Health & Well-Being Pre-Menopause and Beyond

In all my reading about pre menopause symptoms and hormone replacement therapies, I’ve been hearing this term bantered about – Estrogen Dominance. After reading the symptoms, I’ve realized that it is something I have been battling most of my life. Terrible periods, fibroids, retaining water, tender breasts, you name it, I’ve had it since I first started my period.

Back in the day, when I was very young, I was told that my cramps were probably from, having a tipped uterus, taking in too much sodium, caffeine, etc. In my teens and twenties, the only solution provided by my doctor was birth control pills. I learned early on that synthetic progestin in BC did not agree with me – migraines, nausea, bloating and more – so I learned to live with the misery.

We are subjected to higher levels of estrogen than ever with all of the estrogen-like hormones being injected and fed to commercial cattle and poultry, not to mention the pesticides being used on crops of vegetables and fruits we eat. Couple that with today’s high-stress lifestyles and childhood obesity, our children have a life of hormone imbalance to look forward to – and pharmaceutical companies are just waiting to profit from us.

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now. So, what are some symptoms of estrogen dominance? Here are a few:

Breast tenderness
Bloating, Water Retention
Weight gain, especially in the waist and hips
Mood Swings, PMS
Irritability and anxiousness
Allergies, Sinus Infections
Cold Hands and Feet
Low Sex Drive
Dry eyes
Fatigue
Foggy thinking, Memory Loss
Fibrocystic Breasts
Hair Loss
Headaches
Irregular Periods
Insomnia
Sluggish Metabolism
Uterine Fibroids

It is possible for men and women both to suffer from estrogen dominance, because, like I mentioned before, there is so much of it in our environment. Over time, more chronic conditions like as arthritis and premenopause symptoms may develop.