Learn what it is, why it happens, and how to treat it naturally.
Estrogen Dominance 101
What is it?
Struggling with weight gain, mood swings, or painful periods? Estrogen dominance may be to blame.
What is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen dominance is a hormonal imbalance where estrogen gets too high. Estrogen is a hormone that wears many hats. It affects your reproductive health, brain health, skin, bone density, cholesterol, blood sugar, and more.
We need estrogen to function. But too much can pose problems and lead to a slew of symptoms.
Estrogen works with the hormone progesterone to maintain hormonal balance in the body. But sometimes there isn’t enough progesterone to keep estrogen in check.
Estrogen dominance can happen if:
The body produces too much estrogen
The body doesn’t produce enough progesterone to offset estrogen’s effects
The body has trouble removing excess estrogen
Causes of Estrogen Dominance
Medications like birth control pills & hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Sluggish liver function
Stress
Excess body fat
Exposure to xenoestrogens (chemicals that mimic estrogen)
Problems with ovulation
Poor gut health
Symptoms + testing
How to check
When estrogen stays high for too long, your body may send you some signals.
Signs of Estrogen Dominance
Heavy or painful periods
Irregular menstrual cycles
Increased PMS symptoms
Mood swings & irritability
Fatigue
Insomnia
Weight gain
Hair loss
Memory issues
Tender, fibrocystic breasts
Decreased libido
Headaches or migraines
Infertility
How to Test
If you suspect you may have estrogen dominance, a hormone test can provide clarity. There are many hormone tests available. But the gold standard is the DUTCH test, an at-home urine and saliva test that measures all your sex and adrenal hormones. Or Everly home testing has many hormone testing kits as well.
If a hormone test is out of your budget, no worries. You can still make dietary and lifestyle tweaks to promote hormone balance in your body.
Lifestyle changes
To balance estrogen
Manage stress
Progesterone and the stress hormone cortisol come from the same building blocks. More stress means more demands for cortisol, which can throw off progesterone production. Without enough progesterone, estrogen levels can get out of hand. So make time for stress relief daily. Meditate, get out in nature, or do some yoga or deep breathing.
Maintain a healthy weight + exercise
Estrogen isn’t just made by the ovaries. It’s made by fat cells too. So the more body fat you carry, the more estrogen you’ll produce. Staying active can help you maintain a healthy weight and ease symptoms of estrogen dominance. Research shows regular exercise reduces levels of estrogen circulating in the body.
Love your liver
Your liver detoxes excess estrogen and flushes it from your body. But if your liver gets sluggish, estrogen keeps recirculating. Supporting your liver can help it remove excess estrogen from your body.
Here are a few ways to love your liver:
Limit toxin exposure
Avoid sugar and alcohol
Drink dandelion or milk thistle tea
Get plenty of sleep
Lack of sleep can increase cortisol. As mentioned, when cortisol goes up, progesterone tends to go down. And when progesterone is low, estrogen goes unchecked. To promote hormone balance (and your overall health), aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
To promote restful sleep:
Stick to a set sleep schedule
Avoid electronics 1-2 hours before bed
Avoid caffeine after 2 pm
Estrogen dominance diet
The best + worst foods
High fiber foods are a must to balance estrogen. Excess estrogen is excreted in your poop. When you’re constipated, your stool sits inside for too long. This can cause estrogen to be reabsorbed by your gut. Foods that support your liver and gut health are also a top priority.
Best Foods for Estrogen Dominance
High fiber foods like lentils, black beans, avocado, quinoa, pears, apples, raspberries, chia seeds & almonds
Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale & cabbage
Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha & miso
Worst Foods for Estrogen Dominance
Sugary foods like candy, soda, cake, cookies, brownies, etc.
Refined grains like white bread, white pasta, white rice, and foods make with white flour
Fatty foods like fast food, fried foods, and full fat dairy
Ultra processed foods
Alcohol
You’ll also want to steer clear of foods that are hard on your liver and gut. The less work your liver and gut have to do, the easier it is for them to get rid of excess estrogen.
Also, try to eat as much organic food as you can. Many pesticides contain chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. Organic foods are grown without these harmful pesticides. If eating all organic isn’t within your budget, use EWG’s Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen to decide which foods to buy organic.
What to avoid
To keep estrogen in check
Cleaning up your diet is a great start to balancing estrogen. But to restore hormone harmony, you’ll also want to give your kitchen and bathroom a makeover.
Certain chemicals, known as xenoestrogens, can mimic estrogen’s effects in the body. These hormone disrupting chemicals are found in fertilizers, plastics, personal care products, cosmetics, and more.
Xenoestrogens can leach into your food and water or be absorbed into your bloodstream from contact with your skin. Parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and oxybenzone are a few xenoestrogens to look out for.
Luckily, once you know the right tricks, limiting xenoestrogen exposure isn’t as hard as you think.
How to Reduce Xenoestrogen Exposure
Kick plastics to the curb
Toss out plastic food containers and replace them with glass. Also say buh-bye to plastic water bottles and invest in a reusable stainless steel one instead. It’s better for your body and the environment. Win-win!
Choose natural products
Xenoestrogens hide in many products like sunscreen, skin care, shampoo, and makeup. These chemicals get absorbed through your skin and disrupt your hormones. If you’re stumped on how to choose non-toxic products, download EWG’s free Healthy Living app. It’ll steer you in the right direction.
Supplements
To balance estrogen
The diet and lifestyle tips we’ve covered can go a long way in getting estrogen in check. But if you’d like some extra help, certain supplements are shown to support healthy estrogen levels in the body.
DIM
Short for diindolylmethane, DIM is a plant compound found in cruciferous veggies. It helps your liver metabolize estrogen, which may reduce symptoms of estrogen dominance.
Vitex
Also known as Chaste Tree or Chasteberry, this herb is often used to restore hormone balance. It’s shown to lower estrogen in the body and increase progesterone production.
Magnesium
Your liver needs the mineral magnesium to clear excess estrogen. Magnesium also calms the nervous system and promotes restful sleep, which may help ease symptoms of estrogen dominance.
Calcium-D-glucarate
This supplement is a combo of calcium and glucaric acid. It’s shown to support liver detoxification and prevent your body from reabsorbing excess hormones like estrogen.
Since hormones are a delicate business, be sure to work with a health care provider like a functional medicine practitioner. They can help you find the right supplement for you in the right dose.
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