High estrogen symptoms
High estrogen symptoms in women include but are not limited to:
- Bloating
- Irregular periods
- Sore breasts
- Lowered sex drive
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Hair loss
- Cold hands or feet
- Difficulty sleeping
- Low concentration
- Fatigue
- Memory loss
- Increased symptoms of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
Your estrogen levels change throughout the month. They are highest in the middle of your menstrual cycle and lowest during your period. Estrogen levels drop at menopause.
If the estrogen in your blood is too high, you may experience some of the following issues:
- Heavy or light bleeding during your period
- Weight gain around the waist, thighs and/or hips
- Worsening PMS
- Fibrocystic breasts (non-cancerous breast lumps)
- Fibroids (noncancerous tumors) in the uterus
- Depression
- Anxiety
Causes high estrogen symptoms
Some of the causes of high estrogen include:
- Genetics
- Obesity
- Liver disease
- Ovarian tumours
- The body naturally producing higher levels of estrogen
- The body naturally producing lower levels of testosterone or progesterone
- The use of hormonal contraceptives
- The use of certain antibiotics
- The use of certain natural or herbal remedies
- The use of drugs called phenothiazines, which doctors use to treat some mental or emotional disorders
How do I get rid of excess estrogen?
There are two main methods for getting rid of excess estrogen may include:
- Implementing lifestyle changes
- Taking medications
Let’s talk through both.
Implementing lifestyle changes
Nutrition
Include cruciferous fruits and vegetables in the diet. Discuss which foods to avoid and implement with your healthcare provider for your specific need, and ask about phytoestrogens.
Weight
Estrogen is produced in the fat cells, a condition called estrogen dominance can arise in over-weight people due to the overproduction of estrogen. Ensure that you keep your weight at a healthy level.
Consider your contraceptive
Speak with your healthcare provider about the best contraceptives for you, as they have an impact on your hormone levels.
Take time to destress
Stress can have an impact on all hormones. Ensure that you are taking enough time to de-stress on a regular basis to keep your hormones in harmony.
Drink unpolluted water
Toxins in water can have an impact on the endocrine system. Ensure that you are drinking clean, filtered water.
Beauty products
The same goes for beauty products! Ensure that your beauty products are free from toxins.
Taking medications
Your healthcare provider may suggest hormone replacement as a treatment plan should your estrogen test level results show elevated levels.
- Read: What does estrogen do?
- Read: Low estrogen symptoms
Written by Hannah Kingston on June 18, 2021
Resources
- Menstrual Cycle - msdmanuals.com
- What is estrogen? - hormone.org
- What are the symptoms of high estrogen? - medicalnewstoday.com
- What does estrogen do? - stdwatch.com
- Low estrogen symptoms - stdwatch.com