Introduction
When I reached menopause, I felt a lot of symptoms, with anxiety and depression as my least favorite. I wanted to get to understand my hormonal health, and I discovered Estrogen Dominance (ED). Have you ever heard of ED? Let’s learn more about common estrogen dominance symptoms and how you can relieve them!
Estrogen dominance refers to an imbalance of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. While it’s not a medical condition, it can cause symptoms such as bloating, breast pain, headaches, anxiety, and depression. Estrogen and progesterone are two important hormones produced by the ovaries when a woman is at her reproductive peak between 25-35 years old. However, many women have imbalances in these hormones due to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise habits, and stress levels, leading to estrogen dominance.
Estrogen dominance (ED) occurs when you have too much estrogen or not enough progesterone to counter the estrogen in your body. It is one of the most common hormonal imbalances women face before and during menopause.
A woman’s hormones go through many changes during her lifetime. For example, it’s normal to go through puberty, become pregnant, and then face menopause. What can happen, however, is that your body may experience a hormonal imbalance before or during menopause. This condition is called estrogen dominance (ED).
Estrogen dominance occurs when there is an excess of estrogen in the body compared to progesterone; this happens because of a disruption in hormone balance and can cause symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness, and weight gain.
The good news is that there are things we can do about ED! Let us discuss how you can take control of your health by making small changes in diet and lifestyle that will help reduce your symptoms.
This imbalance leads to unpleasant symptoms, many of which you may already be familiar with as menopause symptoms.
Estrogen dominance is a symptom of an estrogen-to-progesterone ratio that is off balance. When this happens, you can experience some pretty unpleasant symptoms. Some of the most common include:
hot flashes and night sweats
feeling exhausted or mentally foggy
low libido (especially after menopause)
depression or mood swings
memory loss
weight gain (especially around the hips)
hair loss at the temples or thinning elsewhere on your head
joint pain
bone loss if you’re postmenopausal.
There’s no way to avoid these issues once you enter menopause ultimately; however, there are actionable steps we can take to reduce them!
Hot flashes, night sweats, and exhaustion are often caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone in the body. Estrogen dominance is a common culprit of pre-menopause symptoms such as these because it stimulates your body to produce more heat than usual.
Estrogen dominance can also cause you to feel tired and have low energy, even after a good night’s sleep.
Estrogen dominance can cause you to feel tired and have low energy, even after a good night’s sleep.
The body uses a lot of energy to produce estrogen, so the effect is even more substantial when you are menopausal or perimenopausal. The more estrogen in your system, the more energy your body has to use to make it. As a result, you may find yourself easily fatigued despite sleeping well at night. In addition, this can be especially true if your sleep is restless and interrupted by hot flashes or night sweats due to high estrogen levels causing an increase in body temperature while sleeping (also known as “hot flashes”).
It is common for women with ED to experience mood swings, especially when the amount of estrogen declines during menopause.
During menopause, estrogen levels decrease. While this is normal and part of the aging process, some women may experience an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone (the so-called “estrogen dominance”) which can cause a wide range of symptoms, including mood swings. These changes are usually temporary; however, they can become severe enough to require medical treatment.
It is not uncommon for women with ED to experience mood swings, especially during menopause, when their bodies start changing due to hormonal fluctuations. There’s even a name for it: premenstrual syndrome (PMS). You may also hear it called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). It’s important to note that PMS/PMDD is not just limited to hormonal changes associated with menstrual cycles. They can be caused by stress or lifestyle choices like dieting too much or exercising too little, which can lead to developing ED.
Women undergoing perimenopause and menopause experience hot flashes and night sweats due to estrogen fluctuation. If you’re suffering from hot flashes, you may also find it challenging to get a good night’s sleep due to temperature changes. In addition, estrogen imbalance is associated with breathing problems during sleep that interrupts a healthy rest cycle and affects your overall health.
The body’s temperature can fluctuate throughout the night, which is normal. However, these fluctuations can disrupt your sleep cycle if you’re experiencing hot flashes or night sweats. These temperature changes are typically caused by estrogen dominance and are often accompanied by heavy sweating and anxiety.
If you’re going through perimenopause or menopause, it’s essential to take steps to relieve symptoms like these as soon as possible. The first step is to identify what’s causing them so that you can find a solution that works for you. For example:
- Do I have an imbalance of hormones? Or am I simply not sleeping well because of stressors in my life?
- How much exercise do I get each week? Am I getting enough sleep? Are there any other health concerns that might make me less tired overall?
Once you know what’s causing your hot flashes, it’s time to start taking steps to relieve them. If your symptoms are caused by estrogen dominance, for example, the following tips may help:
1. Take a calcium supplement with vitamin D to relieve symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
2. Decrease your consumption of soy products and other foods containing phytoestrogens, which can reduce your hormonal balance.
3. Try acupuncture or acupressure to help regulate hormone levels in your body.
4. Eat plenty of leafy greens containing iron and calcium that can help relieve hot flashes.
5. Try a daily multivitamin to ensure you get all the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.
6. Try to get enough sleep each night.
7. Exercise regularly to boost your endorphins and reduce stress levels.
8. Try hormone replacement therapy (HRT) if your symptoms are severe and you haven’t had a hysterectomy yet.
9. If you can’t get relief from other methods, consider taking prescription medications that relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats.
10. If you have trouble sleeping, try taking melatonin before bedtime.
If estrogen dominates, your muscles and joints may weaken, leading to frequent aches and pains. In addition, your muscles naturally lose mass when you reach menopause. However, muscle wasting can become an even bigger problem if you don’t address ED symptoms during this time.
ED may cause your joints and muscles to become weak, leading to frequent aches and pains, especially in the hips and hands. Your muscles naturally begin to lose mass when you reach menopause. However, muscle wasting can become an even bigger problem if you don’t address ED symptoms during this time.
ED can cause weakness in other areas of the body, like your shoulders or lower back, due to a lack of estrogen production in these regions.
If you notice that you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important to talk to your doctor about your concerns. Your doctor may be able to identify other medical issues that could be causing ED symptoms, or they can prescribe a treatment plan for treating your condition.
Conclusion
Estrogen dominance is a condition that can affect both women and men. It is caused by having too much estrogen in your system for too long. Estrogen dominance can lead to many symptoms, including weight gain, acne, mood swings, and fatigue. You can treat estrogen dominance at home using natural ingredients or supplements like saw palmetto extract or black cohosh root powder.
Takeaway:
There are many natural remedies for estrogen dominance symptoms, but you must consult your doctor before taking any of these remedies. They may be able to recommend an over-the-counter treatment or prescribe something more powerful if necessary!
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