Too much estrogen and not enough progesterone can lead to all sorts of health problems for women, says Marcelle Pick. Here’s her root-cause approach to healing this common hormonal imbalance naturally
I recently received a thank-you note from Lilly, who was so appreciative that I’d uncovered her estrogen dominance and helped her restore her hormonal balance. In her note, Lilly mentioned that she hadn’t initially believed estrogen dominance could have been the problem. After all, she said, she was going through perimenopause.
Being up half the night with hot flashes had been her norm for months. She was fighting exhaustion, snapping at everyone in her life and struggling with her weight. And weren’t these all caused by the lower production of estrogen in this stage of her life?
That’s a common misconception based on limited information. But estrogen dominance can affect women in any stage of life. I actually see a lot of perimenopausal women who are going through this imbalance. In fact, I’m seeing more and more estrogen dominance all the time.
Why? The female body relies on a complex symphony of hormones to function optimally, and estrogen is one of the most important and well known. But thanks to our modern environment filled with pesticides, chemicals, processed foods and constant stress (to name a few), we’re facing an estrogen dominance problem like never before.
In fact, this problem has reached an all-time global high. It’s affecting both women and men of all ages and in all stages of life, and even children, who are reaching puberty earlier and earlier.
I’ve often said balance is the most important factor when looking at hormones. A lot of the time, the level of one hormone is a lot less important than the ratios between different hormones that are meant to work together and balance each other.
This is exactly what happens in estrogen dominance. Often, estrogen levels are high. But estrogen dominance can be a problem even if estrogen levels are low or moderate, if they’re not properly balanced by other hormones (for women, that’s mainly progesterone).
Estrogen dominance can cause a host of frustrating symptoms, from fatigue to weight gain to low sex drive (see below). Left unresolved, it can also lead to autoimmune disease, endometriosis, depression and some kinds of cancer.
When you realize just how many things in our water, air, food supply and everyday products have the power to disrupt your hormonal balance, it can feel a little scary. But the good news is that we can make choices every day that will help to limit our exposure.
And, when we also understand the internal factors and imbalances that can lead to estrogen dominance, we can develop an even more powerful set of tools for restoring balance and healing.
For most women with estrogen dominance, usually a combination of different factors leads to estrogen dominance rather than one specific thing. It’s vital to look at all angles when tackling this (or any) hormonal imbalance to achieve the best results.
One main root cause of estrogen dominance is xenoestrogens, external substances mimicking estrogen that we’re exposed to in our environment, including the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.
Learning about common sources of xenoestrogen exposure and what to avoid makes a huge difference. But we can’t think about outside factors alone; we also have to consider what’s going on internally. If we’re producing too much estrogen or (as is often the case) not enough progesterone, the problem will persist no matter how many external estrogen sources we address.
A lot of women I work with who have estrogen dominance have adrenal fatigue due to chronic stress. When the adrenal glands are working overtime to produce cortisol, as they are in adrenal fatigue, they end up producing less progesterone. That creates the perfect environment for estrogen dominance to develop.
Finally, we have to look at how well our bodies are dealing with any excess estrogen. Are our detox and elimination pathways allowing us to clear it out effectively? This is a huge piece of the puzzle too.
I know this can all sound really complicated, but I’ve broken it down into four key areas to address to heal from estrogen dominance and restore balance naturally.
The right diet can do wonders when it comes to balancing hormones and healing from estrogen dominance. In fact, the right diet can hit on all the four keys to healing that we just talked about.
The best diet for estrogen dominance, and for overall health, incorporates a variety of fresh, whole foods. A few specific types of whole foods can be especially helpful. Here are some tips for putting together your ideal estrogen dominance healing diet.
Include these foods:
But avoid these:
Beyond diet, there are all kinds of things you can do to naturally rebalance your hormones. Here are some of the most effective strategies.
Sweat. Sweating is so important for detoxification. There are all kinds of fun and healing ways to get sweaty, from vigorous exercise to hot yoga classes to regular sessions in a sauna. Find a way to work sweating into your regular routine.
Manage stress. If you don’t get to the root of chronic stress or adrenal dysfunction, estrogen dominance is likely to persist. That’s due to the overall imbalance caused by excessive cortisol production (and, therefore, limited progesterone production).
Look at ways to reduce excessive stress, and speak with your functional medicine practitioner about investigating any underlying adrenal fatigue. It’s also important to find ways to practice mindfulness, relaxation and self-care. Try yoga, meditation, walks in nature, bubble baths, reading—anything that makes you feel at peace.
Choose healthier products. Be mindful of ingredients in makeup, skin and hair cleansers, household cleaning solutions and other products. Anything that goes on your skin can get absorbed, and fumes can be absorbed in the nose and lungs.
Women are often shocked when they learn how many of the products we use every day are filled with xenoestrogens and other toxins that are known to disrupt hormonal balance. It’s appalling how little these products and their ingredients are regulated.
Look for cleaning and personal care products that focus on transparency, sustainability and natural ingredients whenever possible. See How to Shop for Nontoxic Products or check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database (ewg.org/skindeep).
Consider supplements. Several supplements can help to support and regulate estrogen metabolism. Here are the ones I often recommend. Just remember that it’s always best to consult with a health practitioner who can suggest the supplements and dosages that are right for you based on your individual needs.
Diindolylmethane
Suggested dosage: 100–200 mg/day (based on hormone levels or symptoms)
Alpha lipoic acid
Suggested dosage: 600 mg/day
Vitamin D3
Suggested dosage: 2,000/IU day (ideally adjust based on tested vitamin D levels)
Magnesium
Suggested dosage: 200–300 mg/day
Indole-3-carbinol
Suggested dosage: 200–400 mg/day (based on hormone levels or symptoms)
Other supplements that may be helpful include:
Vitamin B6
This vitamin can help boost progesterone to balance excess estrogen in addition to supporting liver function for detoxification.
Suggested dosage: 50–100 mg/day
Probiotics
A healthy gut is vital for hormonal balance. Look for a supplement with a high number of colony-forming units (CFU) that contains both Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria.
Suggested dosage: Follow the label instructions
Find what’s blocking weight loss. Excess fat and estrogen dominance are very closely linked, and they can feed into each other in a vicious cycle. Getting to a healthy weight is extremely helpful for overcoming estrogen dominance, but estrogen dominance contributes to weight gain and weight loss resistance. It can be a frustrating situation for many women.
That said, there might be other causes of weight loss resistance that can be tackled, including adrenal fatigue or gut imbalances. Getting to the bottom of these can help to put an end to the cycle once and for all.
Exercise regularly. Exercising helps to balance hormones and clear out excess estrogen by supporting liver function and detox, helping to regulate healthy elimination, and balancing blood sugar.
Boost lymphatic flow. For optimal detoxification and functioning, work on stimulating the lymphatic system regularly. Deep breathing, stretching and drinking lots of water are a few of the simplest ways to boost lymphatic system function.
Sleep well. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. The body needs a full night of sleep to regulate hormones, repair imbalances and manage stress.
Try herbs. Herbal treatments can be extremely helpful in healing from estrogen dominance. Some examples are milk thistle, dandelion root and burdock root, which help with elimination and detoxification, and chaste tree berry (also known as Vitex agnus-castus), which can help with progesterone production and overall hormonal balance. Speak with your practitioner about whether herbs might be right for you.
Avoid plastic. Plastic that touches food in any way—water bottles, reusable food containers, plastic wrap—is likely introducing toxins and xenoestrogens like bisphenol A (BPA) into the body. The problem gets worse when plastic containers are frozen, microwaved or even just exposed to sunlight, so be cautious in these situations.
Switching to reusable glass or ceramic containers is much healthier for you and for the environment, and it’s really a no-brainer at this point. See WDDTY’s Guide to Going Plastic-Free for lots more tips on plastic-free living.
Reconsider birth control. Oral contraceptives and other hormonal birth control methods are notorious for wreaking havoc on hormonal balance. Not only do they lead to excess estrogen but many of them also introduce a synthetic form of progesterone into the body, reducing the natural production of progesterone.
Many women have been using hormonal birth control for years. It’s often casually prescribed to young girls and women to regulate heavy or painful periods and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), which are usually symptoms of estrogen dominance. If you’re currently taking hormonal birth control, consider speaking with your doctor about other options.
All too often, healthcare providers jump to prescribing hormone therapies way too early when signs of hormonal imbalance arise. As Lilly found out, there’s so much that we can do to restore balance naturally.
My approach involves uncovering triggers of excess estrogen production and reduced progesterone production and eliminating external sources of xenoestrogens while supporting elimination and detoxification. This is how I’ve helped countless women—including Lilly—reverse estrogen dominance.
She was so grateful that she felt vibrant and healthy once more that she just had to let me know. Keep the four keys in mind, and you’ll also be in control of your hormones in no time.
Estrogen dominance can lead to any combination of the following:
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