How I Rid My Estrogen Dominance Naturally
History:
Let me give you a little background of the genetic health hand that I was dealt. My maternal grandmother died in her early 70’s from ovarian cancer. Prior to that she had Hashimotos and her thyroid removed at 30 years old. She also had a defective variant on the BRCA2 gene strand making her more susceptible to multiple cancers.
My mother has suffered with hypothyroidism and had a total hysterectomy in her early 40’s. This was due to having polyps on her uterus twice while also testing positive for the BRCA2 defect so she made the call to take everything out.
Upon learning all of this, I made the decision that this was not going to be true for me or my future daughters. Fast forward almost 2 years ago when I acquired my functional medicine certification, purchased my own tests to run on myself, and finally got some concrete answers on where I was health wise.
Now, this is just the genetic component. It’s important to correlate my many years of over exercising, coffee for breakfast, sugar addiction, being put on hormonal birth control for a year in college, antibiotics as a child, appendectomy at 11 years old, excess alcohol intake, all of the unmanaged stress, poor life decisions and relationship choices, tap water consumption, etc your body responds to every single thing. So there I was, 27 years old- estrogen dominant, borderline hypothyroid, and major liver congestion. I was quite literally on the chronic illness track, reflective of my mom and grandmother.
Steps I took:
*Believe it or not, you are not me 😂 Work with a practitioner to see where your gut and hormones are at and implement your own personalized protocol!
I took the entire year to focus on becoming truly healthy overall, body-mind-spirit! My labs showed low adrenal activity (chronically low cortisol), low thyroid activity, liver congestion, a gut infection present, and gluten sensitivity.
Diet
The hardest and most important, in my opinion. I cut way back on sugar, meaning actually paying attention to my overall sugar intake throughout the day not just my indulgences. I also stopped drinking alcohol, meaning consciously saying no at weddings, dinner, and get togethers (I don’t really drink much in general, just socially). I eliminated gluten from my diet meaning sour dough bread, crackers, and the occasional sandwich or wrap. I eliminated dairy from my diet meaning raw milk and the occasional greek yogurt or cheese on a charcuterie board. For someone with imbalanced hormones and an intestinal infection making these eliminations was necessary.
Your hormones are fueled by protein so I knew in order to raise my progesterone I needed to up my protein intake. I was also showing signs of unstable blood sugar like fatigue after eating, energy crashes, standing up and blacking out, and difficulty concentrating. I began training my brain to be hungry in the morning by putting some kind of protein in my mouth after waking. Sometimes it was an egg and other times it was left over ground turkey from the night before, but by fueling my hormones upon waking I was able to steady my blood sugar for the rest of the day. Taking ACV before meals is another great blood sugar regulation hack.
I started sea salting my water to make sure my cells were hydrated. I am currently learning how and why minerals are so important. I truly don’t know why they aren’t talked about more. Minerals are needed for hundreds of chemical reactions inside the cell taking place every minute ie. hormones, immune system function, digestion, detoxification, energy production, nervous system function. Without optimal mineral levels these processes will slow down.
Rest
This one truly didn’t change too much for me. I have always enjoyed my sleep and make sure to go to bed with the sun and rise with the sun! I’ll start winding down around 7:00pm, asleep by 9:30pm-10:00pm and up at 7:00am!
Movement
Coming from being an avid cycler and someone who always thought I had to drip sweat to call it a workout, I slowed way down. The end of 2021 is when my walking journey started. Walking definitely became a part of my full-time routine the entire year of 2022. Two months into 2023, I have sprinkled in some HIIT exercises but sparingly and joined a Pilates studio downtown that I walk to once a week to enjoy a class. THIS HAS BEEN A GAME CHANGER FOR MY EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL BODY.
Currently, I am experimenting with weights! Excited to show up more consistently in the gym in conjunction with walking and pilates! I know how important muscle mass is especially in correlation with cognition and blood sugar.
Stress Reduction
Journaling was this creative outlet I discovered in 2020 but really became consistent with at the end of 2021 and currently! I journal every single day, mostly in the morning because that is when I have my quiet time with the Lord! I write about my thoughts, feelings, ideas, prayers, questions, frustrations- for me it serves multiple purposes but the main thing I have noticed is when I get things out of my head and on paper, it no longer feels heavy.
Supplementation
Get on the right supplements FOR YOU! This can really only be determined through lab work either from your PCP or me! Taking the right supplements is a game changer in optimal health. Running functional labs is a way to biohack your current regimen and actually supplement your body with the right vitamins/minerals/herbs! Supplements shouldn’t be looked at as a forever thing (although some people may need to be on certain supplements forever) but rather a support for where your body is currently. Getting on the right supplements was the last piece to my anti-chronic illness spiral.
Healing is a journey. It is not linear and it will not take 6 months. Wanting to do better for yourself and your future family is the first step, inquiring about it takes courage and I am here for you in that!
“Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger”
xx, Steph
