Menopause & perimenopause
Estrogen dominance —
is it real?
by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP
Topics covered in this article:
Most conventional doctors still tell women that menopause — and all
menopause and pre-menopause symptoms — result from a drop in estrogen
production. In their view the solution is estrogen supplementation, or HRT, usually
with synthetic hormones.
In contrast, many alternative practitioners believe that women have too much estrogen,
leading to a condition known as “estrogen dominance.” The late healthcare
pioneer Dr. John Lee broke new ground when he claimed that estrogen dominance was
the real cause of menopause and pre-menopause symptoms, especially in younger women.
In his view the obvious solution was to rebalance the ratio of estrogen to progesterone
through progesterone supplementation.
This idea has led to the marketing of hundreds of brands of progesterone cream and
other natural products designed to boost progesterone — all promising a quick
fix and miraculous results in curing menopausal and pre-menopause symptoms.
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Unfortunately, both of these views are simplistic and misleading for women, because
they overlook how dynamic all your hormones are — including DHEA, estrogen, progesterone
and testosterone. We’ve written other articles telling you the truth behind
the estrogen deficiency theory and our views about
synthetic HRT versus
bioidentical hormones.
Let’s focus today on the concept of estrogen dominance, the incredible claims
being made for the efficacy of progesterone, and how well your body is equipped
to restore the dynamic dance between these hormones when it gets the support it
needs.
How do estrogen levels work and what is estrogen dominance?
Estrogen and progesterone are two of the primary female sex hormones. During a normal
menstrual cycle, they take turns driving the process of maturing and releasing an
egg and preparing the uterus for possible pregnancy: estrogen rises in the first
half of the cycle, peaks at ovulation, then falls in the second half as progesterone
rises. Progesterone is released by the rupturing of the egg follicle during ovulation.
Testosterone too is secreted in “surges” around the time of ovulation,
perhaps as Mother Nature’s way to increase our interest in sex, and again
before menses. If there is no pregnancy, you have a period and the whole cycle begins
again.
When estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are doing their jobs, they work well
together. How much or how little of each hormone is made at any one time relies
on a complicated feedback system between the brain: specifically the hypothalamus
and the pituitary gland, which release LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle
stimulating hormone), the ovaries, and the adrenal glands. Stress and diet affect
that feedback system and so directly impact your hormonal balance.
© 2006 Women to Women *
What’s critical here is the role of progesterone, which “opposes”
the estrogen by helping the body break it down into metabolites that are absorbed
and removed in the process. Estrogen stimulates tissue growth, and progesterone
signals the body to slough it off.
The original concept of estrogen dominance was very simple. Dr. Lee argued that
the first sign of menopause is a drop in progesterone
production (not estrogen deficiency!). Without enough “opposing” progesterone,
estrogen levels stay unnaturally high in the second half of the menstrual cycle.
This causes discomfort in a great many women and can lead over time to some severe
health consequences.
(The history of HRT contains a tragic example of the effects of unopposed estrogen.
For many years after its creation, the synthetic estrogen drug Premarin was prescribed
to women without any accompanying progesterone. The result was an epidemic of uterine
cancer. This eventually led to Premarin being prescribed in tandem with a synthetic
progesterone called Provera to protect the uterine lining. Much more recently these
two were bundled together and marketed as a new combination drug called Prempro.
For decades now the combination of Premarin with Provera has been the most widely
prescribed synthetic HRT in the world.)
Over time, Dr. Lee’s concept of estrogen dominance evolved to promote another
compelling argument: that our overall estrogen levels (in women and men) are too
high because of xenoestrogens — manmade chemicals in the environment
that mimic estrogen in our bodies and act as endocrine disruptors even at minute concentrations.
Scientific study of wildlife — specifically, frogs and fish — is proving
this unfortunate reality to be without doubt. In an interesting twist, researchers
worldwide have observed that fish in our lakes and rivers are actually switching
gender due to the high levels of effluent estrogens. Even though mainstream media
has only begun to recognize this as “news,” experts have been discussing
the problem of pharmaceutical pollution for over 25 years, and have known about
“gender-bent” fish for more than ten years!
Some surmise these changes to be caused in part by excessive levels of steroids
— largely excreted by humans using birth control pills and hormonal replacement
therapy (HRT). Our water treatment facilities are not designed to remove hormonal
pollutants. Myriad studies indict environmental estrogens as the cause of reproductive
abnormalities in small life forms. So it should come as no surprise that these and
other widespread contaminants are now suspected of negatively impacting humans as
well, contributing to the problems of estrogen dominance and infertility.
As evidence, it’s often noted that women in Western Europe and the US have
estrogen levels that are much higher than women in underdeveloped countries. Many
experts link these high levels of estrogen with the rise in breast cancer, autoimmune
diseases, infertility and other health issues. They question whether or not xenoestrogens
are the cause.
The truth about estrogen dominance as related to
pre-menopause and menopause
While we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Lee for his groundbreaking work
on the importance of progesterone in relation to estrogen, to my mind the concept
of estrogen dominance is too simplistic, as is the concept of progesterone supplementation.
Since Dr. Lee’s death in October 2003, we have witnessed huge leaps in our
biochemical understanding. If he were still with us, I’m sure he would feel
vindicated to learn that the latest research indicates many women actually do have
normal levels of circulating progesterone. Just as Dr. Lee himself noted, what often
throws the balance off is an excess of estrogen, caused by environmental, dietary,
and lifestyle factors.
What this all means is that the theory of estrogen dominance is very real, but its
significance lies in the overall ratio of estrogen to progesterone —
and this ratio is an individualized and dynamic one. Of all women experiencing symptoms
of estrogen dominance, some with low levels of progesterone may do very well with
progesterone supplementation, whereas others with normal progesterone levels may
be better off focusing on changes that can normalize their estrogen or testosterone
levels. How do you know where you fit in? The only way to really tell is to have
your hormone levels checked and take action from there.
It is true that estrogen is often too high relative to progesterone. Most of us
who have had PMS
are familiar with this temporary form of excess estrogen. You can see by the chart
above how progesterone levels gradually fall during the course of a regular menstrual
cycle. In some women this drop may be more precipitous and cause symptoms of PMS.
During pre-menopause it’s common for estrogen levels to decrease slowly while
progesterone levels plummet — a natural result of fewer ovulations, fewer
burst follicles and less progesterone. This can cause many of our worst symptoms.
(See our articles on menstrual cycles to
learn more.)
Calling this state “estrogen dominance” is catchy but misleading. It
implies there is one problem, which isn’t true; and not all women experience
the condition anyway. And it implies there is one solution, which also isn’t
true. Most of the tens of thousands of women we have treated for pre-menopause symptoms
have suffered not from simple estrogen dominance but from a more fundamental disruption
of the body’s ability to maintain hormonal balance. There are usually multiple
causes, including stress, emotional factors, and the estrogen-like chemicals in
our environment called xenoestrogens.
The truth is, healthy hormonal balance is complicated. It isn’t just a matter
of not enough progesterone. That’s a little like arguing that menopause is
caused by not enough estrogen. As you can see from the chart below showing
how hormones are made in your body, there are lots of players out on the
dance floor at any given time.
There’s no simple test for estrogen dominance. But if you have severe symptoms
of PMS, pre-menopause or menopause that don’t respond to a program of increased
support for your body within a month or two, you may have persistently higher than
normal levels of estrogen. Let’s talk about why it’s important to pay
attention to these symptoms.
What are the health consequences of estrogen dominance?
Another of Dr. Lee’s contributions was to raise women’s awareness of
the profound connections between hormonal imbalance and health.
When estrogen levels are high in relation to our progesterone we experience many
severe symptoms, among them
anxiety, breast tenderness,
cyclical headaches
or migraines, irregular
bleeding, water retention, weight gain and more. (Note that a number of these symptoms
are also indicative of the exact opposite condition — a deficiency of estrogen
— another example of why the concept of estrogen dominance is too simplistic.)
If estrogen levels stay unopposed, women may develop infertility, endometriosis,
amenorrhea (skipped periods),
hypermenorrhea (heavy bleeding), fibroids, uterine cancer, heart disease and stroke, and decreased
cognitive ability, among other conditions.
And while we share many of the precepts set forth by Dr. Lee, we are less inclined
to think of estrogen, even high levels of estrogen, as universally harmful. We believe
every woman is unique, and what may cause harm in one may be fine for another. There
have been studies and speculation for example about the connection between high
levels of estrogen and breast cancer. We think many unanswered questions remain
about this link; to learn more, read Dr. Dixie Mills’ article on estrogen and breast cancer.
Estrogen has many wonderful qualities. It creates our fertility, protects our health
in myriad ways, and serves as a powerful anti-inflammatory. But we are very concerned
about environmental estrogens. They’re another story entirely.
Awash in a sea of xenoestrogens
For the most part, our bodies are amazingly resilient. We are hard-wired to resist
threats to our equilibrium. What our bodies are not designed for is exposure to
the many endocrine disruptors in our environment, among them the family of chemicals
known as xenoestrogens.
Many of these xenoestrogens are proven carcinogens. They are also well known for
their ability to damage the immune system and interrupt hormonal balance. Our cells
can’t always distinguish fully between our own estrogen and xenoestrogens.
Every cell has estrogen receptors that recognize and open to the shape of an estrogen
molecular chain, regardless of where it comes from.
Pesticides are perhaps the biggest source of xenoestrogens. Most bioaccumulate,
meaning they are stored in fat cells of fish, poultry and other food sources in
increasing concentration until they reach the top of the food chain — where
you and I consume them! They are highly estrogenic, and some experts estimate that
the average American ingests over a pound of pesticides a year.
A second major source of xenoestrogens is the many growth hormones given to livestock
and poultry, most of which contain fat-soluble estrogens. When we consume those
animals or their milk, we ingest that estrogen. Organochlorides like dioxin (a by-product
of chlorine when it is burned or processed), PCB’s, PVC’s, and some
plasticizers are just a few of the many manmade chemicals that act like estrogen
in our bodies. Many others have the effect of interrupting our normal endocrine
function, hence the term “endocrine disruptors.”
Mainstream medicine is finally paying attention because xenoestrogens not only affect
the cells of women, but those of men and children. Sperm counts have dropped by
50% in some studies, a significant factor in the epidemic of infertility. The age
at which girls develop secondary sex characteristics (breasts and pubic hair) is
also dropping. It is not exactly clear what role endocrine disruptors as a whole
have in the steady rise of chronic diseases in children (at earlier ages!), but
studies are underway to evaluate this.
It is easy to see why Dr. Lee’s advice to support our bodies with extra progesterone
makes some sense. Let’s examine the role progesterone plays in our bodies
and how it can help in hormonal balance.
The role of progesterone and estrogen levels in women
Progesterone is the building block for many other major hormones. Cortisol, testosterone
and estrogen are all made from progesterone in a process that begins with cholesterol.
Take a look at the chart below of the metabolic pathway.
![Hormone chart, including progesterone](http://www.womentowomen.com/menopause/images/metabolicpathways.jpg)
© 2007 Women to Women
These hormones are present in our bodies to varying degrees at all times, but only
progesterone is readily converted into its sister hormones if needed. Importantly,
if we are under a lot of stress and our adrenals are pumping out cortisol, our bodies
will take any available progesterone and divert it to meet that demand. If too much
progesterone gets diverted for cortisol, as happens when you suffer from
adrenal fatigue, there is not enough to make the testosterone needed for
a woman’s sexual response — let alone to oppose rising levels of estrogen.
No wonder we feel sick, lethargic, and uninterested in sex when we’re under
stress!
Insufficient progesterone is hard on our health in other ways because, in addition
to reproductive function, all women need normal levels of progesterone to spur new
bone growth (and ward off osteoporosis), convert fat into energy, metabolize glucose,
and perform many other vital cell functions.
But it’s equally obvious that just adding progesterone isn’t the answer.
If stress is creating your hormonal imbalance, adding progesterone will just treat
the symptom, not the cause. Because it’s a “moving target,” hormonal
balance is never a matter of taking a magic pill. Let’s talk about how to
find a solution that works for you.
A woman’s unique path to hormonal balance
In looking at the illustration of the metabolic pathways of progesterone, it’s
helpful to think of your endocrine system as a kind of orchestra, and hormonal balance
as its music. Each of us has a unique body and biography, so each of us has a unique
orchestra and a unique symphony. We all make different demands on our bodies; we
all need different kinds of support. Adding any one element to the exclusion of
others may make you feel worse, not better. For instance, many women convert progesterone
immediately into estrogen; for them, a progesterone supplement will only worsen
their imbalance.
There are many women whose bodies, either naturally or due to external factors,
produce an abundance of estrogen. I call these patients highly estrogenic, and they
are more susceptible to experiencing severe symptoms. They also feel the most dramatic
improvement when they add progesterone to their routine.
While genetics have some influence, lifestyle is the single biggest factor in the
production and storage of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and our other hormones.
Our modern diet, filled with refined flour and sugar, simple carbohydrates and artificial
ingredients, combined with our lack of exercise, promotes metabolic irregularities
that lead to insulin resistance, obesity,
digestive
problems, and cardiovascular disease,
which in turn affect the healthy flow of hormone production shown in the chart above.
Stress plays a major role in estrogen overproduction by triggering an elevated level
of cortisol, which interrupts the feedback loop between the brain, pituitary, and
the ovaries that regulates hormones. I’m sure most of you have had the experience
of skipping a period or two when you are under stress. At the practice we have learned
that most women don’t understand that unhappiness is a form of stress. To
make the point, I sometimes actually write a patient a prescription that says “Play!”
Limiting our exposure to xenoestrogens is also very important. Thoroughly wash or
peel all produce to remove at least some of the pesticides. Eating only lean, organic
meat and dairy products is wise. Heat food in metal or porcelain containers, not
plastic, and definitely not in the microwave with plastic wrap! Drinking out of
glass containers instead of plastic, previously used water bottles, or Styrofoam
cups is also a good choice.
A diet rich in phytonutrients is also thought to be protective. Phytoestrogens,
for example, are natural, plant-based substances found in soybeans, licorice, yams,
alfalfa and lots of other foods that are thought to bind to estrogen cell receptors
and protect them from accepting the more damaging xenoestrogens. In addition to
eating a plant-rich diet, I recommend taking a high-quality daily
nutritional supplement as a very important step towards restoring hormonal
balance naturally. Because they work as molecular messengers, abundant botanical
and other micronutrients such as essential fatty acids can help increase your body’s
ability to listen and dance to the hormonal music.
Phytotherapy —gentle approach to a complex issue
If you truly are progesterone deficient, then additional progesterone may be a good
solution for you, particularly when used as part of a comprehensive plan that includes
healthy lifestyle and dietary support. We’ve seen women respond extremely
well to over-the-counter progesterone cream formulations for just weeks or months;
others need higher prescription-strength doses over longer time periods. (A comprehensive
blood panel will help show whether or not you have a serious hormone deficiency
that warrants prescription-strength hormone replacement.)
If you are like most of the women I see, your hormonal picture is much more complex
than a simple estrogen or progesterone deficiency. If you are experiencing moderate
to severe, persistent symptoms of hormonal imbalance, or weaning yourself off HRT,
you can probably benefit from an approach that incorporates phytotherapy aimed at normalizing the healthy dynamic interplay
between all three of your key sex hormones: progesterone, estrogen and testosterone.
Herbal therapies like black
cohosh, Ashwagandha,
chasteberry and others are a gentle, natural way to restore your hormone functions
as your body requires. Ancient cultures used these botanical remedies to support,
enhance or substitute hormones in an adaptogenic manner, as the body required.
So, if you’ve tried some over-the-counter progesterone products and been disappointed,
you may benefit from a more comprehensive approach that combines nutritional and
lifestyle modifications with a gentle, but well-balanced botanical formulation such
as our Herbal Equilibrium.
What you can do
We’ve found our Personal Program to be
the most efficient, most recognizable, most natural way to give your body what it
needs.
Like Dr. Lee, we think progesterone supplementation can be an important step towards
rejuvenating hormonal balance, but we don’t recommend taking a one-hormone
approach. And if your symptoms are ongoing, we encourage you to have your hormone
levels monitored on a regular basis. Our belief is that the gentlest interventions
in the hormonal choreography are the ones that restore balance best.
Remember, progesterone can’t restore hormonal balance
alone!
I hope it’s helpful for you to read up on how our bodies really seek hormonal
balance, and what each of us can do to find a solution that works for us. Viewing
our symptoms as simply a sign of estrogen dominance is as misleading as attributing
them to estrogen deficiency alone. And a combination approach works better than
any kind of magic pill. Improving our nutrition, adding a robust nutritional supplement,
reducing stress, minimizing xenoestrogens, and tapping the adaptogenic power of
herbal medicine are
all key measures. Together they will help support the demands on our bodies and
restore the vitality and good health that come from natural hormonal balance.
* Adapted from information at McGill University and the University of Wisconsin.
Our Personal Program is a great place to start
The Personal Program promotes natural hormonal balance with nutritional supplements, our exclusive endocrine support formula, dietary and lifestyle guidance, and optional phone consultations with our Nurse–Educators. It is a convenient, at-home version of what we recommend to all our patients at the clinic.
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Original Publication Date: 01/11/2005
Last Modified:
08/17/2009
Principal Author: Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP