12 Possible Causes of High Estrogen

What is Estrogen?

Estrogen is a growth hormone responsible for the development and maintenance of the female reproductive system. It is actually a family of hormones that includes: estradiol (E2 - our main estrogen), estriol (E3 - the predominant estrogen during pregnancy), and estrone (E1 - the predominant estrogen in menopause)

Estrogen is released in high amounts during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle which is the first two weeks leading up to ovulation. Estrogen is released from the ovaries, fat tissue, and adrenal glands.

The main functions of estrogen include:

building up the uterine wall for the menstrual cycle
stimulating the growth of the egg follicle
developing breast tissue
stabilizing bone density
controlling the metabolism of glucose and lipids.

High levels of estrogen can cause:

irregular periods
period pain
period cramps
tender breasts
PMS
bloating
constipation
anxiety
mood swings
headaches

Over time, high estrogen levels or poor estrogen detoxification can lead to cell damage or hormonal cancers in some cases.

If you have high estrogen levels then this is a picture of estrogen dominance, or elevated estrogen in relation to progesterone.

There are several patterns of estrogen dominance:

high estrogen and normal progesterone
high estrogen and low progesterone
normal estrogen and low progesterone
normal estrogen and normal progesterone, but low progesterone to estrogen (Pg/E2) ratio

If you’ve gone to your doctor looking for a solution for your high estrogen levels, you may have been offered birth control.

While there may be a time and place for birth control, you’re wondering: “is there a way to lower estrogen levels naturally that I could try first?”

Or maybe you’ve tried birth control and it didn’t work for you.

The good news (actually, great, amazing, fantastic new) is YES - there are ways to help lower high estrogen levels in the body.

So how can you lower estrogen naturally if you have high levels?

The important question we need to be asking is: why is my estrogen high in the first place?

This is taking a root cause approach when it comes to understanding our health and hormones. When we answer this question, we are understanding what is driving the imbalance (which is showing up as symptoms in the body).

By addressing the root cause, not simply just the symptom (or the hormone imbalance for that matter), we can find long-term, sustained healing.

As always, I’m giving away my best hormone tips here, answering your burning questions, and letting you in on the what the science says.

I’m here to help you have better periods, symptomless cycles, and optimize fertility (whether that’s now or in the future) all through simple nutrition and lifestyle shifts that feel simple, doable, and empowering (not overwhelming).

This is the kind of insider info I share with all of my Hormone Magic 1:1 coaching clients and students in my signature program, Heal Your Period.

I’m so passionate about sharing this info with anyone on a hormone healing journey, so I’m letting you in with all the info here!

So, let’s dive in into it!

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What are the main causes of high estrogen?

Here are 12 possible causes of high estrogen levels:

1. Stress and High Estrogen

Stress is a factor for what causes high estrogen. When stress happens, cortisol is released, a stress hormone and the body can respond by shuttling the building blocks for sex hormones as a protective mechanism. This mechanism is protective, but over time it can cause the sex hormones like estrogen to be off-balance and is what causes high estrogen.

Source: 18257649

2. Conventional Meat and High Estrogen

Conventional meat is also a factor for what may cause high estrogen. The livestock animals on factory farms are produced to grow as big as possible and as fast as possible in order to make the most amount of meat per animal. These animals are fed large quantities of feed and additionally are supplemented with antibiotics and growth hormones like estrogen to make them grow faster. A study found that though the estrogen level in these meat products does not match the amount of estrogen in oral contraceptives, the estrogen in the meat transfers to estrogen levels in human fat tissue and circulation. Compared to the beef in the study, the chicken had much higher levels of estrogen. The frequent consumption of this type of meat can accumulate estrogen over time and may cause complications in the future. Because of this, it is recommended to shop for grass-fed and organic meat when you can. By limiting the conventional meat consumption, you will decrease a factor for what causes high estrogen.

Source: PMC3695615

3. Low Fiber and High Estrogen

Fiber is a very important form of carbohydrate that aids digestion. This study found an inverse relationship with fiber and many reproductive hormone levels, so it shows that when fiber is low it is could cause high estrogen. A reason for this is because higher amounts of fiber can bind to estrogen to get excreted in the stool. Another study showed that increasing dietary fiber in the diet increased the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle as well.

Source: 19692496, 18761407, 8039147

4. Nutrient Deficiencies and High Estrogen

Certain nutrients are powerful in supporting estrogen metabolism and detoxification. This is why a nutrient deficiency can be what causes high estrogen. It is always recommended to eat a wide variety of foods to make sure you are not unintentionally deficient in a certain nutrient.

The nutrients mentioned here are helpful in aiding in the detoxification of estrogen. Detoxification of estrogen is a normal process that our liver, kidneys, and digestive system should be doing on their own, but when certain nutrients are deficient, these processes can slow down and can be what causes high estrogen. There are 3 main steps to the detoxification. First, the estrogen is converted into another compound, next, that compound is packaged up with the help of a nutrient like amino acid, and finally, that new compound is excreted from the body.

Here are some of the nutrients that play an important role for healthy estrogen levels:

B Vitamins: Specifically, folate (B7), B6, and B12 are important cofactors to produce enzymes that degrade estrogen.
Magnesium: It promotes the detoxification of estrogen by encouraging two main pathways methylation and glucuronidation.
Vitamin E: Studies have found that women with PMS have reduced symptoms when supplementing with vitamin E from finding lower estrogen levels as a result.
Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C): This is the main compound in many cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts. This compound helps aid in healthy estrogen metabolism to reduce and detoxify estrogen.

Source: PDF

5. High Toxic Burden and High Estrogen

A high toxic burden is when the amount of toxins that enter your body surpasses the amount of toxins that your body can excrete from it. A study found that the estrogenic chemicals that surpassed toxic burden levels showed an impact on fat cell metabolism. Fat is highly reliant on estrogen, and when fat increases this is what could cause high estrogen. These toxins will be mentioned later on in the xenoestrogens, so you will know what to avoid to reduce your toxic burden.

Source: 28849599, 30875185

6. Gut Dysbiosis and High Estrogen

The gut is made up of a variety of different bacteria that aid digestion and are fueled by fiber. This bacteria is good, and we want a broad diversity of it in order to digest foods. Gut dysbiosis is when there is an imbalance in the amount of these bacteria microorganisms in the intestines. This imbalance of bacteria is what could cause high estrogen because the gut regulates estrogen through an enzyme that converts it into its active form for elimination. When the gut bacteria is not in balance this process can be defective which slows the digestion process and can lead to constipation. If estrogen is not being removed from the body from the stool, it can recirculate and result in high estrogen levels.

Source: 28778332

7. Elevated Beta-Glucuronidase and High Estrogen

Beta-glucuronidase is an enzyme that helps break down complex carbohydrates but it can also affect estrogen metabolism when elevated. It can elevate due to gut dysbiosis and will affect the second step in the estrogen detoxification process and cause estrogen to unpackage. This will cause the estrogen to recirculate into the body and is what could cause high estrogen.

Source: 28778332

8. Constipation and High Estrogen

Constipation is characterized by having infrequent bowel movements that can be painful. It is generally defined that having less than 1 movement a day over time is constipation. When this happens it means we are not clearing our system adequately, which is caused by a number of factors. As mentioned earlier, estrogen can be excreted in the stool, but if it doesn’t then it will remain in the bloodstream as free estrogen which is why constipation is what causes high estrogen. Constipation could be from having gut dysbiosis, or having less fiber in the diet.

Source: 24227943

9. Methylation Gene Variants and High Estrogen

Methylation is a common chemical process that happens in the body where a methyl group which is a carbon with three hydrogens, is added to another compound. Though it sounds like a simple process, methylation is vital for our DNA functioning allowing us to engage or disengage from certain genes. When the process is impaired, it can create a host of issues.

The gene MTHFR is responsible for making enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, which is a regulatory enzyme for the metabolism of folate. As mentioned earlier, folate is an important nutrient that will aid in the detoxification of estrogen. Thus, when MTHFR is not working properly in methylation, this can be what causes high estrogen.

The gene COMT is responsible for making the enzyme catechol-o-methyltransferase which aids in the levels of hormones such as estrogen and is also important in dopamine metabolism. A study showed a positive correlation that those with the COMT genotype had higher levels of estrogen in women, so COMT can be a factor for what causes high estrogen.

Source: 28520345, 22100850, article

10. Products that Contain Xenoestrogens and High Estrogen

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that contain a structural component similar to estrogen. Using many of these products over time can accumulate in the body and can be a factor for what causes high estrogen.

Examples of xenoestrogens:

Sunscreens: 4-methylbenzylidene (4-MBC) and Benzophenone
Shampoos, face washes and lotions: Parabens
Plastic packaging: BPA, phthalates, DEHP, PCBs
Food: Artificial dyes, and BHA a preservative
Building Supplies: PCBs in paints and electrical oils
Insecticides: Atrazine weed killer, dieldrin, endosulfan

Daily habits to eliminate exposure:

Use glass containers when possible
Avoid the use of plastic containers and disposable water bottles
Do not heat up plastic containers with food in the microwave
Choose the most natural cleaning products you can and avoid bleached feminine products
For food, try to choose organic, and read the ingredient labels on more processed and boxed food.

Source: 26744831

11. Alcohol and High Estrogen

Alcohol can change the way our body eliminates estrogen, which can be what causes high estrogen when we over-consume alcohol. Studies have shown that this relationship is due to the fact that alcohol can decrease or slow the oxidation process of estrogen which turns it into its preferred form to be eliminated. This is the second process in the detoxification steps.

Source: article

12. Insulin Resistance and High Estrogen

Insulin resistance occurs when your cells reject insulin that is carrying glucose and wants to enter the cell for energy. Estrogen is a very important hormone for body fat percentage and maintenance, and those with insulin resistance, may have elevated body fat levels. Progesterone plays a large role in insulin sensitivity and resistance, so when progesterone is low, you are more likely to become insulin resistance and then estrogen levels will become dominant.

Source: 21984197

final thoughts

There are several root causes of high estrogen levels.

While we chatted through lots of different options, remember that every body is unique and it’s about determine what works best for your body.

The main foundations when it comes to lowering estrogen naturally is focusing on gut health for proper estrogen elimination, liver health for healthy estrogen metabolism, reducing estrogen-mimicking chemicals, and incorporating hormone-supportive nutrients.

Remember: simple shifts build to make a big impact over time!

Healthy estrogen levels are possible for you.

-Krista

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