Many women before they stop menstruating believe they will soon be candidates for estrogen replacement therapy. However, this belief is often wrong, as estrogen can be in plentiful supply during this phase in life. Therefore, estrogen dominance in Tampa is a concern for many women as young as 35 years old.
How an Estrogen Imbalance Can Occur
So, you cannot put too much stock in medical practitioners who may say that women are estrogen-deficient before or during menopause. While a woman’s estrogen level does drop during menopause, it does not mean you should immediately rush out and book an appointment for ERT. Typically, estrogen dominance prevails right before the last period, causing the hormone to be quite plentiful during this transition in life. Therefore, women often have too much estrogen in relation to their level of progesterone.
Again, estrogen dominance may occur as early as a woman’s 35th birthday. Therefore, each woman needs to listen to her body. Estrogen often overstimulates both the body and mind. Stress can increase this kind of response too. As a result, many women find that estrogen seems to be ruling their lives, especially as they approach perimenopause and are going through this stage of life.
How Too Much Estrogen Can Affect a Woman’s Life
Some of the related symptoms may include:
- Abnormal or irregular menstrual periods
- A decreased sex drive
- Water retention or bloating
- Breast tenderness and/or swelling
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Premenstrual headaches
- Irritability
- Depression
- Fat or weight gain, especially around the hips and abdomen
- Cold feet and hands (a sign of a thyroid dysfunction)
- Loss of hair
- Sluggishness
- Memory loss
- Tiredness
- Insomnia
As you can see, the above list covers a lot of concerns. Estrogen dominance is also connected with autoimmune disorders, uterine and breast cancer, allergies, infertility, ovarian cysts and an increased level of blood clots.
If a woman’s menstrual cycle is regular and normal, estrogen is usually the hormone that is dominant during the first two weeks that lead up to ovulation. The hormone is offset by progesterone during the final two weeks. As a woman enters perimenopause, however, she may start to experience cycles where no ovulation occurs or estrogen may not be balanced by progesterone. As a result, health issues may begin.
Talk to a Medical Specialist
Other reasons for the dominance of this hormone include an excess body fat that is over 28% and excessive stress. A low-fiber diet with too many refined carbs and fats can also exacerbate the problem. This type of condition may lead to impaired immune functioning.
If you are suffering from these symptoms and are also overweight, then you should talk to a medical specialist who offers supervised medical weight loss programs for women clients. Medically-managed weight loss programs are designed to manage many health-related difficulties.