Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen dominance is used to describe a hormone imbalance where there is too much estrogen, or estrogen-like activity in the body, compared to progesterone.  This can happen even when estrogen levels are low, like during and after menopause, if your progesterone levels are also low. 

            Estrogen dominance is usually suspected based on a patient's symptoms, and confirmed with hormone level testing.  Using either a blood or a saliva sample, your doctor can determine the level of hormones in your body.  It is important to test for these levels before proceeding with treatment, as these tests can help determine the cause of the estrogen dominance.

            Estrogen dominance can happen for a number of reasons.  Chemical pollutants in the air, water, and food can act like estrogen in the body, leading to increased estrogen-like activity in the body, while.  Women taking hormonal contraceptives, in the form of the pill, shot, patch, or ring, can have these symptoms if there is too much estrogen in the birth control formulation.  As a woman's body ages, progesterone levels can drop sharply, while estrogen levels remain the same or only drop a little bit.  All of these situations can lead to estrogen dominance. 

            Estrogen dominance caused by environmental estrogen-like compounds requires removing these chemicals from the body.  Currently, this is only possible by allowing them to be naturally excreted from your body, which means the best way to lower the amount of estrogen-like compounds in your body is to stop taking them in. Choosing organic meats and produce, those that have not been treated with pesticides or estrogen-like compounds to improve their growth prior to market, is a good first step.  Certain ingredients in plastics, specifically bisphenol A and pthalates, act like estrogen in the body.  If you prefer to to drink bottled water, or use plastic dishes regularly, check the marker on the bottom of the bottle, and avoid those with recycling symbols 3, 6, and 7, which may contain these estrogen-like plasticizers.  Chose plastics with recycling symbols 1 (PETE), which contains neither bisphenol A or pthalates.  Certain people who work with industrial chemicals may be at a higher risk of exposure, and should check with their employer.

            Estrogen dominance related to hormonal contraception can be corrected by changing the form of birth control to another route of administration, or switching the birth control to another type with a lower level of estrogen.         

            Estrogen dominance related to declining hormone levels is often treated by supplementing with progesterone, preferably natural progesterone, which is the same hormone that is made by the body.  The most popular method of administering natural progesterone currently is by applying a cream in measured amounts once or twice a day to thin skin.  The increased levels of progesterone oppose the effects of the relatively high levels of estrogen, reducing or eliminating the signs and symptoms of estrogen dominance within two or three menstrual cycles.