Article Snapshot:
- Most women suffer from hormonal imbalance, usually caused by estrogen dominance, which causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms
- In this article we discuss the best estrogen supplements that can alleviate these symptoms. Our choice? DIM and Chasteberry fruit supplement
To many women suffer from estrogen dominance and they don’t know it, or they don’t realize that the root cause of their symptoms is hormonal imbalance (specifically estrogen imbalance).
But the good news is that some natural health supplements, as part of a healthy lifestyle, can help balance your hormones. By the same token, correcting hormonal imbalances can make a huge difference in your health, wellness and quality of life.
What are they symptoms of estrogen dominance?
Some of the common symptoms of estrogen dominance are:
- PMS
- Heavy periods
- Irregular periods
- Stubborn fat and cellulite on butt and thighs
- Weight gain, especially around hips and butt
- Fatigue
- Reduced sex drive
- Brain fog
- Tender, lumpy, fibrocystic breasts
- Fibroids
- Uterine polyps
- Endometriosis
- Lack of ovulation
- Infertility
If more than a couple of these ring a bell, you probably have estrogen dominance. The good news is you don’t have to live with these symptoms.
Every hormonal imbalance is slightly different, and you can experiment with lifestyle changes, boosted by supplements, to control hormonal imbalance.
What Causes Estrogen Dominance?
Most women (as much as 75%) suffer from estrogen dominance. The main causes are:
1) Insufficient progesterone:
The hormone progesterone opposes the “bad” estrogen. Bad estrogen is known to cause growth of pathogenic cells like fibroids, endometrial tissue and cancers.
2) “Dirty” metabolites:
Sometimes your body can break down estrogen to unfavorable (“dirty”) estrogenic metabolites. This is caused by
- Poor diet
- Poor liver function
- Gut issues such as constipation
- Conventional skin care and cleaning products that create too much “dirty” estrogen metabolites
3) Being overweight:
Fat absorbs estrogen from the bloodstream and stores it. It also synthesizes estrogen from your other hormones. This means the more fat you have, the more estrogen you have.
And more estrogen you make, the more fat you store… and the cycle continues.
4) Stress:
When you have stress, you produce cortisol to cope with it. And the more stress you have, the more cortisol you produce.
Both cortisol and progesterone are made from the same precursor (pregnenalone). The body will always choose survival over reproduction. As a result, your body will produce more cortisol and less progesterone (see what insufficient progesterone does above).
5) Birth control pills and hormone therapy:
Lots of contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy only have estrogen without opposing progesterone, adding it to more estrogen. You end up with estrogen dominance.
How To Cure Hormonal Imbalance In Women
The best approach that will generate the most profound and fastest changes is to combine diet and supplements.
Diet is your foundation.
Supplements are your amplifiers and healing accelerators.
Since this article is about supplements, let’s dive right in:
Best Estrogen Supplements Available In Kenya
There are two main natural hormone balance supplements available in Kenya:
1: DIM (Diindolylmethane)
DIM is derived from cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli and cabbage.
DIM can help you balance your hormones by raising “good” estrogen levels, lowering “bad” estrogen levels, and blocking hormones like testosterone.
- It supports the breakdown of estrogen into healthy metabolites in your liver (1)
- DIM also acts as an aromatase inhibitor – i.e it stops testosterone from being converted to estrogen (2). You end up with less estrogen and more testosterone. This increases sexual desire and athletic performance in both men and women
- DIM prevents obesity, providing neuroprotection, and reducing inflammation in your body (4, 5, 6). This means you have fewer fat cells to store and make estrogen
- DIM supplements help alleviate menstrual symptoms
Most importantly, there are no known contraindications for DIM supplementation.
Side effects: – Some research suggests DIM may affect blood sugar levels. For this reason, people with blood sugar issues should be cautious when supplementing with DIM. Monitor your blood sugar if you do take DIM.
2: Chasteberry Fruit Supplement
Chasteberry fruit has been used for centuries, and it has more recently become an important supplement synonymous with female hormonal balance.
Chasteberry fruit supplements
- Reduces PMS symptoms – they reduce levels of the hormone prolactin. This rebalances estrogen and progesterone levels (7)
- Chasteberry supplements also help reduce women’s pain associated with menstrual cycles
- Helps improve mood
- Contributes to the treatment of infertility in both men and women (9, 10)
- Help with oxidative stress, deficiencies of female hormones, and other symptoms associated with aging (11)
- Chasteberry fruit supplements help alleviate menstrual symptoms
Side effects: – side effects are rare and reversible, such as nausea, headache, upset stomach, menstrual disorders, acne, itching, and rash (13).
Summary
Estrogen dominance affects most women today in one form or the other. Most hormonal imbalance in women involves estrogen dominance, which causes unpleasant symptoms like PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), menstrual problems as well as a host of other problems.
Luckily, we have supplements that can help you alleviate these symptoms and live a normal life. These include DIM and Chasteberry fruit supplement.
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