As you already know, estrogen is a hormone responsible for reproductive and sexual development. This hormone is specifically for women, thus it is referred to as the female sex hormone. It is produced in the ovaries, which are glands that are placed in the uterus.
It is important to note that estrogen is also present in males. This hormone helps in the sexual function of males. Both men and women have the capacity to have high levels of estrogen. But when this happens, it can have an impact on one’s sexual function and development.
What Happens When You Have a High Estrogen Level?
As they say, too much is not good. This applies to your estrogen levels as well. If you have high estrogen, there is a tendency that you will experience the following conditions:
- Ovarian cancer
- Breast cancer
- Heart attack
- Blood clots
- Thyroid disease
This is why before any of these conditions start, you need to watch out for the possible symptoms. Take note that the signs of both men and women can vary. For women, here are the possible symptoms that you will most likely experience.
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Heavy bleeding
- Light spotting
- Irregular periods
- Hair loss
- Difficulty sleeping
These are just some of the possible signs that you can have. There are still more symptoms like breast lumps, fatigue, and so on. Meanwhile, males can experience infertility, enlarged breasts, and erectile dysfunction if they have high levels of estrogen.
High Estrogen Foods
Since having too much estrogen is not good for you, you should avoid foods that can increase this hormone. If you are not aware of those foods, watch out for the following:
Soy is a well-known phytoestrogen source. Eating this can lower your tendency of having menopausal signs and heart diseases. It also has healthy oils and protein that can help you with other conditions such as vaginal dryness, night sweat, and flashes.
The food that you should look out the most is flaxseeds. It contains a high level of phytoestrogen and dietary fiber. When you eat this food, you can maintain the normal function of your digestive tract and lower your cholesterol levels. Other benefits that you can get from this food is omega-3 fatty acids. This food is usually found on cereals, salads, yogurts, and even smoothies.
Nuts are tasty and easy to eat. You can bring it anywhere and eat it whenever you want to. With this, a lot of people have decided to add this to their diet. Nuts can be eaten raw, roasted, or added to snacks and salads. But even if this protein snack has tons of health benefits, it can also increase your estrogen levels.
This is applicable to both dry and fresh fruits. Let’s start with dry fruits. This kind of fruits contains antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. Considering these, dry fruits can shield you from tons of conditions and boost your blood circulation. You can find these on salads, yogurts, and cereals. Do take note that dry fruits also have a high level of estrogen.
Meanwhile, fresh fruits can also give you estrogen. In fact, it can provide you with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Fresh fruits are usually used as an alternative to high-calorie desserts.
5. Red wine
Surprising, right? We were too. Research shows that red wine has phytoestrogen properties that can increase your estrogen levels. If you are not a fan of red wine, do not be complacent as there are ingredients in this drink that can still increase your estrogen, such as blueberries, cranberries, and red grapes.
The abovementioned list is just five of the high-estrogen foods that you need to avoid. You need to lessen your food intake on the following:
- Culinary herbs
- Dark rye bread
- Vegetables like celery, kale, sprouts, carrots, and yams
Other Causes of High Estrogen
It is important to note that you need to be cautious of other things if you want to prevent having high estrogen levels. There are other possible causes of high estrogen, like:
- Natural or herbal remedies
- Some antibiotics
- Hormonal contraceptives
- Liver disease
- Ovarian tumor
What you can do is to eat foods that can lower your estrogen levels. These refer to the following:
- Whole grains
- Cruciferous vegetables
You should also consider losing weight as this is one of the main causes of having a high level of estrogen. The reason for this is because your fat cells tend to develop more estrogen in your body.
When you think that your estrogen level is too high than it should be, the first thing that you should do is to go to your doctor. He or she will find out the main cause of the condition, if there is any, and find the treatment immediately.
For example, the doctor found out that the cause is your medication, he or she will lower the dose. There are also instances wherein the doctor will give you another medicine.
Estrogen can be found on both males and females. It is essential in the female’s reproductive system and menstrual cycle. It can also have an impact on one’s sexual development and overall health. But if you have too much of this hormone, you can end up having other ailments such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, blood clots, and heart attack.
Fortunately, there are different ways you can avoid it. The first step would be to avoid foods that can increase your estrogen levels. These are nuts, fruits, flax seeds, and soy. Losing weight can also help in preventing the increase of estrogen levels in your body.
It will also help to check the medicines that you take as this can give you estrogen as well. Also, if you have a high tendency of having ovarian cancer, the doctor might recommend that you undergo a surgery wherein the ovaries will be removed in the body. Doing this can lower the estrogen production in your body.