Artificial food dyes
- Conventional meat and dairy products
- Pesticides, herbicides & insecticides (found in conventional produce)
- Conventional cleaning products, laundry products, air fresheners
- Conventional personal care and skincare products (cosmetics, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, lotions, nail polish, etc.)
- Unfiltered tap water
- Birth control pills
Did you see that the birth control pill is on that list? The pill is a major contributor to estrogen-dominant conditions, which typically linger even after discontinuing the pill unless hormonal health has been addressed.
The takeaway: Reducing your exposure to xenoestrogens is paramount to your hormone health!
Here are a few ways you can avoid the risks of xenoestrogens:
- Avoid hormonal birth control
- Filter your water
- Buy natural skincare products or make your own DIY skincare
- Switch from non-stick cookware to healthier alternatives, like stainless steel, ceramic, or cast iron
- Stop using plastic products. Choose reusable glass bottles over plastic ones and glass food storage containers instead of plastic containers.
- Eat organic produce and organic, grass-fed animal products
- Avoid handling receipts (they contain BPA)
2) Poop daily
Excess estrogen is excreted in your stool. If you’re constipated and not eliminating regularly, that excess estrogen gets reabsorbed in your gut and goes back into circulation. You want to make sure your pooping regularly (at least once daily) for optimal estrogen balance!
Tips for making sure you poo each day:
- Eat fibrous fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds
- Stay hydrated: dehydration can dry out your stools, causing constipation
- Drink warm lemon water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to stimulate a bowel movement
3) Eat foods that help support estrogen metabolism
There are certain foods that help your body more effectively metabolize and eliminate estrogen via your liver and your gut.
These include:
- Flaxseeds (try out my seed cycling recipe for a yummy way to balance your hormones!)
- Broccoli sprouts
- Cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts)
- Beets
4) Improve your progesterone levels
Since estrogen dominance may be related to low progesterone levels, it’s important to ensure that you’re ovulating regularly and that your progesterone production isn’t hindered in any way. (Check out this previous article all about optimizing progesterone levels.)
The most important recommendation for supporting progesterone? Manage your stress well! Constant stress upregulates certain hormones (like cortisol) and contributes to blood sugar dysregulation and inflammation that can create imbalances in estrogen and progesterone.
5) Work with plants to support your liver and gallbladder health
Plant medicine can be a great way to support your hormonal balance and alleviate estrogen dominant states.
With estrogen dominance, it’s important to focus on supporting the health of your liver and gallbladder, so that estrogen can be metabolized and excreted more efficiently.
Here are some of my favorite plant allies to work with in cases of estrogen dominance:
- Dandelion root: Dandelion root is a gentle hepatic bitter that acts on both the liver and gallbladder, supporting bile flow and optimizing the liver’s ability to detoxify.
- Yellow Dock root: Yellow Dock root acts on both the liver and the gut, supporting healthy metabolism in the liver and healthy elimination via the large intestine. With its tonifying actions on the large intestine, Yellow Dock is helpful for constipation.
- Milk Thistle seed: Milk Thistle seed is often an herbalist’s go-to herb for liver support. It stimulates bile flow and protects liver cells from injury, much like the antioxidant glutathione.
While there are many therapies that can be used to address estrogen dominance, the steps outlined in this article are a great place to start!
If you’re in need of additional support with your hormones or are experiencing hormonal acne, period problems, or post-birth control symptoms, I offer a 6-Week Holistic Women’s Health program to help you address your hormonal health using a truly holistic approach! Check it out here to learn more about working with me one-on-one.
Disclaimer: Some of the links to herbal products in this article are affiliate links. I make a small commission off of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping to support my small business!
Photo in featured image courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez.
