Every generation has a new set of problems. One that’s affected women comes from the evidence that we are menstruating earlier, we get pregnant later and we’re coming into our menopause years earlier. What? Yes it’s true. In fact, on average, women are going into menopause from two to 4 years earlier than they were in the 1970s. That poses it’s own set of problems, so for now lets focus on the problems associated with estrogen dominance as a whole.
Could one of the reasons women are becoming estrogen dominant earlier and at an warp speed rate lie on their menstrual cycle? Dr. Michael Lam, tells us that women, on average menstruate from 350-400 times in their lifetime compared to 100 to 200 times of women 100 years ago. Could this also be a very good argument why women are getting more migraines, fibroids, mood shifts and having more problems with fertility? It certainly can’t be shrugged off.
Hormones should be taken very seriously. They are extremely delecate. Estrogen and progesterone are the main hormones secreted by the ovaries. One offsets the other, that’s how they are supposed to work. That’s how they work in a perfect setting. They must be in balance. Once they get out of wack, and they do, medical issues occur.
Know Thy Balance
Estrogen, a growth hormone, must be balanced by progesterone. Usually Mother Nature provides a pretty good balance however from the ages of mid 30’s to 50, progesterone declines 75%. Whoa! Estrogen declines too but only by 35%. And by
menopause, the numbers for progesterone decline even more and even though estrogen is still present.
Dr. Christiane Northrop tells us this about balance.
“When a woman’s menstrual cycle is normal, estrogen is the dominant hormone for the first two weeks leading up to ovulation. Estrogen is balanced by progesterone during the last two weeks.”
However, as we stop ovulating, estrogen can go unopposed. This is because progesterone plummets. But it’s not just the normal aging process which causes this disproportion.
Excess estrogen only happens because of two things: Over-production or we get it from our diet or environment.
In industrialized countries like the U.S., we are bombarded with estrogen-like compounds. Whether it’s food that has been treated with pesticides or growth hormones, to hormone replacement therapy, to personal care and cleaning products.
These toxins are not only known to cause us to gain weight (yeah it just got worse), but it fuels our body to produce more estrogen from our fat cells. Which can lead to insullin resistance which increases (drumroll) estrogen dominance.
Dr. John Lee pointed to progesterone deficiency as much more likely the cause of PMS since so many PMS symptoms result from estrogen dominance such as retaining water, loss of libido, headaches, mood swings and swollen breasts. Estrogen dominance and PMS affect us all differently. As does things like the common cold. Which is why it’s so important to listen to what our body tells us. If our estrogen is out of balance, it needs to be balanced before we can start feeling better.
Pure Health Trends 
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