If you’re feeling extra irritable, more bloated than usual, constantly tired, or your monthly cycles just seem off - you might be dealing with something called estrogen dominance. It’s more common than you’d think, and while the name might sound a little intense, the good news is that there are things that you can do! Here in Green Cove Springs we are seeing more and more patients who have been told “everything looks normal” on their labs… but that doesn’t mean they feel well! Estrogen dominance is a great example of a hormone imbalance that isn’t always caught in traditional medicine settings, but can have a very real and frustrating impact on your day to day quality of life.
So… What Is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen dominance happens when the amount of estrogen in your body outweighs your levels of progesterone - either because estrogen is too high, progesterone is too low, or a combination of the two. These hormones are meant to stay in balance, and help support each other in that relationship. When they’re not, symptoms tend to pop up.
While we’re on this topic, there’s an additional point we feel is worth mentioning - This isn’t just a “female hormone”. While it primarily affects women, especially those in perimenopause or menopause, men can also experience symptoms tied to too much estrogen and too little testosterone. Make sure to check out our
Men’s Health page for more information on some of the common issues we see and can help with - If you’re male and digging into the potential effects of having too much estrogen, you have also found the right clinic!
Common Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance can often have small, subtle, but lingering symptoms. With that being said, if you know what to look for, the signs are usually there. Here are some of the most common ones we see:
- PMS that seems worse than ever
- Low libido
- Irregular or heavy periods
- Breast tenderness
- Bloating or weight gain (especially in hips and midsection)
- Mood swings, anxiety, or irritability
- Fatigue even with adequate sleep
- Trouble sleeping
- Brain fog
- Headaches or migraines
Some of these symptoms can overlap with other conditions (like thyroid adrenal issues), which is why working with a provider who takes a whole-body view is so important. Often in traditional medicine these symptoms can fall into seeing different specialists, and while seeking specific expertise is great, sometimes without taking a step back to look at the whole picture things get missed… or worse, misinterpreted.
Why Does Estrogen Dominance Happen?
There are several possible reasons estrogen levels become imbalanced:
- Chronic Stress – When stress is high, your body uses more of its resources to make cortisol instead of progesterone, tipping the balance toward estrogen.
- Poor Gut Health – Remember what we talked about in
our recent blog post? Tiny gut bugs called estrobolome help metabolize estrogen. If the gut is out of balance, estrogen may not get properly broken down and eliminated.
- Liver Overload – Your liver is the organ responsible for detoxifying and eliminating excess hormones from the body. If it's sluggish from processed foods, alcohol, medications, or toxins, your estrogen may build up.
- Xenoestrogens (Environmental Estrogens) – These are hormone-disrupting chemicals found in plastics, personal care products, pesticides, and so much more that if gone unchecked, we often have exposure to every single day. Your body reads them as estrogen, even though they’re synthetic.
- Being on Certain Birth Control – Some hormonal contraceptives raise estrogen levels, especially if taken long term.
- Menopause or Perimenopause – During this transition, progesterone levels tend to drop faster than estrogen, leading to an imbalance.
Functional Medicine Approaches to Naturally Balance Estrogen
If any of this resonates, don’t panic - there’s a lot you can do to naturally reduce estrogen dominance and start feeling better. Here’s where we usually start:
1. Support Your Liver
Your liver is your detox organ, and it needs the right support to process and eliminate excess estrogen. Shifting your diet towards some of the right foods can help support its capabilities. Focus on foods like cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale), leafy greens, beets, and garlic. We also often use targeted supplements, such as milk thistle and numerous others, for additional liver support, and customize this protocol for each and every patient.
2. Heal the Gut
Estrogen is partly recycled through the digestive tract, so if your gut isn’t working properly, estrogen may not leave the body efficiently. We might recommend probiotics, fiber-rich foods, fermented vegetables, or specific gut-testing if you’ve had chronic bloating, constipation, or other chronic digestive symptoms.
3. Reduce Xenoestrogens
This means swapping plastic containers for glass, choosing clean beauty products, and eating organic when possible (especially meat and dairy). Even small changes here can make a big difference over time.
4. Lower Stress
Often we find that telling someone to try to lower their stress can wind up increasing it! But at the end of the day, stress does truly impact your hormones. We have found that the tiniest daily habits are what make the biggest result when it comes to reducing stress. Look at your daily habits and see what the tiniest changes are that you are willing to implement every single day. Is it a quick morning walk, or a walk on your lunch break? Is it asking for a little extra help from your significant other when it comes to some household chores? Is it replacing the Dunkin’ Donuts with a coffee from home that has a little less sugar? Perhaps it is something big, like finding a new job that has more reasonable hours. Whatever it is, if it is repeatable FOREVER, these are the tiny factors that are going to impact your stress.
5. Balance Your Blood Sugar
Fluctuating insulin levels can make estrogen levels spike. That’s why we recommend blood-sugar-friendly meals (protein + fiber + healthy fats) and cutting back on sugar where possible.
6. Test Before You Guess
At our hormone replacement clinic, we don’t just go off symptoms alone - we use detailed hormone and gut testing to help create highly personalized treatment plans. If you’re dealing with estrogen dominance, this step helps us know exactly where the imbalance is happening - and how to fix it.
When to Reach Out
If you’ve been struggling with symptoms like mood swings, weight changes, or irregular periods and haven’t found a clear answer yet, we’re always here to take a deeper look and help you get to the root of your symptoms. Estrogen dominance is definitely something that we see in our office, and it is treatable. You don’t need to just deal with it, or chalk it up to getting older.
Our
hormone replacement and functional medicine services are designed to give you real insight into what’s going on - and real solutions to help you feel your best again. Whether you’re right here in Green Cove Springs or part of our greater Jacksonville community, our office is conveniently located and we are accepting new patients at this time.
Let us help you get to the root of those nagging symptoms and help you get back to your life!
