Estrogen is such an important hormone for maintaining reproductive and heart health in women. It is the basis of most functions in your body, from regulation of the menstrual cycle to healthy bone strength. However, too much of anything is good for nothing. Estrogen is no exception to the rule.
When estrogen levels increase, without proper balancing, with the rest of the reproductive hormones like progesterone, it could cause many health complications in an individual like obesity, liver diseases, and even cancer. Therefore, the estrogen must be kept in balance.
To keep it in balance, you should understand, recognize, and realize the symptoms of high estrogen including irregular cycles, being tired all the time and many more. And most of all, you need to know some practical ways on how to manage and reduce your estrogen levels and return to a balanced state.
In this blog, you can learn all about why women have higher levels of estrogen, how it can affect your health, and so much more besides. We go into specific health conditions that can cause high levels of estrogen, including hypothyroidism and cancers. We can also learn how to manage and reduce your high estrogen levels.
Common Causes of High Estrogen In Females
Estrogen is an essential hormone in a woman’s body which is specifically needed for the smooth functioning of the reproductive system. Estrogen and progesterone are termed as the sex hormones in the female sex. Both of them should remain balanced in your body. Here are some common causes of high estrogen in females:
Hormonal Imbalances
Hormonal imbalances are the main cause of high estrogen levels most of the time. Hormones should work together in perfect harmony. When one goes out of sync, it may cause the collapse of your whole system.
Progesterone and estrogen work hand in hand for almost every woman. Females who are of adult age will experience low progesterone. The estrogen levels will increase when the progesterone levels are low.
This might lead to severe bleeding during periods and unexplainable mood swings. This imbalance happens mostly due to conditions such as perimenopause or menopause, where hormonal changes take place.
Obesity and Fat Tissue Production
Body fat contributes quite a lot to estrogen levels. While most of the estrogen is produced by the ovaries in females, during obesity, fat cells, especially the ones in the abdominal region known as the adipose tissue, begin to secrete the hormone. Thus, if a woman is obese, she must have more estrogen production, which leads to estrogen imbalance.
That is why it is said that obesity leads to a high level of estrogen. For example, research studies reveal that obese women are more susceptible to diseases like breast cancer and menstrual disorders caused by elevated estrogen levels.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is a highly common hormonal disorder that often manifests with higher levels of androgen in women. This disease occurs due to abnormal increase in androgens, which is mainly produced by the ovaries, disrupting the regular balance between estrogen and progesterone.
As a result, you may experience irregular periods and problems in ovulation. The existence of higher levels of estrogen in women causes various symptoms like acne, weight gain, and hair thinning. Management of PCOS usually means controlling estrogen with medication and lifestyle interventions.
Medicines and Hormone Therapy
Some drugs used for hormone therapy are hormone-specific, which affects estrogen levels. Hormonal replacement therapy, or HRT, is commonly prescribed to minimize the symptoms of menopause. This therapy can greatly increase estrogen levels, leading to the condition known as estrogen dominance in many women.
Over-the-counter birth control pills contain synthetic estrogen and progestin and affect your natural hormonal balance. Though these pills are convenient for birth prevention and regulation of menstrual cycles, they will also add more estrogen to your body, which is something that is undesirable if you’re quite sensitive to hormones. It is useful to note that there are progestin only pills as well.
Stress and Cortisol Influence
Stress does not only affect your mental health. It may also mess with your hormones. When you are under stress, your body releases cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone. This stress hormone reacts with other hormones in your body.
It will also interfere with the production of progesterone within your body, thereby causing an imbalance between progesterone and estrogen. This is how cortisol increases the estrogen level in your body.
Again, more levels of this hormone stress can cause your liver to malfunction. Then, your liver cannot flush the added extra estrogen away from the body. This ensures the estrogen levels go upwards, causing symptoms such as weight gain, irregular periods, and swings in mood over time.
Birth Control Pills and Estrogen Levels
Indeed, most women in modern society take birth control pills to prevent unintended pregnancy and to regulate the female’s menstrual cycle. However, birth control pills also influence the levels of estrogen.
Most pills contain synthetic estrogen and progestin, which is used to inhibit the release of an egg from the ovary. These can also help to regulate periods and minimize the frequency of menstrual cramps.
If the women have to endure birth control pills for a long duration with high-dose, it will increase the levels of estrogen to a greater extent. Hence, there are some side effects, such as bloating, headache, and mood swings.
Health Conditions That Lead To High Estrogen
Not only the internal and external factors cause high estrogen in your body. There are various health conditions that can cause high estrogen. Here are some health conditions that lead to high estrogen.
Thyroid Disorders
That butterfly-shaped gland in the neck is called the thyroid. It produces a host of hormones to regulate the body’s metabolic rate, how much energy you are using at any given time, and many other vital functions going on in your body.
A thyroidal imbalance such as hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid that substantially affects your estrogen levels. When thyroid function becomes low, the body’s ability to metabolize estrogen is also reduced, and this results in higher circulating levels of hormones due to inadequate metabolism.
This can cause an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, resulting in what is known as estrogen dominance, where the level of estrogen is much higher relative to progesterone. Excess estrogen from thyroid disease can have some symptoms in women.
It includes menstrual heaviness, mood swings, fatigue, and weight gain. In addition, other estrogen-related diseases and conditions, like fibroids or endometriosis, are commonly found in women with thyroid problems.
