A hormone imbalance occurs when the body has too much estrogen and not enough progesterone to counteract it. This is called estrogen dominance, and has been linked to a wide range of conditions, including an increase in PMS symptoms, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis, as well as symptoms including fatigue, fibrocystic breasts, headaches, infertility, irritability, and fat gain around the abdomen. In addition, numerous studies have shown a link between excess estrogen and breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers.
Here are some tips to help you protect your tissues from an excess of estrogen and begin restoring function in your hormonal system:
- Weight Management: Maintain a normal weight, the purpose of which is to reduce the amount of hormones stored in fat;
- Clean Eating: Get at least five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day and eat organic whole foods and fiber;
- Stress: Identify and decrease chronic stress and support your adrenal and thyroid glands with proper rest and supplementation when advised by a healthcare professional;
- Improve Digestion: Take a probiotic supplement to make certain that you have plenty of good bacteria on board to crowd out any overgrowth of yeast or bad bacteria;
- Hormone Disruptors: Decrease exposure to xenoestrogens by using products free of parabens and phthalates;
- Find a Practitioner: Search for a practitioner that will offer safe and natural relief for symptoms during hormonal transitions and decrease your use of HRT. Try using the Find a Practitioner feature on this website.
- Bad Habits: Decrease your use of alcohol and if you smoke, please stop.
