Mary Kate Wright, MS, CMI
Symptoms of low estrogen or estrogen deficiency can occur at any age, but
they are more prominent in menopause. They include hot flashes, night sweats,
headaches, vaginal dryness, mental fuzziness, frequent bladder infections, a
decreased sexual response, and weight gain. You can end up with excessive
amounts of estrogen if you take extra estrogen in the form of exogenous
hormones or if your body makes too little progesterone. Symptoms of too much
estrogen include depression, bloating, pounding headaches, breast swelling, and
excessive vaginal bleeding. A good estrogen-to-progesterone ratio in young
females is 20-to-1.
Progesterone, the other female sex hormone, downregulates estrogen activity.
Progesterone is produced by the ovaries. It reduces anxiety and has a calming
effect on mood. It makes women happy. Postpartum depression is caused by a
rapid decline in progesterone levels. Progesterone increases sleepiness, helps to
build and maintain bones, slows the digestive process, promotes appetite and fat
storage (which is important in pregnancy), helps breast tissue mature, and
prepares breasts to produce milk.
Low progesterone levels can happen at any age, but production especially
plummets around menopause. Symptoms of low progesterone or progesterone
deficiency include PMS-like symptoms, premenstrual migraines, irregular or
heavy periods, and anxiety. Women can suffer from excessive amounts of
progesterone if they take too many hormone replacements; these symptoms
include: sleepiness, drowsiness, and depression.
Both estrogen and progesterone levels have suffered because of our modern
diet. Excess sugar and elimination of natural fats led to serious disturbances in
these important sex hormones. It is no wonder infertility and early menopause
are now on the rise.
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