Estrogen Dominance: Part 1
Whats is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen dominance refers to excessive circulating estrogen levels. Excess estrogen levels can give rise to various chronic diseases such as cancers, fibroids, hormonal imbalances, infertility etc. There is a delicate balance between estrogen and progesterone levels. Estrogen dominance is a combination of various symptoms including one or the other.
Symptoms associated with Estrogen Dominance
- PMS
- Weight gain
- Endometriosis
- Fatigue
- Menstruation irregularities
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bloating
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Infertility
If you commonly notice any of these symptoms combined or alone on a frequent basis, you are probably suffering from Estrogen Dominance. The progesterone and estrogen c0-exists in balance with each other but when estrogen levels exceeds, very less progesterone is left to balance it. Popping the pill is not the answer. The real treatment involves finding the route cause or reasons for Estrogen Dominance.
To find the cause of estrogen dominance we have to look for following 4 parameters called PTSD. PTSD stands for
- P stands for Production
- T stands for Transportation
- S stands for Sensitivity
- D stands for Detoxification
Production
Production, it means to find whether there is excess production of estrogens in the body. It can be done by measuring the levels at a certain point of time of the menstruation cycle.
Transportation
Estrogen is primarily attached to a protein called SHBG. SHBG transports the estrogen to different locations for various uses and purpose. 69% of estrogen is bound to SHBG, 30% to albumin and only 1% is free. So if SHBG levels drop below the optimal levels more free circulating free estrogen will be available, causing estrogen dominance. [Study]
Sensitivity
Each cell has receptors or affinity for different kind of hormones depending upon the function. These receptors must listen to the signal of hormone attaching there. But if sensitivity is reduced, then two conditions arise.
One is that there is an excess of hormone floating unused or secondarily the body thinks that maybe the levels are not enough and it starts producing more of it. Body thinks that may be extra amount of hormone can get the job done when few of them are able to attach to the receptors.
Detoxification
Detoxification is an important step for every hormone or neurotransmitter after the job is done. After it has exerted its physiological effect on the cells, it’s broken down into different metabolites and must be excreted out via different pathways.
If any of the detoxification or excretion pathways are not working properly, it can cause an excess of circulating hormonal metabolites. The main organ and system associated with detoxification is liver and our digestive tract. Hence, the Gut and Liver Health plays an important role in detoxification of hormonal metabolites effectively.
