Estrogen has more than 400 functions and affects every cell of the body, including skin, hair, bone, heart, and brain cells. It is classified as a steroid hormone where it also known for causing the body to develop female characteristics during puberty. It also helps to balance progesterone level in our body.
A woman's body can makes up three types of estrogen:
Estrone (E1)
Estradiol (E2)
Estrone (E3)
These estrogens are produced directly by the ovaries and indirectly by other tissues such as body fat. While man's body also synthesizes a certain amounts of estradiol, estrogen is understandably found in much larger amounts in women.
Recognizing the symptoms of estrogen imbalance will certainly come in handy to woman as she progresses through the different stages of her life and understanding the three kinds of natural estrogen that can provide better support and help.
Estrone (E1)
Estrone has benefits like reducing risk of osteoporosis, its association with breast cancer is strong. It is found in fatty tissue and is still made even after menopause, typically from androgens like testosterone. Women who are overweight and have a high percentage of body fat tend to experience fewer symptoms of menopause because their estrone levels are high enough. Some overweight women, however, find their body fat provides insulation that leads to a higher body temperature and thus more hot flashes.
Estradiol (E2)
The strongest estrogen, estradiol, gives you feminine features and promotes youthful skin, thick hair, and beautiful curves. It also builds bone, encourages insulin sensitivity, decreases LDL cholesterol (also known as bad cholesterol), and has many more benefits. It is also the major estrogen in your body during your childbearing years. This is the time from just your first period until your last period or menopause. Estradiol is produced mainly in your ovaries, and the amount that they produce varies over the course of your monthly menstrual cycle. A small amount of estradiol is converted from another type of estrogen called estrone. drawback is an association with breast cancer if present in elevated levels.
Estriol (E3)
Estriol functions similarly to estradiol, but it is weaker and may be protective against breast cancer. It is commonly paired with estradiol hormone replacement to protect against breast cancer growth. For those with an excess of estrogen, supplementing with estriol is like taking an anti-estrogen medication. Estriol occupies the estrogen receptor, taking the place of more potent estrogens. Some European clinics have used estriol as part of a breast cancer treatment protocol instead of tamoxifen, a chemotherapy agent. Another popular application of estriol is to apply it to the vaginal wall, where estriol receptors are abundant, which can greatly alleviate vaginal dryness. One drawback is that estriol supplementation may add a couple of pounds to your hips and thighs if you take too much.
What Are The Roles of Estrogen in Your Body?
Estrogen role is being a part of major sex hormone in your body. It does some pretty important things that aren't related to fertility. As a hormone, estrogen (mostly estradiol) acts on the part s of your body that have estrogen-specific hormone receptors. Estrogen is involved with numerous important functions throughout your body, such as:
Sexual Development
Estrogen is responsible for the growth and continued development of your reproductive anatomy including your vagina and uterus. It also responsible for the development of your breasts and the growth of your pubic and armpit hair during puberty. Together, these changes signal the upcoming arrival of your first menstrual period, which marks the beginning of your childbearing years.
Your Menstrual Cycle
The underlying purpose of your menstrual cycle is to prepare your body for pregnancy. When you don't get pregnant during a monthly cycle, your uterus sheds its lining and you get your period. Estrogen is the hormone responsible for building up the lining of your uterus every month in preparation for pregnancy.
Bone Development and Health
Estrogen plays an important role in the healthy development of your bones. It also regulates bone turnover in your adult bones and protects against bone loss. In menopause, when estrogen levels fall, women can experience a significant increase in bone loss because the protective effect of estrogen is gone. This dramatic increase in bone loss can lead to osteoporosis, which puts you at a greater risk for a hip fracture.
Heart Health
Estrogen helps protect against heart disease. The hormone does a lot of good things in your body to help keep your blood vessels healthy, including decreasing inflammation and controlling your cholesterol levels. Taken all together, the positive effect of estrogen on the prevention of heart disease is significant in premenopausal women. In menopause, when the protective effect of estrogen is gone, there is a steady increase in heart disease in women. In fact, complications of heart disease are the leading cause of death in women in the United States.
Mood Management
Estrogen has a pretty significant effect on your brain. It is thought that estrogen affects how your brain structures are connected, how your brain cells communicate, and even the shape of your brain. Additionally, estrogen plays a big role in your mood because it has a very strong effect on a brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a mood-balancing chemical and estrogen promotes its production. That means when your estrogen level is low, your serotonin level will decrease as well. The effect of this is very significant in some women. It is thought that this low estrogen-related drop in serotonin production contributes to postpartum and menopausal depression.
SYMPTOMS OF LOW ESTROGEN
Estrogen levels can be too low, particularly as a women approaches menopause, leading to a variety of symptoms and health problems. If you experience signs and symptoms of low estrogen and have laboratory test results confirming abnormal levels, you may be a candidate for bioidentical estrogen replacement therapy. The above illustration are the typical symptoms a woman experiences when her estrogen level is low. If you have more than half of these conditions, you probably have an estrogen imbalances.
If you suspect that you might have a problem with your estrogen level, hormone testing is a great way to confirm if your levels are not optimal. However, you can consume foods that contain phytoestrogens, which are plant-based substances that resemble estrogen. Some studies suggest that these may affect levels of estrogen in the body. However, there is not enough evidence to confirm this. Some people believe that foods containing phytoestrogens can help manage hot flashes and other effects of menopause, but this does not have scientific backing.
SYMPTOMS OF HIGH ESTROGEN
Throughout life, estrogen levels can also become too high relative to other hormones. This hormonal imbalance is called estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is found particularly in women during adolescence and the onset of menopause, which is called perimenopause.
The following are the typical symptoms of a woman experiences when her estrogen levels are high. The more of these conditions you have, the more likely it is that your estroegn is out of balance.
It is important to note that American women tend to experience this imbalance more often than women of other countries. This is likely because American women generally eat a diet low in fiber and high in fat (yet low in omega-3 fatty acids), and don't exercise regularly. It may also be due to an elevated exposure to estrogen-mimicking substances called Xenoestrogens, which can wreak havoc on your health.
What is Xenoestrogen?
Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, they can still bind to a cell’s estrogen receptors, but confuse cells by giving them different messages. Over time, they can lead to cancer by telling cells to multiply too often. They may also promote allergies and infections, and affect reproduction, metabolism, and stress tolerance. Whether the breakdown of estrogen produces useful or harmful metabolites depends on a person’s genes, exposure level to toxins, and liver health.
Not all Xenoestrogens, however, come from the body’s metabolism of estrogen. Others are created by lifestyle and daily exposure to certain outside substances.
Sources of Xenoestrogens
It is important to recognize all sources of xenoestrogens and avoid them whenever possible. If you are regularly exposed to the following substances, your body may already be dealing with the effects of xenoestrogens:
Other factors such as lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, and stress also promote xenoestrogenic activity in the body, leading to an overload of these toxic substances. When the liver becomes overwhelmed with xenoestrogens, its ability to dispose of these hormone-mimickers is negatively affected, which can result in a toxic buildup.
So how do we detox Xenoestrogen?
If an accumulation of xenoestrogens is suspected, it may be helpful to measure levels with a twenty-four-hour urine collection test. If the results are positive, you may be able to lower the amount of these toxins in your system by taking an extract called diindolylmethane (DIM). DIM is the active metabolite of indole-3-carbinol, which facilitates elimination of xenoestrogens and is found in foods such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and kale. Prescription DIM is recommended instead of over-the-counter supplements that contain DIM, which have a much lower dose of the substance and usually do not have verified purity. A month of DIM at 150 to 300 mg daily should produce benefits, but on going supplementation may be better. A follow-up saliva test will help determine how to proceed. At the therapeutic dosage, DIM can cause headaches and sometimes a rash of the first few weeks of use, but these go away as the estrogenic toxins are cleared out.
It is recommend the use of DIM to men as well as women. As they age, men can develop high estrogen levels, often due to xenoestrogens. Taking DIM can lower the amount of these toxins in a man’s body and possibly even relieve associated prostate issues.
Milk thistle is a liver detoxification herb that goes hand in hand with DIM supplementation. If you have used this therapy to rid your body of xenoestrogens, it is especially important that you undergo a three-week course of milk thistle to clean out your liver. Usually is 220mg of milk thistle three times daily for three to four weeks. You can find this product over the counter at most pharmacies and if you wish to purchase from us, you can do so as well.
Besides DIM and milk thistle, there are other supplements that can help protect you from xenoestrogen buildup, including soy isoflavones, flaxseed, omega-3 fatty acids, methionine, magnesium, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), vitamin B12 (methyl cobalamin), folic acid or folinic acid (the more active form of folic acid), glycine, glutamate, rosemary, turmeric, and antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, glutathione, and melatonin. Your doctor can help decide which supplements would be best for your situation.
While supplements can help your liver detoxify, you still need to take control of your diet and lifestyle to minimize xenoestrogen exposure. Try to avoid anything that contribute to the problem. Eat whole foods (preferably organic) that are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids (for example, flaxseed and fish oil) and free from chemicals, minimize intake of omega-6 fatty acids (found in most fried foods), exercise regularly, don’t microwave food in plastic containers, limit caffeine and alcohol consumption, stop smoking, and drink clean, filtered water. You may well experience other benefits by adopting these changes, like a shrinking waistline or a more restful night’s sleep.