12 Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen is a growth hormone responsible for the development and maintenance of the female reproductive system. It is released in high amounts during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle which is the first 2 weeks leading up to ovulation. Estrogen is released from the ovaries, fat tissue, and adrenal glands because it has a connection between fertility and body fat composition. As for the main functions, estrogen aids in building up the uterine wall for the menstrual cycle, it stimulates the growth of the egg follicle, helps breast tissue growth, it stabilizes bone density, and controls the metabolism of glucose and lipids.
High estrogen and estrogen dominance are not always the same thing. This is because estrogen dominance is just talking about the ratio between estrogen and progesterone. If estrogen is higher in relation to progesterone, but the levels are still in the normal range, this is considered estrogen dominance. Here are the 3 patterns: high estrogen and normal progesterone, high estrogen and low progesterone, normal estrogen, and low progesterone. So what are some symptoms for estrogen dominance. Here are 13 symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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1. Anxiety
Anxiety is an experience of feelings of worry, anxiousness, and fear can overpower aspects of one’s day. It is additionally one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. A study found that administering rats with an optimal dosage of estrogen can balance them out and cause anxiety and depressive tendencies to decrease. Estrogen plays a key role in balancing the emotional response so this is why when there is an imbalance of hormones of estrogen and progesterone, anxiety becomes one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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2. Bloating
Bloating is also one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. A study found that in the luteal phase, water retention, as well as sodium retention, increased with high administration of estrogen. This happens because the estrogen lowers the osmotic threshold for which water is reabsorbed in the body. The hormone arginine vasopressin is responsible for the reabsorption of water into the body. When estrogen levels are high in relation to progesterone, this threshold is lowered and therefore more water will be contained rather than excreted through urine which causes the body to bloat.
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3. Mood Swings and Irritability
Another one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance is mood swings/irritability. Mood and cognition stability are both heavily reliant on estrogen and progesterone balance. Estradiol and estrone are different forms of the estrogen molecule that we produce. Estradiol binds to both alpha estrogen receptor and beta estrogen receptor whereas estrone only binds to the beta estrogen receptor. Because of this, it has been shown that estradiol is more beneficial to balance out mood swings and has antidepressant effects when taken in normal limits because estradiol binds to both alpha and beta. With an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone, this can cause mood swings and irritability with unstable emotions which are symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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4. Heavy Bleeding
Heavy menstrual bleeding is defined as secreting more than 80 mL of blood per menstrual cycle, though it is reported that about 50% of females who report heavy menstrual bleeding, do not meet the 80 mL standard. The normal bleeding amount is only 50-60 mL of blood. Heavy bleeding is caused by polyps which are when there is enlarged tissue growth in the endometrial cavity. Estrogen functions to build up the endometrial wall for menstruation, so heavy menstrual bleeding is another one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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5. Brain Fog
Confusion, forgetfulness, and inability to focus are all noted as brain fog and can be another one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. A study found that estrogen receptors have a very important role in cognition and brain function. Due to this, when estrogen is much higher than progesterone, these functions can become hindered to cause brain fog
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6. Migraines / Cyclical Headaches
Migraines are another symptom of PMS and can be one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. This is because estrogen can interfere with cellular responsiveness and cerebral vessels. Through passive diffusion, estrogen can cross the blood-brain barrier very easily, so this causes the brain levels of the hormone to reflect the levels within the rest of the body’s circulation. When levels of estrogen are high in circulation in the body, this causes an increase of estrogen in the brain too, and low levels of progesterone. Additionally, estrogen can affect the pain network which is involved in migraine activation.
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7. Insomnia
Sleep is highly dependent on hormones and the body’s stress levels. Insomnia is the difficulty of falling asleep at night. Balanced hormone levels are extremely important for good sleep. A study found that in both perimenopausal and postmenopausal women who were administered a low dose of estradiol there was an increase in sleep quality and insomnia was decreased. The study concluded that balanced estrogen with progesterone can have positive effects on sleep quality. This shows that insomnia can be one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance because we need stable levels to have a good night's rest.
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8. Low Sex Drive
Libido or low sex drive is another one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. Sex drive is highly dependent on the balance of hormones between testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. When estrogen is high and out of balance, then this will cause a change in the homeostasis of the other hormones. This is why low sex drive is another one of the signs of high estrogen.
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9. Painful Periods
Painful periods or dysmenorrhea is noted as painful cramps during menstruation. The cramps in the uterus can be caused by high amplitude contractions, increased uterine tone, and high levels of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are sex hormones that work in opposition with progesterone, so when progesterone decreases right before menstruation, then prostaglandin will increase. Prostaglandins in the reproductive system aid in contractions for labor, but when you are not in labor these contractions are labeled as cramps. As mentioned before progesterone is in opposition with estrogen so estrogen rises as a result. This is why painful periods are one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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10. Breast Tenderness
Breast soreness or tender breasts are very common symptoms of estrogen dominance. Usually, this occurs a little bit before ovulation around day 12-15 of your cycle, near ovulation. Additionally, progesterone is at an all-time low during this time while estrogen is high, and because of the difference in hormone levels, this puts stress on the breast tissue causing them to hurt and feel sensitive.
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11. Cramps
Cramps are contractions in the uterus that occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and usually subside after the first few days of the follicular phase, or the start of your period. During the start of the luteal phase, progesterone is increasing, but if pregnancy doesn’t happen it will drop by the end of the phase. This drop-in progesterone causes estrogen to increase as well as the hormone prostaglandin. This hormone is responsible for inducing the contractions in the uterus to help shed in the inner uterine lining. This is why cramps are one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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12. Thyroid Issues
The 2 kinds of estrogen receptors alpha estrogen receptor and beta estrogen receptor are important components in the growth of follicular thyroid cells. A study found that the increased amounts of alpha and beta estrogen receptors are linked to an overgrowth of the thyroid cells to potentially result in a tumor. Too much estrogen has the inability to regulate genes and thyroid progression which shows that thyroid issues are one of the symptoms of estrogen dominance.
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TAKE AWAY MESSAGE:
There are several symptoms of estrogen dominance. If you’re looking to understand the root causes of your estrogen dominance, check out my hormone testing packages HERE.
