What Are the Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance?

Estrogen dominance is a condition that occurs when the body either produces too much estrogen or too little progesterone. Although it's most often reported during menopause, it's believed by many doctors and scientists, including John R. Lee, M.D., to exist to some degree in most women due to environmental toxins that resemble estrogen in the body. If you have any of the following symptoms on a regular basis, contact your doctor for blood tests that can check your hormone levels.

Breast Tenderness

Estrogen peaks at the middle of your cycle. Progesterone also starts to rise at that point. High estrogen leads to breast tenderness that's common at mid-cycle and again at menstruation when progesterone levels drop. If you have breast tenderness daily rather than just at these two cycle points, it could signal that estrogen remains high throughout your cycle.

Headaches

Headaches are a symptom that are associated with many conditions, including hormone imbalances. In some women, high levels of estrogen or low levels of progesterone mean headaches or even migraines. These headaches often occur at the same points throughout your cycle, so keeping a journal of when they happen can help your doctor determine if estrogen dominance is a factor.

Infertility

Low levels of progesterone and high levels of estrogen can interfere with the ovulation cycle. For some women with estrogen dominance, the hormonal changes needed to spur ovulation do not occur. For those who do get pregnant, the low levels of progesterone in relation to high levels of estrogen can lead to miscarriage. Getting these hormones back in balance can restore fertility.

Menstrual Disorders

Estrogen and progesterone play important roles in building the lining of your uterus and then causing it to shed during menstruation. Estrogen's slow rise causes that tissue to build, and progesterone's buildup helps keeps it in place. Then, as progesterone drops, the lining sheds. If either of these hormones are out of balance, you can experience irregular or absent menstrual periods. When you do have your period, it can be painful and heavy.

Mood Swings / Foggy Thinking

According to Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP, estrogen dominance affects us mentally and emotionally. Many women report cognitive changes such as foggy thinking, lack of focus or mental lethargy. Others report more emotional side effects including mood swings, hypersensitivity and anxiety. Pick says all of these conditions can be directly related to the hormone system. They can also be related to other symptoms, which is why a proper diagnosis with confirming blood tests is important.