The term "estrogen dominance" was coined by Dr. John Lee to describe the 'adverse' symptoms often encountered by women if they have a naturally high level of estrogen, or when women have been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) or a contraceptive pill for any length of time and therefore have low progesterone levels.
Too much estrogen can wreak absolute havoc on your whole body. It can cause things such as fatigue, fibroids, endometriosis, abnormal menstruation, and most importantly breast cancer.
Be wary of estradiol. Estriol 2.5 mg is the weakest and, in my opinion, the safest against the effects of possible cancer caused by estrogen dominance. It will also help eliminate vaginal dryness in 10-14 days when used intravaginally (a 2.5mg strength).
Conventional medicine tends to prescribe hormonal birth control to alleviate symptoms of estrogen dominance, which can have a lot of side effects and make the problem worse in the long run.
Estrogen dominance is characterized by any of the following symptoms:
- PMS
- Weight gain (particularly in hips, midsection, thighs)
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Abnormal menstruation or PCOS
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings
- Brain fog
In addition, other symptoms might include:
- bleeding which comes either earlier or later than usual
- bruising
- dizziness
- hot flashes
- increased appetite/cravings
- irritation
- migraines
- nausea
- skin problems/acne/melasma
Treatment
It is important to understand that progesterone cream used in low doses can cause some of these same effects because progesterone in low doses can stimulate estrogen receptor sites. That is why it is important to use a 5% progesterone cream.
It is essential to use enough progesterone, about 100-200mg/day, to overcome the excess estrogen.
If symptoms are severe, for instance heavy continual bleeding or debilitating hot flashes, up to 400mg/day will be needed.
It is easy enough to reduce the amount of progesterone to the optimum level, once symptoms have resolved. The reduction should always be done slowly over several weeks.
Low levels of vitamin D3 reduce the benefits of progesterone, so make sure that you are taking about 10,000 IU of D3 along with at least 180 mcg of vitamin K2 (MK-7).
For more information on hormone balancing, you can read my Blog on Hormones Do's and Don'ts.
Dr. Michael E. Platt has been a pioneer in the research and advancement of the therapeutic use of progesterone cream for use in managing adrenaline and hormonal imbalance. Dr. Platt is considered an important pioneer in observational, functional, alternative, and allopathic medicine focused on bio-identical hormones and adrenaline overload. His three books “The Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones”, “Adrenaline Dominance” and “Platt Protocol” have received 11 literary awards.