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Many people suffer from hormonal imbalance. The main hormones a woman has are Estrogen, Progesterone and smaller amounts of Testosterone. Estrogen and progesterone are produced mainly in the ovaries. These hormones in balance are responsible for controlling a womans menstrual cycle and much more. Birth control pills can be a helpful tool at times but can also contribute to nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalance. Estrogen is responsible for many things and when we have proper levels in balance with progesterone, we will have normal menstrual cycles, and a more balanced mood. Estrogen is responsible for giving a woman her curves, it contributes to a positive mood as it helps to keep serotonin in balance. It is also responsible for building up the cells inside the uterus to help a woman to prepare for a pregnancy, and it helps with libido. Estrogen is also responsible for the growth of the breasts. It is a very important hormone, but estrogen needs to be balanced by Progesterone. When estrogen builds the cells inside the uterus, progesterone keeps the tissue from overgrowing. Just as estrogen can help with mood by controlling serotonin levels, progesterone can have a calming anti-anxiety effect and can help a person with sleep. Progesterone can also balance breast tissue and alleviate painful breasts When If it is not in balance, it can lead to many issues. Excess estrogen, or dominance, can cause water retention, weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness, painful periods, cramping, mood swings and irritability. It can also be related to endometriosis, growth of uterine fibroids as well as breast cysts and ovarian cysts.
There are several reasons for estrogen dominance. Sometimes it can be related to the hormonal imbalance that happens in Perimenopause. Estrogen can be elevated or impacted by Xenoestrogens, which are synthetic chemicals that mimic estrogens, these can enter the body with exposure to chemicals like BPA found in plastics and Phalates found in skin care products. They can be elevated by certain foods, toxic chemicals and heavy metals in the body. Nutritional deficiencies like B vitamins, magnesium and folate can lead to estrogen excess. Alcohol intake can also be a driver of elevated levels. Anything that affects the liver and our ability to detoxify can impact how we metabolize or break down estrogen properly it can also lead to symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Sometimes estrogen dominance can be related to elevated estrogens but it is also related to progesterone deficiency. Excess stress levels, lead to high cortisol which can lead to a depletion in the hormone that produces progesterone and will cause deficiency. This lower progesterone will again leave a woman's body in an imbalanced state.
These common hormonal imbalances are related to many hormone -related symptoms. Estrogen dominance and poor estrogen metabolism can also lead to hormone related cancers.
Hormonal imbalance can be made worse by certain toxins and a poor diet, excess alcohol and anything else that impacts liver health. Throughout a womans life estrogens and progesterone can be kept in balance using proper diet, adaptogenic herbs, and stress reduction techniques.
Detailed lab panels, questionnaires and functional medicine testing can be helpful to determine what is impacting hormone related symptoms. There are many tools to help a woman to get her hormones back into balance, to help alleviate some of the detrimental effects of hormonal imbalance and help a woman find a better sense of calm. At times we can use herbs, adaptogenic herbs, stress reduction techniques, proper diet and hrt as needed.
