Estrogen Dominance

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Estrogens and progesterone should be produced by the body in amounts that balance each other.

Estrogens are accounted for all the changes that occur in a girl as she reaches the puberty. The role of estrogens from puberty to menopause is stimulating endometrium build up, and tissue lining the vagina growth and lubrication.
This stimulating effect of estrogens explains why, in excess, they're toxic.
Additionally, estrogens stimulate breast tissue; therefore, when in excess, they may incrase fibrocystic and breast cancer risk, besides uterine cancer and fibroids risk.

Progesterone is an hormone produced by the ovaries after ovualtion. It supports and maintaines pregnancy, besides it's required to keep estrogens in balance. Also, progesteron receptors can be found in brain cells, nervous wreck, and bone cells.

Progesterone is made up by corpus lutheum right after ovulation and in smaller amounts by adrenals. During pregnancy placenta synthetizes high amounts of progesterone.

Progesterone has several functions within the body. It affects:

• almost every body tissue (uterus, cervix, and vagina included)
• the endocrine system
• brain cells
• fats metabolism
• myelin synthesis
• water retention
• bone cells
• the thermogenic function
• the immune system
• the embryo growth and survival
• the fetus growth

Yet, progesterone plays other key roles besides the one on female cycle. Progesterone is indeed one of the hormones that have the bigger protective function within the body: thymus depends on progesterone, and so as adrenals do need progesterone in anti-stress hormones production.

In a woman's normal healthy monthly cycle estrogens are the dominant hormones for the first two weeks, balanced by progetserone that is the dominant homrmone for the latter two weeks. When foreign estrogens are introduced into this balance through food, water, prescriptoipn hormones, householde and exterior polltants, progetserone production is suppressed. This leads to “Estrogen Dominance” symptoms. According to its theoritician the american medical doctor John Lee. MD, estrogen dominance is an actual syndrome instead of a simple collection of symptoms.

By prescribing hormone tests to his patients, Dr Lee found out that many of his patients with fybroids, breast or uterine cancer, fibrocystic breast, osteoporosis, etc., had a progesterone deficiency; thus, they were affected by estrogen dominance syndrome.

Progesterone is the hormone made by the empty follicle after it has released an egg in the ovulation process. A woman produces progesterone only when she ovulates. If she fails ovulating, progesterone production fails either. Under these circumstances, an imbalance may occur, since the main role of progetserone is keeping estrogens in balance.
So, the lack of ovulation, menopause, stress, and xenoestrogens may all cause progesterone production to decrease or be suppressed. In other words, they can lead to a situation renowned as “estrogen dominance”.

The term “estrogen dominance” was conied by Dr. Lee to describe a condition that features one or more of the following symptoms:

• acceleration of the aging process
• allergies (asthma, rashes, sinus, etc.)
• anger/irritability
• breast swelling/tenderness
• breast cancer
• cold hands and feet (that may be symptoms of a thyroid disorder)
• cervicak dysplasia
• cravings for sweets
• decreased libido
• depression/loss of memory
• dry eyes/skin
• early onset of mestruation
• uterine cancer
• endometriosis
• fatigue
• fibrocystic breast
• hair loss
• gallbladder dosorders
• weight gain (chiefly on abdomen, hips, thighs)
• headache
• impaired blood sugar control/low levels of blood sugar
• increased blood clotting
• increased risk of aumtoimmune dsorders
• fertility
• insomnia/restlessness
• muscle pain/weakness
• loss of self-esteem/anxiety/panic attacks
• loss of zinc/copper retention
• magnesium deficiency
• miscarriage
• mood swings
• osteoporosis/loss of bone density during premenopause
• PMS/irregular periods
• polycystic ovaries
• reduced oxyhen in all cells
• riduced vascular tone
• sluggish meabolism
• thyroid disfuntion
• uterine cramping
• uterine fibroids
• vertigo
• zinc deficiency

References

Lee J. R., MD, Natural Progesterone. The Multiple Roles Of A Remarkable Hormone, 1995 BLL Publishing, Sebastopol, CA, U.S.A.
Lee J.R., MD, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, 1996, Warner, New York
Lee J.R., Hanley J.& Hopkins V., MD, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Pre-menopause, 1999 Warner, New York
Lee, J. R., M.D., What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Cancer, 2002 Warner, New York
Lee J.R., Anti-Atherogenic Effects Of Progesterone
Lee J.R., HRT-where do we go from here?
                                                                                    ©Copyright 2008 Naturvitae




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