Are You In Oestrogen Overload?

Many women (and some men) today are suffering from a little known and poorly understood condition called oestrogen dominance, that can, if not discovered and corrected, have disastrous health consequences.

We are mainly familiar with oestrogen as primarily a female hormone, produced by the ovaries, and being responsible for female sexual development and characteristics. In women, it is produced in higher quantities from puberty to menopause, although both women and men produce oestrogen right throughout their lives.

In a healthy young woman, oestrogen increases during the first half of her menstrual cycle, preparing the lining of the uterus to receive a fertilised egg. Once an egg has been released, another hormone, progesterone is produced in high levels, balancing the stimulating effects of the oestrogen.

Throughout our fertile years, these hormones are designed to work together in a beautiful harmony of rhythm and balance. It is when this harmony is disrupted, that health problems can occur.

Oestrogen Dominance?

This is a term that is used to described elevated oestrogen that is out of balance with other hormones. It can be an indication that we are producing too much oestrogen; or it can mean that in relative terms we are oestrogen dominant only because our progesterone is too low.

Another reason we could be oestrogen dominant could be due to an inability to excrete excess circulating oestrogens due to a low fibre, high fat diet; or our ability to bind and excrete toxins via our liver may be impaired. Lastly, we may be exposed to a type of toxin known as xeno-oestrogens.

Xeno-oestrogens are synthetic oestrogens found in our environment which can mimic our natural hormones and can contribute to our oestrogenic symptoms – you can find them in pesticides, petroleum products, plastics, beef, chicken and dairy, tap water, and also the oral contraceptive pill and synthetic hormone replacements.

We can do what we can to minimise our exposure to these harmful products by eating organic foods wherever possible, and reducing our use of plastic products, especially soft plastic such as food wrap, and plastic drinking bottles that many of us now carry with us for water. There are healthier alternatives now on the market.

It has been estimated that synthetic hormones such as those in HRT can increase cancer risk by up to 100%, and those in the oral contraceptive pill by 25-30%. The serious risks associated with these extremely dangerous medications are downplayed by the medical industry – how many young girls are warned about their increased risk of cancer when given the Pill?

Oestrogen dominance can cause these symptoms:

• Painful swollen breasts
• Weight gain
• Heavy periods
• Depression
• Muscle aches and pains
• Fluid retention
• Low libido
• Sugar cravings
• Bloating
• Mood swings

Oestrogen dominance is also a factor in these diseases:

• Fibrocystic breast disease
• Breast cancer
• Uterine fibroids
• Ovarian cysts
• Endometriosis
• Endometrial cancer
• Hypothyroidism
• PMS

And men can have excess oestrogen as well:

• Beer belly
• Enlarged prostate
• Prostate cancer
• Testicular cancer
• Low sperm count

The most accurate way that I’ve found to discover hormonal imbalances and to evaluate which areas of the body need to be treated, is via Saliva Hormone Testing. This simple, accurate and non-invasive method measures the active hormones in your system and gives us vital information on your health status.

With Saliva Hormone Testing, we don’t just measure one type of oestrogen, but three different types, evaluating both ‘good’ oestrogens and ‘bad’ oestrogens. If ‘bad’ oestrogen is too high, it can have serious implications for your health, being linked with many health issues and even the development of some types of cancer.

If your hormones are driving you crazy, then don’t delay! You can order your comprehensive Saliva Hormone Test today, and included in the testing package is a 25 page report analysing your full hormone profile, a protocol for correcting any imbalances we find, and a half-hour consultation with our experienced naturopath to go over the report with you and answer any questions you have.

Happy hormones help to create a happy, healthy body! Make sure yours are supporting, not undermining your health, by finding out your oestrogen status today!

Leisa