Oestrogen Dominance

In a healthy woman two vital hormones, progesterone and oestrogen, are maintained in equilibrium. When progesterone levels drop in proportion to oestrogen this can lead to the effects of unopposed oestrogen taking root.

In menopausal women these effects can include:


In most women, hormone levels start to decline around their mid thirties, gradually at first, then accelerating through their forties, before levelling out between 50 and 55.

However, when this decline commences, progesterone production falls considerably faster than oestrogen. The result is a widened gap in the levels of these two hormones which does not right itself until hormone levels finally stabilise in the years following the menopause.

This natural change in hormone levels is aggravated by modern environmental and lifestyle factors, which are believed to be responsible for the increasing incidence of oestrogen dominance.

In cultures where diets still largely comprise a variety of fresh vegetables progesterone deficiency remains rare. Plants produce substances that behave much like progesterone and as such when the body’s progesterone production winds down, these substances are able to counteract the effects of oestrogen. In western cultures, where processed foods form the bulk of diets, these nutrients are largely absent.

For women in modern societies the problem is accentuated through increased exposure to oestrogenic substances in the form of environmental pollution and toxins as well as extended use of birth control treatments.

This combination of increased oestrogenic exposure and reduced natural, progestogenic nutrients, accentuates normal changes in hormone levels creating a ‘perfect storm’ for oestrogen dominance.

Since the 1930s, doctors have prescribed progesterone supplements to combat the effects of hormone imbalance. While at that time our understanding of hormones was limited, the benefits of progesterone supplementation for numerous conditions were apparent.

Commonly prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatments are aimed at relieving oestrogen dominance by boosting progesterone levels, however in most cases these products employ artificial variants of progesterone, known as progestins. While in some ways these perform the role of natural progesterone, they are in fact alien to the body and believed to be responsible for the many reported side effects of HRT.

Supplementing progesterone levels is a proven method of counterbalancing the effects of oestrogen dominance and its symptoms. Natural progesterone is bioidentical to progesterone produced in the body and has been prescribed since the 1930s as a safe, effective treatment. During this time women have reported symptoms relieved and quality of life restored without the side effects associated with artificial hormone treatments.

Wellsprings Serenity is a premium natural progesterone cream that has been helping women overcome menopause symptoms and other conditions associated with hormone imbalance since 1997.

On this site you can find out more about natural progesterone and read the stories of just some of the women that have found relief from symptoms of hormone imbalance by choosing Wellsprings Serenity.

Further symptoms of Oestrogen Dominance:


References:

Natural Progesterone - The natural way to alleviate symptoms of menopause, PMS, endometriosis and other hormone-related problems
By Dame Dr Shirley Bond & AnnA Rushton

Natural Progesterone – The multiple roles of a remarkable hormone By Dr John R Lee MD