Do you experience heavy periods, tumors (i.e., breast, or uterine), or weight gain? These are some of the signs of estrogen dominance. Estrogen is a hormone that we need, but too much estrogen can cause many health problems for both females and males. When hormones are discussed, the topic is usually about female hormonal problems in most cases.

What is the Role of Estrogen?

Estrogen plays an essential role in helping your cardiovascular, reproductive, and bone health. However, high levels of estrogen can cause physical symptoms that need to be addressed. Homeopathy can help balance your estrogen levels by addressing what is causing you to have estrogen dominance.

Hormones play a significant role in many bodily functions, such as sleep, stress, appetite, and libido. Two of the main hormones affecting you as a female are Estrogen and Progesterone. Estrogen – Is a female sex hormone produced by your endocrine system whose primary role is promoting growth. During puberty and pregnancy, estrogen is needed for your menstrual cycle, it also supports bone strength and maintains normal cholesterol levels.

Three Main Estrogens in the Female Body:

1. Estrone (E1) – The main type of estrogen present in your body occurs after menopause, made primarily in adipose tissue.
2. Estradiol (E2) – The strongest estrogen, made by the ovaries and present in your body before menopause.
3. Estriol (E3) – is the weakest form of estrogen, present in your body primarily during pregnancy.

Progesterone – Is produced by the ovaries, placenta, and adrenal glands and is secreted by the female reproductive system to regulate the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium). It plays a vital role in regulating your menstrual cycle and maintaining the early stages of pregnancy.

What Does High Estrogen Mean?

Estrogen levels increase and decrease throughout your life and sync with other hormones that control important body processes. Estrogen increases during puberty and throughout your reproductive years (i.e.  during menstrual periods and pregnancy) and decreases after menopause. Estrogen levels that are too high and cause a hormonal imbalance can cause problems, such as breast tumors fibroids, weight gain, and a heavy periods).

What is Estrogen Dominance?

Among the many roles estrogen has in your body, estrogen’s primary role is to grow and plump up tissue in the body. All abnormal growths of any kind develop from dominant estrogen and not having enough progesterone in the body. For example, estrogen levels increase just before ovulation and thicken the lining of the uterus (endometrium) in preparation for the possible implantation of an embryo. When the woman’s egg is not fertilized, the estrogen levels decrease and start the menstrual period. Progesterone’srole is to eliminate the uterine lining when pregnancy does not take place, hence the menstrual bleeding. When the estrogen levels are higher than progesterone levels, you have estrogen dominance also called unopposed estrogen. Suppose your body cannot make enough progesterone to do its job. In that case, estrogen can take over and, in time, cause an overgrowth of tissue such as in the endometrial lining, called endometriosis, non-cancerous and cancerous tumors ( uterine or breast),and  polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

What can Cause Estrogen Dominance?

• body’s ability to produce progesterone, causing a high-level estrogen.
• Poor Elimination -having constipation and consuming inadequate dietary fiber can cause you not to Stress – Your body’s producing high amounts of cortisol in response to stress can deplete your eliminate excess estrogen
• Decreased liver detoxification of hormones, as you are not detoxifying excess estrogen
• Environmental Exposures – leading you to absorb too much
• Nutrient insufficiencies can impair detox and elimination
• Medications – For oral birth contraceptives and mental or emotional disorders (phenothiazines)
• Excess body fat (over 28%) – Body fat produces more estrogen
• Weight gain during peri-menopause from a decrease in progesterone causing fat stored around the stomach
• Alcohol – Drinking too much

High Estrogen in Males

Males need estrogen for their sexual and reproductive health. However, high levels of estrogen can cause health conditions too.

• Infertility
• Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
• Gynecomastia (enlarged breasts in males)

Signs of Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen dominance can affect your body in many ways:

• Abnormal Menstrual Periods (heavy/painful periods)
• PMS
• Headaches
• Decreased Sex Drive,
• Bloating,
• Mood Swings,
• Fatigue,
• Anxiety and Depression,
• Breast tenderness,
• Endometriosis and Fibroids
• Hormonal weight gain.

What You Can Do to Decrease Your Estrogen Levels

There are several ways you can decrease your estrogen levels, whether you have estrogen dominance or not.

In Your Environment

Synthetic xenoestrogens are chemicals found in the environment that act like estrogen once they’re inside your body by increasing your estrogen levels. It is impossible to avoid synthetic xenoestrogens altogether; however, you do have some control in limiting your exposure.

• Bisphenol A (BPA), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and phthalates are chemicals used in various plastic containers.
  • Drink and eat out of glass, steel, and other non-plastic containers. Avoid soft plastics such as plastic-wrapped foods, and never microwave food in plastic containers if you must use a microwave.
• Pesticides (i.e., food and lawn care), household cleaning products, along with some soaps and shampoos.
  • Eat organic, especially your meats, dairy, and the “dirty dozen. ” Pesticides and hormones, whether ingested as medications, added to animals’ feed, on the ground, or injected in the animal, affect your estrogen levels.

How to Support Your Digestion to Decrease Excess Estrogen

Your liver is your body’s main place for detoxifying estrogen. Helping your liver eliminate the excess or used up forms of estrogen helps your digestive system function better overall. There are many ways you can support your liver and digestion. In some cases, lifestyle changes may help you decrease the excess estrogen your body makes.

1. Eating Your Greens – Kale, collards, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and broccoli sprouts contain chemical compounds that help your liver detoxify estrogen.
2. Replace Strong Estrogens Foods – By the daily eating of phytoestrogen-rich plants (weaker estrogen foods) helps regulate your total estrogen levels with the following foods:
   1. Flax seeds (ground), legumes (i.e.  lentils), sesame seeds, wheat, berries, oats, barley, and dried beans, to name a few.
3. Eat Plenty of Fiber – To help keep your bowels moving 1-2 times a day and helps clear you out and eliminate excess hormones before your body can reabsorb the estrogen.
   1. Flax seeds (ground), leafy greens, apples, and many other fruits and vegetables are high in fiber.
4. Eat Good Quality Fats- Avocado (the fruit and the oil), olive oil, walnut oil, nuts, and coconut (oil, milk).
5. Eating Less Sugar – Decreases the inflammation in your system.
   1. Choose fruits as your sweetener.
6. Limit or Eliminate Process Foods
7. Food Cleanses (especially seasonal food cleanses) – Helps your liver and digestive system detox
8. Herbal Tinctures – Such as Dandelion Root, Greater Celandine, Milk Thistle, and Turmeric help support your liver taken daily.
9. Cut Back or Eliminate Coffee – Disrupts your hormones.
   1.  Try Dandy Blend (coffee alternative), green tea (interferes less with hormone balance), caffeine-free tea, plain water, or you can add a slice of lemon, etc.
10. Cut Back or Eliminate Alcohol – it Inhibits estrogen detoxification and increases estradiol levels.
11. Probiotics (refrigerated) – Taken daily also eating fermented foods (sauerkraut and miso) is a great way to keep your gut flora healthy.
12. Magnesium – Taking magnesium daily help with daily bowel movement and your other body systems, such as cardiovascular.
    1. I prefer to use Mag Phos 6c cell salt (Hyland’s).
13. Iodine – There is a lot of research you may want to check out and see if you need iodine. Adding seaweed to your foods, such as beans and soups, is a great way to get iodine, iron, and calcium. 
14. Exercise Daily – Walking, qigong, yoga, tai chi, and meditation help manage your weight and stress levels.
15. Avoid Estrogen-based Birth Control When Possible.

Testing Your Estrogen Levels

Your estrogen levels can be tested by having a blood, urine, or saliva test performed in a doctor’s office, lab, or even in the privacy of your home. A more extensive hormonal test would need to be done in a doctor’s office.

How Can Homeopathy Help Your Estrogen Dominance?

Homeopathy can help balance your estrogen levels by addressing what is causing you to have estrogen dominance (breast tumors, fibroids, endometriosis). Each hormone has a role to play, and they all work together by communicating with each other. By addressing estrogen dominance with a homeopathic remedy, the rest of the hormones will balance out and be better able to do their part in keeping you healthy. A complete case history (Chronic Fundamental) needs to be taken to address the estrogen dominance and whether you have breast, endometriosis, or fibroids. While taking your case history, I will ask you what your breast, uterine, fibroid, or any other estrogen dominance symptoms you have now and when the symptoms started, especially if you are taking hormonal medication.

1. A Chronic Fundamental homeopathic remedy will be selected to address who you are and how you developed breast tumors, endometriosis, or fibroids.
   1. In taking your case history, you will be giving me a complete health history giving a snapshot of how your general health is from birth to the present time.
   2. However, the main focus would be on what was going on in your life before you developed breast, endometriosis, or fibroids —looking back at the last 6-12 months of your life for stresses (i.e., relationship, work-related, financial, or caring for a loved one), in some cases further back as to what happened in your life that could have triggered you to have a hormone imbalance.
   3. I will also take into consideration other physical symptoms of your menstrual period such as excessive bleeding (monthly and in between), breast pain, tumor, and how your menstrual cycle was before developing endometriosis, breast tumors or fibroids, along with other hormonal symptoms you are having. You will be asked general health questions about your digestion, sleep, and mental and emotional state.
2. Acute Symptoms – Select a homeopathic remedy for any Acute symptom(s) you are having with your breast or menstrual period symptoms (i.e., excessive bleeding, clots, menstrual pains, anemic symptoms).
   1. The homeopathic remedy will be selected according to the acute symptom(s) and what makes the symptom(s) better or worse.

How to Administer a Homeopathic Remedy and Results for Estrogen Dominance (breast and uterine)

1. A 6c Chronic Fundamental homeopathic remedy will be taken daily for a period of time. If you are taking hormonal medications, you will continue taking the medication with the expectation to lower the medication dosage and possibly get off the medication altogether.
2. Three “Signs of Health” must occur within 5-7 days after taking a homeopathic 6c remedy.
   1. Increased or Balanced Energy – Children’s energy needs to be balanced, and adults need increased energy.
   2. Well-Being Feeling – A mental and emotional shift (i.e., the day seems easier in some way).
   3. Sleep Cycles Improve – Falls asleep easier, stays asleep, or wakes up refreshed and ready to go each morning.
3. The chief breast or uterine symptoms your homeopathic 6c remedy was selected for will start to improve within the next three months. Over the next three menstrual cycles, you will see more improvement with how much you are bleeding, a decrease in pain with your period, and any other symptoms you have each month with your period and breast symptoms.
4. A 30c or 200c Acute homeopathic remedy selected for the acute symptoms (i.e., heavy bleeding, clots, anemia, period pains) will be taken several times a day as needed.
   1. The acute symptoms will start to improve within 1.5 hours, in some cases within 15 minutes.

Following a healthy lifestyle and taking homeopathic remedies can help in addressing the stressors in your life that are causing you to have an estrogen-dominant health condition(s). Whether you are in a stressful relationship (significant other or other family members), work-related issues, or the stress in taking care of your family’s needs, including juggling schedules or financial. Your body is giving you clues that the stresses in your life are now affecting your health, causing an estrogen-dominant health condition(s). Now is the time to listen to what your body is telling you and start taking time to take care of your health to be there for your family and enjoy life. The first step can be decreasing your estrogen levels in your environment and then going on from there with a homeopathic remedy.