Why You Should Care About Your Estrogen.
Estrogen isn’t just “the female sex hormone”. It does so much more than just regulating your cycle and fertility, or supporting body development during puberty. Estrogen is primarily produced in the ovaries before women reach menopause, however, it is also produced by fat (adipose) tissue and the adrenal glands in smaller amounts. It is the dominant hormone during the first half of your cycle (follicular phase), that helps to trigger ovulation (where an egg is released from the follicle, so that fertilization can occur).
In my practice, an ongoing trend that I have noticed is that more and more women are not metabolizing and detoxifying their estrogens properly. This can cause multiple downstream effects, especially in cases of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, like cramping that results in painful periods, or hormonal imbalances that are present in cases of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). How you’re processing your estrogens will also impact your skin health and the way you carry your weight.
PMS
You’ve probably experienced it. That sudden anger, craving for chocolate, mood swings, bloating and headache that tell you that you should be expecting your period soon. The symptoms of PMS are often attributed to “excess” estrogens in the body. However, I would like to clarify that it’s not so much that these women who suffer from PMS make more estrogen than what’s considered normal. It’s more so that they’re not metabolizing and excreting them properly, resulting in the estrogen being recycled and “re-used” when it shouldn’t be.Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS): Often a condition that presents with signs of androgen-excess (= hormones such as testosterone that promote typical “male” traits such as hair growth on the chin and chest as well as acne), women with PCOS also usually experience symptoms related to estrogen-excess (breast tenderness, migraines etc.). This is due to an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. So if you already have high levels of testosterone, your body will be converting it into more estrogen.
Body composition: As women go through the perimenopausal transition and hormone production loses its cyclical pattern, they also lose some of the protective effects of estrogen. Estrogen levels have a significant effect on body composition. The rise in estrogen during puberty directs adipose tissue (= fat tissue) to be distributed among the buttocks, breasts and thighs. Conversely, as estrogen levels start to decline when women reach their 40s, this fat tissue is now more likely to accumulate around the abdomen and waist, what’s worse is that this weight distribution is much more resistant to come off, despite healthy eating habits and exercise routines.
Skin health: Estrogen is essential for collagen production, which helps to maintain skin elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Hormone imbalances, particularly when combined with the aging process, can wreak havoc on the skin, and many women may start to find that their skin starts to lose its luster as they age. The skin may also become more dry and flaky, and overall, more dull. Of course, with skin health, hormones only account for a piece of the puzzle, so it’s also important to consider other contributors to skin health: stress, nutrition, lifestyle, digestion and liver health.
This is you. Now what?
Multiple systems in the body are involved in maintaining estrogen balance. In the liver, there are multiple pathways that estrogen can go down, resulting in the formation of different metabolites. The metabolic pathway that it takes is determined partially by your genetics, as well as your nutrient status (nutrient deficiencies can cause your hormones to be steered down more harmful pathways). Your gut also plays an important role in helping your body eliminate excess estrogens. So when we discuss treatment options to improve your PMS symptoms, PCOS , we’ll always take a comprehensive approach that takes your detox pathways, digestive health and targeting nutrient supplementation into consideration. Naturopathic doctors can also prescribe bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) to support women through menopause. At whatever stage in life you may be, imbalances in estrogen can contribute to many unwanted symptoms. But the beauty of knowing the signs and symptoms to look for, cultivates an awareness of the body so that you know when to seek support from your health care practitioner.
