EP.108/ Five Natural Tips to Reduce Oestrogen Dominance and Balance Hormones with Endometriosis
In episode 107 I took you through what oestrogen dominance is, the causes and the symptoms, alongside seven foods to help alleviate the hormonal imbalance.
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If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, go ahead and check it out, then come back to this one!
But why is oestrogen dominance even a problem? Oestrogen has been shown in multiple studies to play a pivotal role in the development and growth of endometriosis, it’s why many doctors use progestin only hormonal birth control methods to possibly help lower symptoms (though not everyone responds well to this option). If we have too much oestrogen in our body, we may be further fuelling our endo and additionally, the symptoms of oestrogen dominance look a lot like endometriosis and we for sure don't want to be worsening those!
So today, I’m taking you through five natural lifestyle and nutrition tips to reduce oestrogen dominance and balance hormones with endometriosis.
Stress management - The body responds to stress by releasing cortisol and adrenaline. In acute moments of genuine threat and danger, this is helpful and normal but long-term chronic stress, whether it’s a low lying level of stress or severe, can cause hormonal disruption, lowering progesterone and creating an oestrogen dominant scenario.
Stressors don’t just have to be emotional or mental (like 2020!), they can also be physiological, like over-exercising, heavy caffeine consumption, underlying infections or conditions like SIBO, chronic inflammation, lack of sleep, dysregulated blood sugar, etc.
Strategies that have been shown to lower cortisol include meditation, mindfulness, breath work, yoga and walking in nature.
Blood sugar balance - Blood sugar balance is absolutely key to healthy hormones and imbalanced blood sugar can lead to oestrogen dominance, as well as inflammation (worsening pain). There are numerous ways that dysregulated blood sugar causes imbalanced hormones, but for the purpose of today’s conversation, I’ll focus on two areas…
High insulin levels (caused by a spike in blood sugar) raises aromatase, an enzyme that coverts testosterone into oestrogen, creating excess oestrogen in the body. Additionally, blood sugar imbalance can also cause sporadic ovulation or a lack of ovulation entirely, lowering progesterone and further exacerbating the oestrogen dominance scenario.
Three key ways to balance blood sugar are making sure your meals include fat, fibre, protein and complex carbohydrates. Eating regularly and not allowing yourself to get really hungry, hangry, shaky or faint before meals and reducing refined carbohydrates like pastries and sugary snacks.
Daily bowel movements - You should be having at least one bowel movement a day, as this not only allows waste to leave the body but any old oestrogen too. Constipation can lead to oestrogen dominance because oestrogen is reabsorbed if it’s not eliminated quickly enough - and I see this often with my clients who suffer with constipation from SIBO!
Ensure you’re drinking enough water (at least half your body weight in lbs, in oz) and you’re eating 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day for adequate fibre. Foods like chia seeds can also really help, but would be best avoided if you have SIBO as chia seeds can aggravate symptoms.
If your bowel movements are fine, your gut may still need some attention. The gut microbiome contains a group of bacteria called the estrobolome which is responsible for eliminating oestrogen from the gut, if you have an imbalance and not enough of this bacteria, you may not be able to properly remove oestrogen. Additionally, an enzyme in the gut called beta-glucuronidase can actually take old and used up oestrogen and convert it back into the usable form, causing an excess of oestrogen in the body. You can test your gut microbiome using a test called the GI Map.
If you think something is up with your gut microbiome, I encourage you to go back to my episodes on the endo belly and try some of the strategies listed there.
Removing xenooestrogens - Xenooestrogens are chemicals that are in the environment, pesticides, beauty products, cleaning products and more, which mimic oestrogen and have been linked in numerous studies to hormonal disruption, endometriosis and fertility problems. They additionally over-burden the liver and so old oestrogen is put on the back burner whilst the liver works hard to clear out these toxins in our body. Both the xenooestrogens themselves plus our own waste oestrogen building up leads to oestrogen dominance.
Strategies to reduce our exposure include drinking filtered water, going organic as much as possible, swapping our beauty, body and cleaning products for non-toxic versions and replacing our non-stick cookware and Tupperware with stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic, glass, silicone and non-toxic non-stick products. Yes, this is a lot to do, so start slowly! Even if it takes you a year to work through, that’s fine!
We can also support our liver further with lowering our exposure to drugs, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, drinking plenty of water and eating a nutritious diet.
Good nutrition - You knew it was coming! 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day fill us with fibre to help daily bowel movements, feed our gut bacteria and also provide essential nutrients for healthy hormones. Additionally, cruciferous veg play a key role in helping to clear out our waste oestrogen. Healthy fats, protein and complex carbohydrates also aid in keeping our blood sugar levels balanced and supporting our body to make healthy, happy hormones. For more tips on nutrition, head to episode 107.
Show Notes
Hormone balance with Nicole Jardim
Understanding the Endo Belly Part 1
Understanding the Endo Belly Part 2
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My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormone friendly recipes for living and thriving with endometriosis. Order your copy here.
If you feel like you need more support with managing endometriosis, you can join Your EndoLife Coaching Programme. A 1-to-1 three month health and life coaching programme to help you thrive with endometriosis. To find out more about the programme and to discuss whether it could be right for you, email me at hello@thisendolife.com or visit my website.
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My free guide ‘Managing Endometriosis Naturally’ is perfect for anyone just starting out on this journey of managing and reducing their symptoms. Download here.
My free Endometriosis Diet Grocery List is a pdf list that includes all the foods I buy on a monthly basis, categorised into easy sections. I share my personal endometriosis diet plan, free recipe resources, recommendations to help you get started with the endometriosis diet and nutrition tips. Download here.
My free “Endometriosis Symptom Tracker” could help you begin to understand the subtle patterns in your endometriosis symptoms. As always, this guide doesn’t replace your medical treatment and is not intended to treat or cure endometriosis, but provides you with options that helped me to live well with endometriosis. Download here.