Low Estrogen Levels May Hit Bones Strength
Once a women hits menopause around the age of fifty and estrogen levels are not checked, some symptoms may get even worse. When estrogen levels drop, they have an negative effect on another hormone- the stress hormone cortisol. (Paradoxically, too much cortisol can lower your estrogen levels).
The combination of low estrogen and constantly elevated cortisol may lead to a condition called crashing fatigue. Crashing fatigue is a common and disturbing symptom of menopause. It makes women feel deeply exhausted even though they haven’t made any physical effort. Similar to chronic fatigue, crashing fatigue can be debilitating as overall stamina declines and is worsened by physical or mental activity. It’s an endless feeling of tiredness, all because natural levels of estrogens have declined. Bye-bye energy.
Because the symptoms can be so varied, it may be beneficial to keep a symptom long to determine whether low estrogen levels are the contributor to a lack of energy. Some signs to look for include panic attacks, migraines, and palpitations that occur for one to two days around ovulation or around menstruation. For those with chronic fatigue of fibromyalgia, be on the alert: If symptoms are worse the week before a period – or if there is decreased vaginal lubrication – low estrogen is most likely the culprit.
ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
On the other side of the coin are the problems with elevated estrogen. When estrogen levels are too high, you’re looking at anxiety, weight gain, water retention, headaches, poor quality sleep, and fatigue. Certainly nothing likely to boost your energy.
How can you wind up with too much estrogen? It’s not hard. We’re accustomed to thinking of declining levels of estrogen as an accompaniment of aging. It seems counter-intuitive that estrogen levels might rise as we age. But in fact, this somewhat weird paradox probably happens more often than you might think.
How can this be? It’s certainly not because women are producing more estrogen internally. Rather, it’s because our environment is now chock-full of weird chemicals and compounds that actually act like estrogen. There’s even a term for them – estrogenic mimics. These estrogenic compounds, sometimes also called hormone disruptioners, are all over the place (one recently discovered source is plastics). And they can be fiendishly difficult to get rid of. Many women (and men!) have a difficult time eliminating these exogenous (outside the body) estrogens because of damaged metabolisms and sluggish livers. Nutritionists and researchers call this condition estrogen dominance.
THE YIN AND YANG OF ESTROGEN
One of the results of estrogen dominance is fatigue. Here’s how it works: Estrogen is what’s known as a pro-growth hormone because it stimulates activity. But like everything in the body, it has a counterbalancing force, which in this case is another hormone, progesterone.
Progesterone works antagonistically with estrogen to maintain homeostasis, or balance. (Remember the Goldilocks mantra: not too hot, not too cold). When estrogen increases during the menstrual cycle, progesterone decreases. When estrogen decreases, progesterone increases, in a lovely hormonal version of a seesaw. They work in perfect harmony throughout each month, or at least they do theoretically. (I have some friends with server PMS who might argue differently, as would their husbands and boyfriends).
Everything moves along pretty swimmingly until around age thirty-five or so. Somewhere around this point or later, at the start of what’s called permenopause, estrogen and progesterone both begin to decline. In an ideal world, they would decline at the same levels, to maintain that optimal ratio, but like most situations that start out with the preface “in an ideal world”, this rarely happens. In fact, while estrogen levels will decline about 35 percent through menopause, progesterone levels will take a virtual nosedive, declining a whopping 75 percent. That peaceful seesaw starts to look like one side has a two-year-old on it and the other side has an elephant.
Per menopause can last anywhere from two to ten years, and although most women may notice some symptoms, they are often told by their oh-so-helpful doctors that there is really nothing that can be done about them. “It’s just the way it is” is a common refrain. The less sensitive have been known to mumble under their breaths, “Oh, just live with it!.
To make matters worse, many doctors only check blood levels of estrogen (if they check blood levels at all, something they unfortunately don’t always do). Assuming symptoms are simply caused by declining estrogen, many will recommend birth control pills as a way of raising estrogen levels. This may provide some temporary and much-needed relief from symptoms but can further upset a rapidly devolving delicate balance. Over time, synthetic drugs such as birth control pills may further deplete women of necessary nutrients and can ultimately create even more hormonal imbalances.
By menopause, the total amount of progesterone made is extremely low, while estrogen is still present in the body at about half its premenopausal level. Estrogen dominance is the result, and the effects are rarely pretty.
HEAVE THE HORMONE DISRUPTERS
It gets worse. Remember those estrogen mimics we talked about? Commercially raised cattle and poultry are loaded with them. They’re in the very food eaten by the livestock that aren’t pasture fed and organic, meaning they make their way into the meat we eat as well (yet another in the hundred or so reasons I keep urging anyone who will listen to try to eat only grass-fed meat. I know it’s more expensive – just eat less of it!).
Pesticide residues have chemical structures that are similar to those of estrogen, making them estrogen mimics; we sometimes refer to them as xenoestrogens (xeno meaning “foreign”). Produce known to contain the highest levels of pesticides are strawberries, peppers, apples, spinach, and celery. And xenoestrogens are all over the place, not just in our food: they’re also found in plastics, nail polish, cosmetics, glues, and adhesives, as well as dioxin-containing foods such as the aforementioned meat, milk, eggs, and fish.
Both caffeine and alcohol can raise estrogen levels. Ovarian cysts or tumors can and do make extra estrogen. Stress will ultimately reduce progesterone levels.* (Stress overall can do much damage to many hormonal systems that are regulated through the adrenal glands). Too much stress and a reduction in progesterone will further upset the delicate estrogen/progesterone balance. When this happens, we expeince insomnia, anxiety, and an even greater depletion of energy.
*According to Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D., too much stress can also reduce estrogen.
BALANCE YOUR ESTROGEN, BALANCE YOUR LIFE
Even a cursory reading of the above material makes it clear that balancing hormones in a healthy way can be a real challenge. But it’s absolutely essential to having a ton of energy. No kidding. And there are lots of lifestyle guidelines that women can follow to minimize the onslaught of some of the unhealthy estrogens.
Fill up on fiber. A plant-based, unprocessed, whole-food diet is the best diet for a healthy metabolism and healthy hormonal balance. Try to include at least 20 grams of fiber each day, through flaxseeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, and even fiber supplements. The fiber will help you metabolize excess estrogens. If you eat animal products, including dairy, make sure they are organic and free of hormones as well as pesticides.
Drink plenty of filtered water to help you body eliminate excess toxins and environmental estrogens. Avoid high-glycemic foods such as refined sugar, and alcohol or drugs that can damage the liver, which will lead to an increase in estrogen due to the lack of estrogen breakdown.
Choose lots of cruciferous veggies such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and soy. These foods, all of which (except for soy) are in the brassica family, are vegetable royalty. They contain phytoestrogens, compounds that are similar in structure to estrogen but much, much weaker in potency. Which is a good thing. Phytoestrogens occupy the “parking spots” reserved for estrogen (called estrogen receptors), but with much less bioactivity. By occupying the estrogen receptor sites on cell membranes, they essentially block the stronger, natural estrogen from occupying the space. Those who have estrogen dominance may therefore experience relief of symptoms and renewed sense of energy.
These foods pack a double whammy. All members of the cabbage family contain plant chemicals called indoles, which actually act as estrogen traffic cops, helping to direct estrogen metabolism down the pathways to the less harmful metabolites – such as the innocuous 2-hydroxy-estrone- rather than the much more potent 16-hydroxy-estrone, an estrogen metabolite that can be a real problem, especially in hormone-dependent cancers.
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