Symptoms Of Estrogen Dominance

Why Hormones Can Sometimes Initially Make Symptoms Worse

The women that this phenomenon usually affects are those with a degree of estrogen dominance, which may have manifested as PMS, bloating, breast tenderness or cysts, lethargy, a tendency to gain weight, headaches/migraines, infertility, polycystic ovaries, insomnia, depression and altered mood – symptoms of excess estrogen in relation to progesterone.

In these cases the progesterone has been prescribed to ‘oppose’ the excess estrogen. In a balanced system the two hormones work together to regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle and fertility, and to encourage the normal growth of the foetus in the womb after fertilisation. There are no direct side effects from progesterone in standard doses, and theoretically its use should rectify the imbalance and resolve many of the symptoms. And so it usually does.

Women With Estrogen Dominance

However in women with previous ‘estrogen dominance’ the body’s estrogen receptors may have become less responsive (desensitized) to this hormone. The receptors are the ‘ears’ of the cells, listening out for and receiving instructions from the various hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. If the messages are ‘too loud for too long’, the receptors go ‘deaf’ and no longer respond, not unlike husbands when persistently nagged by their wives! In this case the message from estrogen is too strong and the receptors ‘down-regulate’ in an attempt to lower the volume and maintain balance.

In some women, the introduction of progesterone results in a re-sensitisation or awakening of these estrogen receptors, which now respond anew to the estrogen that is already present. For a short while this produces more of the same symptoms which then gradually subside as progesterone levels increase. During this transition stage it is easy for a woman to become discouraged and even discontinue the cream. The dosage can be reduced for a while to alleviate some of the symptoms, but it is vital to continue with the progesterone and return to a normal dose as the ‘flare up’ resolves.

Estrogen Side Effects – Do You Know Them? | HealthSkep.Com ...

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