Is There a Natural Way to Flush Excess Estrogen From Your Body and Decrease Levels?

Estrogen is a crucial hormone in your body — but some situations can cause it to accumulate in excess, leading to conditions like breast cancer. Knowing how to lower estrogen levels naturally is essential, as many anti-estrogen medications have significant contraindications. Here’s what you need to know.

Estrogen, sometimes also written as “oestrogen,” is a sex hormone that’s associated with female reproductive and sexual functions. While it’s also present in men, estrogen is primarily present in women, where it plays a crucial role in puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy, among other things. This hormone also affects other parts of your body — including your bones, heart, and brain.

There are three types of estrogen: estrone, estradiol, and estriol. Estradiol is the most dominant one and present in your body before menopause. Estrone starts to appear after menopause, and estriol is the rarest, as it’s primarily associated with pregnancy.

While all three types of estrogen are essential for your health, it’s also possible for your body to overproduce this hormone. This is sometimes known as “estrogen dominance” — a condition that can lead to cancer, blood clots, and strokes, among other side effects. Similarly, it’s also possible to have low estrogen levels, leading to early menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.

If you want to check your estrogen levels, ask your doctor for the relevant tests. These will usually consist of blood tests and a special procedure called liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). But only some hospitals have the required tools to perform these specialized tests, so the exact process may differ.

Excess estrogen can cause several conditions, ranging from tumors to blood clots. These mostly affect women — but men can also have high estrogen levels, although it usually leads to other side effects. Here are some of the most common consequences of excess estrogen:

Polycystic ovary syndrome

One of the most common conditions associated with excess estrogen is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS causes tiny fluid-filled sacs to appear in your ovaries, along with disrupting your menstruation and increasing the levels of male-associated hormones in your body.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition that affects your uterus, causing its tissues to grow excessively. In turn, this results in unusually strong period pains, diarrhea, pelvic and abdominal cramps, and infertility, among other symptoms. Endometriosis could even cause depression.

Cancer

The biggest concern regarding excess estrogen is cancer. While breast cancer is the most associated with estrogen, research shows that other types of cancer can also develop due to excess estrogen. This includes gastric, lung, hepatic, and pituitary cancer.

Other side effects

It’s unclear how many conditions are linked to excess estrogen, as researchers constantly discover new links between specific side effects and this hormone. Here are some other conditions that are related to high estrogen levels:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• Multiple sclerosis (ME)
• Gynecomastia in men and breast hypertrophy in women
• Short stature
• Obesity

Luckily, various therapies can regulate your estrogen levels. For example, your doctor may prescribe anti-estrogen medications like anastrozole and letrozole. Similarly, specific medications can help treat the conditions that arise from high estrogen levels.

But many people decide not to use these medications due to their many contraindications, turning instead to natural alternatives. These involve changing your lifestyle habits, including your diet and stress management. Here are some tips on how to lower estrogen levels naturally:

Changing your diet

Experts point out that your diet plays a crucial role in managing estrogen levels. Eating certain foods can help you flush excess estrogen. Plus, the bacteria that live in your gut can also impact estrogen dominance. Research shows that specific diets can be helpful in managing excess estrogen.

For example, the Mediterranean diet limits your intake of estrogen-promoting foods, replacing them with seafood, fruits, and vegetables. Research suggests that this eating plan can decrease your total estrogen levels by up to 40%. Similarly, a 2019 study showed that women who followed the Mediterranean diet were less prone to getting breast cancer.

Vegetarian and plant-based diets are also suitable for promoting a healthy estrogen balance. Experts point out that vegetarian women have up to 30% less estrogen in their blood thanks to their diet. Furthermore, high vegetable and fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer.

Losing weight and exercising

A comprehensive 2009 study showed that obesity is closely linked to breast cancer due to increased estrogen levels. Estrone and estradiol (the two strongest estrogen types) increase along with your body mass index (BMI) when you’re overweight. This means obesity not only puts you at risk of not only breast cancer but also all other conditions related to estrogen dominance.

However, the same study also pointed out that physical activity can neutralize the estrogen imbalance caused by obesity. This means it’s crucial to exercise regularly to reduce your BMI and total estrogen levels. It’s also important to know that losing weight only through your diet may not be as effective in reducing excess estrogen.

Stress management

Surprisingly, stress can play a key role in your hormone balance. This happens because of a particular hormone called cortisol, which appears during stressful periods. To produce this hormone, your body has to disrupt your usual hormonal balance.

Try to incorporate some anti-stress habits into your life if you’re going through a difficult time. Socializing, picking up a hobby, meditating, and exercising are some of the best activities you can try to reduce your stress levels.

There isn’t a single cause of high estrogen levels — experts suggest that excess estrogen results from many factors and habits in your life. These range from your diet to your alcohol intake. Here are some of the most common high estrogen causes:

• Obesity
• Stress
• Unhealthy diet
• Lack of exercise
• Menopause and other hormonal changes in your body
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Contraceptive pills

However, check with a doctor to precisely determine the root of your estrogen imbalance. A trained professional can give you accurate advice regarding excess estrogen, considering your medical conditions, current medications, and other important factors.