Could Estrogen Dominance be the reason for your weight gain?
Estrogen Dominance could be the very reason why weight has slowly crept on to your hips and thighs. This hormonal imbalance can wreak havoc in a woman’s body, and sadly SO many of us women have it.
What is Estrogen Dominance?
This is where estrogen levels are too high in relation to progesterone, and can be from either too much estrogen, not enough progesterone, or both! While estrogen is crucial for optimal health, we don’t want to have it in excess. We also need enough progesterone for healthy periods and reproduction. It’s responsible for making us feel calm and giving us our glow!
How does Estrogen Dominance show up in the body?
⁃ Bloating and water retention
⁃ PMS
⁃ Heavy, painful or irregular periods
⁃ Swollen or tender breasts
⁃ Fibrocystic breasts
⁃ Mood swings, irritability or depression
⁃ Weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, hips & thighs
⁃ Skin issues
⁃ Low libido
⁃ Pre-menstrual headaches
⁃ Even infertility
As you can see, it massively affects the way we look and feel as a woman, plus how we experience our periods. Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe, our period is supposed to just ‘show up’ each month without any unpleasant symptoms.
Conventional medicine tends to prescribe hormonal birth control to alleviate with these symptoms, which can have many side effects and potentially make the problem worse in the long run.
Ideally we want to bring our hormones back into balance naturally which often resolves these symptoms. Instead of masking them with a band aid or ‘quick fix’, it’s important to address the root cause of why they are there in the first place.
How do we decrease estrogen?
Firstly, we’ve got to give the liver some love. Liver health is SO key for detoxifying estrogen from the body. If the liver is congested it will always prioritise getting rid of toxins over estrogen. Which can result in estrogen being recycled in the body causing us these issues.
This means getting honest about how much alcohol you are drinking. To promote healthy estrogen metabolism, you need to cut back on the vinos. And this goes for the other ‘liver loaders’ too such as; caffeine, sugars, trans-fats and synthetic substances. Do your best to avoid inflammatory foods as much as possible. I include dairy and gluten on the list, as they’re known to affect women’s hormones and overall health. Consider trialling off them for a couple of cycles and see how you feel. Reducing or eliminating soy is also important too.
The liver loves veggies! So, you want to be increasing plant foods in your diet. Especially the Brassica family of veggies as they help with the detoxification process. These include; broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, kale, radish and bok choy. Also eating brightly coloured antioxidant rich foods like berries will pack a punch. By increasing nutrients overall, you will no doubt see and feel a difference in your health. But please choose spray free or organic produce to reduce exposure to pesticides, these can also mimic estrogen in the body and further congest the liver.
I highly recommend taking nutritional supplements to further support liver detoxification. Yes, our liver is an incredible detoxifier, however it does require adequate nutrient levels to do its job properly such as; B-vitamins, antioxidants and Glutathione (to name a few). Make sure you are taking a good quality activated multi-vitamin to fill in any gaps from your diet.
When it comes to detoxifying estrogen specifically, a powerful supplement you can take is Diindolylmethane (DIM). This is the compound found in the Brassica vegetables which helps mop up excess estrogens. Other great natural supplements include Broccoli Sprout Extract, St Mary’s Thistle and Globe Artichoke.
Consider doing a Functional Medicine Detox to properly flush out the buildup toxins in the system and clear up any liver congestion. This is will dramatically move the needle for your overall health and pave the way for optimal health and healing by ‘recalibrating’ your system. Plus it’s great way to naturally shift any toxic water weight you might be carrying.
We also need to beware of Xenoestrogens or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which are environmental toxins that mimic estrogen in the body. I’m talking about man-made chemical compounds (PCBs) found in plastics and parabens in skincare and makeup products. That’s why it’s so important to choose natural skincare and ditch plastic water bottles/ containers. These are also found in hormonal birth control.
If you suspect you are estrogen dominant or are experiencing a number of the symptoms above, consider coming off hormonal birth control. Talk to your doctor or Health Practitioner about more natural alternatives that don’t shut down your hormones completely.
Low Progesterone
But let’s not forget, estrogen dominance may also be due to low levels of progesterone. Progesterone is your calming, soothing, happiness hormone. It lightens periods and relieves anxiety. It also boosts metabolism, reduces inflammation, and is great for hair and skin.
One of the main reasons it could be low is from ongoing stress. Your body is all about your survival. If it thinks your life is at risk because of how stressed you feel, it’s not going to be concerned with making all your lovely sex hormones (good bye progesterone production!) Under stress it will give preference to making enough cortisol and adrenaline to arm you for ‘fight or flight’. It sounds dramatic but the body can’t tell the difference between the threat of a predator or the overwhelming pressure you might feel to meet a work deadline. If this goes on too long, we usually see a drop in progesterone which leads to estrogen dominance.
So, it’s imperative we slow down and address stress in our lives. Taking time to breathe deeply and calm the nervous system every day. Getting outside in nature, going for walks, getting good sleep, doing gentle yoga… whatever allows your body to feel safe, calm and at ease. And if you need to, support the adrenals, ovaries and the nervous system with natural supplements or herbs. This can be an extremely beneficial natural aid alongside the lifestyle practices.
Another key consideration when it comes to low progesterone is nourishment. Are you getting all the nutrients you need every day? Are you eating enough calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats? Low carb and keto diets have been known to affect progestogen production, often resulting in irregular cycles.
On the flip side, when our progesterone levels are optimal, not only do many of these symptoms fall away, but we also feel calmer, we sleep better, and we don’t feel as anxious (because progesterone is a powerful anti-anxiety agent).
Once we rebalance our hormones levels we can begin to:
- Burn body fat for energy
- Utilise our own natural anti-depressant
- Remove toxic water weight
- Rebalance the thyroid and adrenals, so they function at a normal level
- Improve metabolism, energy and stamina
Seriously ladies, this could be the missing piece in your weight loss, anxiety or PMS puzzle. Estrogen Dominance is usually the 2nd biggest issue (after digestive health) that women are often dealing with. It’s unfortunately not being addressed by conventional medicine but plays such a huge role in how we look and feel.
As common as these symptoms are, please know they are not normal and you do not need to put with them. Take time to rebalance your hormones and get your beautiful shine back!
Please note all the information above is intended as health education, it does not treat, cure or prevent disease.
Images credits from top: Madeline Kate Martinez, Siret roots, Indie & Mae, Rose England.