All About Estrogen And Its Effect On Your Body

Most women know that estrogen is an important hormone in their body. However, if you’re like most of those women, you’re probably clueless about what estrogen is and what it actually does to your body.

So, to help you get familiar with it, here’s everything you need to know about the hormone and the things that can happen if its levels go beyond what’s normal.

What Is Estrogen?

Estrogen is considered as your primary female hormone. It helps regulate your menstrual cycle, the development of your sex organs, and even your body’s capability to get pregnant.

In general, there are three main types of estrogen.

First is the estradiol which is common in women who are in the childbearing age. Estriol, on the other hand, is considered the main estrogen during pregnancy.

Last is estrone. It’s the only type of estrogen that your body makes right after your period stops.

The levels of estrogen in a woman’s body fluctuate throughout her cycle. Estrogen levels that go lower or higher than normal causes problems for any woman.

High Estrogen and Its Effect on The Body

There are several factors that can cause high estrogen levels in women. The most common is the use of hormonal contraceptives.

Taking certain antibiotics, herbal remedies and drugs to manage emotional and mental disorders can increase estrogen levels, too.

In some cases, high estrogen levels actually run in the family. If you have a close relative who have this condition, you can be at risk, too.

Medical conditions such as liver disease, ovarian tumors, and obesity can be factors as well.

High estrogen levels can cause a lot of health issues. For a lot of women, the condition mainly affects their menstrual cycle. It causes irregular periods, heavy bleeding, light spotting, and severe PMS symptoms.

Women with high estrogen levels can also cause bloating, problems with sleeping, hair loss, frequent changes in mood, and issues with memory. They may also experience feeling more tired than usual, low sex drive, and cold hands and feet.

Now, to treat high estrogen levels, women are advised to consume more foods that can lower the hormone’s level in the body. This includes mushrooms, flaxseeds, cabbage, kale, red grapes, and whole grains.

If you are obese or overweight, losing weight may help. This is because fat cells can also produce extra estrogen

In case you are taking medications that can affect the level of estrogen in your body, talk to your doctor if it’s possible to receive a lower dose or get an alternative treatment.

Low Estrogen and Its Effect On The Body

Low estrogen levels aren’t good for the body either. Just like high estrogen levels, it can cause irregular periods. In some cases, it may even cause infertility.

Another serious thing that can happen with below normal estrogen levels is the weakening of the bones. Estrogen plays an important role in keeping your bones strong and healthy.

Women with this condition can also experience painful intercourse. This happens as a result of less vaginal lubrication.

Low estrogen levels may also be a factor for weight gain, increased risk of urinary tract infection, hot flashes, and depression.

Thyroid disorders, excessive exercise, undergoing chemotherapy, and having a low-functioning pituitary gland can decrease the levels of the said hormone in your body. If you are diagnosed with Turner syndrome, you may want to get your estrogen levels checked as well. This disease and other congenital conditions can be a factor for low estrogen levels, too.

Not all cases of low estrogen levels require treatment. However, if the symptoms are too severe and bothersome, you can see your doctor and talk about your treatment options.

Take note that treatment is highly individualized. Your doctor needs to know the cause of your conditions and your symptoms to come up with an appropriate treatment plan.

In general, however, the most common treatment involves hormone replacement therapy. Some doctors prescribe a combination hormone therapy which consists of both progesterone and estrogen.

It’s a common approach to women who are nearing the onset of menopause and those who are starting to experience post-menopausal symptoms.

There are doctors who find estrogen therapy alone to be highly effective for their patients, such as those who had their ovaries removed.

If you don’t want to rely on medications, there are natural remedies you can take.

For example, if you are underweight, you may want to start reducing the amount of your exercise and try to eat more healthy foods. 

Soy is considered as an effective treatment for the symptoms of low estrogen.  However, as there are conflicting studies about it, you should think twice before increasing your soy intake. 

You can talk with your doctor to find out if it’s an appropriate approach for you because women don’t react the same way to soy. It also helps if you can do your own research and get to know soy and its effect on your hormones and body.

Diagnosis

if you think you are having issues that might be related to hormonal imbalances, start journal and start writing them down . The more information you are able to give to your doctor the easier it will be for him or or her to give you the right diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

A blood test is necessary to check your estrogen levels. It measures the hormones in pg/ml or picograms per milliliter.

In children and adolescents, the normal number can go as high as 350pg/ml. In adults, the normal range is 15 to 350 pg/ml.

Those who are in the postmenopausal stage, the normal is less than 10 pg/ml.

Another test they might check is follicle stimulating hormone aka FSH.

FSH is elevated when estrogen levels are low.

If your doctor suspects that another condition is causing your abnormal estrogen levels, additional tests may be necessary.