Do I Have High Estrogen?

Do you have high estrogen symptoms? Check out our in-depth guide on estrogen dominance, what it can do to your body, and treatment options.
When we talk about the hormone estrogen, it’s often in an accusatory way. After all, this is the hormone that’s largely responsible for increased acne, mood swings, and other unpleasantries that happen to some of us during various period phases. For these reasons and more, estrogen has earned its spot as the brunt of tasteless jokes (any woman with brothers knows this firsthand).
But in reality, estrogen is a very important hormone for female reproductive health and development. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to perpetuate the human race. We’d also be more likely to develop heart disease (one of the surprising benefits of oestrogen is that it keeps our arteries flexible and free from plaque. Who knew?)
The happy truth is, when our estrogen levels are balanced, we don’t experience unpleasant symptoms. It’s only when estrogen becomes imbalanced that we start to feel unwanted side effects. As with any hormone imbalance, excess estrogen can lead to symptoms we’d rather not experience (we’re looking at you, excessive breast tenderness!)
Fortunately, high estrogen symptoms are pretty easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for. If you determine that high estrogen levels are to blame for your symptoms, you can take steps to bring your hormones into proper balance by making lifestyle changes and/or taking hormone-balancing supplements such as Hertime.

Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone responsible for sexual development. It works along with progesterone to prepare the body for pregnancy. It may come as a surprise to you, but males have estrogen in their bodies as well (though they usually only have it in small amounts).
This makes sense if you consider the fact that females have testosterone in our bodies, even though it’s considered a male hormone. In men, testosterone is responsible for regulating libido and may help minimize symptoms of erectile dysfunction. In women, testosterone helps maintain a healthy sex drive and aids fertility.
Like testosterone, estrogen helps keep our sex drive and reproductive system healthy. Estrogen comes in three forms: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. Estradiol is the most common type produced within the female body throughout the reproductive years. Once menopause hits, estradiol backs off and estrone becomes the front-and-center estrogen hormone. The drop in overall estrogen levels is responsible for the unpleasant menopausal hormones most women experience when they reach a certain age.
Estradiol is a pretty good multi-tasker. It not only helps to maintain the reproductive system, but it also triggers the female body to release an egg every month, on cue. While estradiol is taking care of these important duties, it also stimulates the thickening of the uterine lining in preparation for a fertilized egg.

If you suspect that you have high estrogen levels, you may want to get a hormone test. This test will reveal if your estradiol level is high. The following chart shows what normal estrogen levels in women look like:

	Estradiol	Estrone
Postmenopausal adult female	<10 pg/ml	7-40 pg/ml
Premenopausal adult female	15-350 pg/ml	17-200 pg/ml
Pubescent female	0-350 pg/ml	10-200 pg/ml
Prepubescent female	0-20 pg/ml	0-29 pg/ml

As you can see from the chart, estrogen levels can vary significantly in pubescent and premenopausal females. To get a good idea of whether you’re dealing with high estrogen levels or not, you’ll want to have your levels tested at a certain point in your menstrual cycle.
Usually, estrogen tests are done around day three of the menstrual cycle (the third day of your period). Your healthcare provider may also recommend having your estrogen tested between days 19 and 22 of your cycle.
If your levels are outside the normal range, it’s time to consider what action you will take to restore your hormone levels to their proper balance. Chances are, if your estrogen level is out of whack, your progesterone and testosterone levels are probably messed up, too.
The balance of estrogen in our bodies can be precarious at times, which is why so many women suffer from symptoms related to hormonal imbalance. Though we’re at a disadvantage (there are so many hormone-altering chemicals and substances in our environment), we can take steps to restore normal hormonal levels if we first recognize that there is a problem. While some women have low blood estrogen levels, many of us struggle with the opposite issue: estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance is a common condition among women. It happens when estrogen levels in your body become elevated in relation to your progesterone levels. There are a variety of health conditions that are associated with estrogen imbalance, including:

• Genetic predisposition to overproduction of estrogen
• Uterine fibroids
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Breast and uterine cancers
• Endometriosis

Estrogen dominance can also be caused by certain medications, including hormone replacement therapy commonly given to menopausal women. While many menopausal and postmenopausal women turn to estrogen therapy to help them combat symptoms of low estrogen, this treatment can eventually lead to elevated estrogen and the unwanted symptoms that come along with it.
For this reason, more women are turning down hormone therapy in favor of natural products designed to address both estrogen dominance and low estrogen levels. Products such as Hertime help the body naturally correct hormone levels and bring them into the right balance for healthy reproductive function and maintenance.

Both estrogen dominance and estrogen deficiency can cause issues related to your menstrual cycle and fertility. Here are some of the most common signs of high estrogen in women:

• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Acne
• Depression
• Bloating
• Decreased sex drive
• Hair loss
• Trouble sleeping
• Fibrocystic lumps in the breasts
• Panic and anxiety attacks
• Headaches
• Cold feet and/or hands
• Tenderness and swelling in the breasts
• Fatigue and sleepiness
• Increased premenstrual syndrome symptoms
• Memory problems
• Vaginal dryness
• Night sweats and hot flashes
• Infertility
• Thyroid nodules

Sounds like a party, right? Millions of women are dealing with these symptoms right now, but don’t know what they mean or how to correct them. Ironically, symptoms of low estrogen are very similar to symptoms of estrogen dominance. So how can you tell which problem you have? One of the best ways to nail down your hormone issues is to have your hormone levels tested. That way you will know for sure if you have excess estrogen or insufficient estrogen for your body’s needs.

Another way to tell if you’re dealing with excess estrogen or too little estrogen is if you’re going through menopause. The changes experienced during menopause (such as vaginal dryness, mood swings, night sweats, and hot flashes) are due to a drop in estrogen as the ovaries stop producing the hormone.

Menopause is a natural part of aging for women, but that doesn’t mean it has to be torturous. You can help keep your symptoms in check as you go through menopause by preventing your estrogen levels from dropping too drastically, too fast. Taking a quality hormone-balancing product as you go through menopause can help make your body’s changes less uncomfortable for you.

Many women are relieved to discover that their weight issues could be due (at least in part) to estrogen dominance. Women with high estrogen levels often struggle unsuccessfully to lose weight, even when they make various lifestyle changes that should help (such as eating healthier foods and exercising regularly).

The reason estrogen dominance causes weight gain is because too much estrogen inhibits the breakdown of fat through the estrogen receptor called ER-alpha. Since fat can’t be broken down as effectively when estrogen is high, it is stored in the body. Usually, fat retention related to estrogen dominance is centered in the midsection and leads to an apple body shape. If you have this shape, it’s a big red flag that your estrogen isn’t balanced.

For women who have all but given up on shedding extra pounds, it can be a huge relief to discover that their weight issues could be due to excess estrogen. If your estrogen imbalance is causing your body to stubbornly cling to extra fat, you may be able to start losing weight once you improve your estrogen metabolism and bring your hormone levels into a healthier balance.

Many of the physical issues associated with estrogen dominance are merely annoying (nobody likes to feel like they can’t control their emotions from one minute to the next). But in some cases, high estrogen can lead to debilitating monthly pain and other severe symptoms.

High levels of estrogen can also put you at greater risk of certain health conditions, such as ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and breast cancer. You may also be at a higher risk of stroke, blood clots, and thyroid dysfunction if your estrogen levels are chronically high.

Estrogen causes your body to produce thyroglobulin, which is a thyroid precursor hormone. If you have too much estrogen, your thyroid may become overloaded with thyroglobulin, which can lead to an enlarged thyroid and problems with thyroid hormone imbalance. It is common for women with excess estrogen to also have hypothyroidism (otherwise known as an underactive thyroid).

High estrogen levels can negatively impact your body’s ability to ovulate. Since ovulation is essential for fertility purposes, it can be much more difficult for women with high estrogen to get pregnant.

Of course, if your estrogen levels are too low, that will also negatively impact your ability to get pregnant. If your goal is to conceive a baby, it’s important to make sure your estrogen levels are balanced and fall within the normal range.

In addition to keeping your estrogen and hormone levels balanced for fertility purposes, you also need to make sure they remain balanced throughout your pregnancy. If you have a history of estrogen imbalance, talk to your doctor about how to keep your hormone levels in check during the different stages of your pregnancy.

There are a number of estrogen dominance risk factors. If you have one or more of the following risk factors, it doesn’t automatically mean that you have excess estrogen. It does mean, however, that you are at a higher risk of developing estrogen dominance than someone without these risk factors. Take a minute to review the following list and mark how many of these factors apply to you.

• Obesity
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Liver problems
• Heavy metal accumulation
• Poor diet
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Excessive caffeine consumption
• Chronic stress
• Exposure to industrial chemicals (such as those found in plastics, some personal hygiene products, and makeup)
• Poor sleep habits

If you struggle with any of these issues for short periods of time, you may not need to worry about developing a hormone imbalance. But if any of these issues (such as obesity, poor sleep habits, and poor diet) are chronic for you, the likelihood of estrogen dominance or some other hormone imbalance rises substantially.

There are several ways you could potentially treat your estrogen dominance. Options include:

• Surgery
• Medication (usually hormone replacement therapy)
• Eating a healthy diet (with plenty of vegetables)
• Exercising regularly
• Taking hormone-balancing supplements
• Getting a healthy amount of sleep at night
• Avoiding caffeine and other stimulants
• Reducing stress as much as possible

You should know that surgery is usually not a recommended treatment for high estrogen. However, if you have any type of cancer that is unusually sensitive to estrogen, surgery may be necessary to remove your ovaries and thus lower your progesterone levels. This type of situation is very rare, though, so it probably isn’t something you need to worry about.

Incidentally, the lifestyle changes mentioned in the list above are wise habits for anyone to adopt, whether they have an estrogen imbalance or not. Choosing to do things like eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get a good amount of sleep at night can help keep all your hormones balanced while improving the overall health of your mind and body.

We have talked a lot about what happens when you have too much estrogen in your body. But what if you don’t have enough estrogen? What happens to your body then? Can low estrogen be just as harmful and unpleasant as high estrogen?

Some of the symptoms of low estrogen are almost identical to the symptoms of high estrogen, including including:

• Headaches
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Insomnia
• Hot flashes
• Amenorrhea (frequently missed periods)
• Infertility
• Impaired sexual function and/or development
• Difficulty concentrating
• Breast tenderness
• Night sweats
• Osteoporosis
• Painful sex (due to vaginal dryness)

Some common causes of low estrogen include malnutrition, excessive exercise, autoimmune conditions, menopause, and thyroid conditions. Removal of the ovaries or damage to the ovaries can also lead to low estrogen levels. If you want to feel and look your best, you need to take estrogen imbalance seriously. Too little estrogen can wreak havoc on your health, just as too much estrogen can.

Hertime is a great-tasting supplement you can easily mix into water and enjoy at your leisure. The formula was created specifically for women and contains ingredients that support the female body’s remarkable monthly hormone changes. Taking this supplement daily can provide your body with the nutrients it needs to produce the right amount of estrogen.

Rather than pumping your body full of synthetic hormones, Hertime simply aids your body in balancing its hormone levels naturally. With consistent daily use, this product can help reduce estrogen dominance and all the symptoms associated with it. Goodbye, hormonal headaches and painful period cramps!

Here are some of the active ingredients in Hertime Daily:

• Licorice root extract
• Siberian ginseng root extract
• Milk thistle root extract
• Magnesium
• White peony root extract
• Kelp leaf powder
• Ginger root extract
• Dong Quai root extract
• Folate
• Vitamin D
• Iron

These ingredients help provide the female body with the nutrients it needs (which are often deficient in our diets). Licorice root, Siberian ginseng, white peony, Dong Quai, and milk thistle are all well-known for their hormone-balancing properties. They can also boost fertility and help support your body’s reproductive system.

Hertime works even better when combined with Hermulti, Hergreens, or Hernightly. Learn more about each of these high-quality products and how they can boost your female health by visiting Mixhers resources.