There are so many different reasons our bodies may be suffering, trying to figure it all out can be dizzying. Hormone imbalance is really a hot topic these days in the wellness sphere, and for good reason. 

Millions of women everywhere are suffering needlessly with hormonal imbalances. Busy, stressful lives, widespread toxicity, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are contributing to these imbalances which seem to plague us. 

As you may be aware, I have hormonal imbalances myself. I have PCOS as well as an underactive thyroid gland. I deal with adrenal insufficiency as well. All of these issues seem to be connected, and the hormone estrogen is one of those connections. 

If you’re struggling with weight gain in the hips, thighs, belly and back, or are dealing with mood problems and bad periods, I urge you to read on. What you will discover may be the lightbulb moment you need to begin taking targeted and natural action to smooth your symptoms and allow you to LIVE again. 

What Is Estrogen Dominance?

First of all, let’s get this out of the way. Educating yourself about WHAT is going on in your body and WHY (this comes below) will give you the direction you need to keep going. 

Estrogen dominance is a term that’s become quite popular, but many don’t truly understand what it means. Often we think “dominance” must mean too much, but this is not the case.

Estrogen dominance is simply an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, in favour of estrogen. This could mean that:

(1) You have excessively high levels of estrogen

(2) You have normal estrogen and low progesterone

(3) You have low estrogen and extremely low progesterone

Therefore, it is possible for women of all ages (even through and beyond menopause) to be estrogen dominant. There are 3 main estrogens, (1) estradiol, (2) estriol and (3) estrone. For the purposes of this article, I’m talking about estradiol- the estrogen that is most important throughout our lifespan. On the flip side, estriol is highest in pregnancy, and estrone becomes the dominant estrogen post-menopause. 

What Are The Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance?

There are so many different symptoms or complaints of estrogen dominance, and I’ll outline them below based on the 3 possible variations of estrogen dominance we discussed above. 

(1) Excessively high levels of estrogen and low progesterone

• Sore, swollen and tender breasts
• Breast growth beyond puberty
• Swelling in the hands/fingers, legs and ankles
• Menstrual cramps
• Heavy menstrual flow
• Impatience 
• Being called “too bossy”

(2) Normal to high estrogen and low progesterone

• Absent periods
• Irregular periods
• Menstrual flow clotting
• Sore, tender breasts
• Water retention/swelling
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Fibroids
• Endometriosis 

(3) Low estrogen and extremely low progesterone

• Memory loss
• Depression 
• Hot flashes or night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Low libido
• Chronic fatigue
• Insomnia
• Sagging breasts
• Quick weight gain
• Bloating 
• Absent or irregular periods

Other, more general symptoms and signs of estrogen dominance include:

• Accelerated aging
• Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) – feeling “hangry” between meals
• Premenopausal bone loss
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Uterine cancer and fibroids
• Breast cancer
• PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
• Ovarian cysts
• Anovulation 
• Low progesterone and/or luteal phase defect
• Cervical dysplasia
• Hair loss
• infertility
• irritability
• Mood swings
• PMS or PMDD
• Sluggish metabolism
• Fat deposition in the hips, thighs, belly and back
• Gallbladder disease

How You Get Estrogen Dominance

So how did we get here? What happened in our lives that brought on estrogen dominance and all these bothersome symptoms?

Toxicity 

First and foremost, we must chat about toxicity. There are infinite sources of toxicity in our environment, and we cannot escape it. This sometimes makes us feel like giving up- because if we don’t have control, what’s the point? The truth is we do have control.

The main sources of toxicity we can’t control are:

• Air pollution
• Use of chemicals in clothing, furniture, cars, etc

Sources of toxicity we can control:

• Food and water
• Household cleaning products
• Indoor air environment
• Makeup
• Personal care products such as deodorant and shampoo

As you can see, a lot of the control is in our hands. This is really important, as toxins can disrupt proper estrogen and hormone metabolism (endocrine disruptors) contributing to any or all of the symptoms listed above. 

Specifically, it’s important to watch out for xenoestrogens, man-made estrogens found in many places, including:

• Commercially-raised meat and dairy products like chicken, beef, pork, and all dairy
• Non-organic foods with high levels of insecticides and pesticides
• Tap water
• Shampoos, lotions, soaps, toothpastes, cosmetics, deodorants, etc
• Soft plastics (BPA is a popular xenoestrogen here)
• Artificial food additives, including artificial sweeteners and MSG
• Non-organic soy and soy derivatives like soy protein isolate
• Dryer sheets
• Birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• Disposable menstrual products like tampons and sanitary pads

The problem with these xenoestrogens is that they mimic the function of our natural estrogen, but in a much stronger or more powerful way. Beyond giving our bodies too much estrogen, they will also disrupt that delicate estrogen-progesterone ratio, the definition of estrogen dominance. 

Poor Diet

Diet is one of those areas where we do have control, and ignoring this is detrimental to our health. As you can see from the above list, five of the ten sources of xenoestrogens mentioned are food-based. 

This makes logical sense then that dietary xenoestrogens are contributing to estrogen dominance. You can also see that these foods aren’t healthy choices either, so eliminating them from your diet is the easiest way to ditch 50% of the xenoestrogens you come into contact with. 

Beyond dietary xenoestrogens, other dietary problems can contribute. For example, if you eat a diet high in refined carbs (think bagels, bread, muffins, noodles, donuts, crackers, etc), your blood sugar and insulin balance will be upset. 

When this happens, insulin messes with your ovaries, changing up estrogen and progesterone balance. Additionally, insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance create more opportunity for your body to store extra fat and to be anxious, depressed, irritable or down right moody. 

Birth Control and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Medications are another branch of toxicity worth it’s own section. Many women today are on some form of hormones birth control, like the pill, shot, IUD or patch. Other peri- and post-menopausal women are given synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT). 

All of these drugs push high amounts of synthetic estrogen into your body. Because the lab-made estrogen doesn’t look or at the exact way our natural estrogen does, it often binds to receptors first and has the same powerful and harmful action as other xenoestrogens. When women using hormonal birth control pee, the hormones are left in the water system, ending up in tap water. Local filtration systems just aren’t enough to remove the hormones from the water. 

The good news is that there are many non-drug ways to have contraception, or hormone support, depending on your needs. For example, the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) can be used to prevent pregnancy or enhance fertility, depending on your goals. 

Estrogen Dominance and Weight Gain

So what’s the connection between having estrogen dominance and weight gain? It’s pretty simple. 

Estrogen is partly responsible for keeping our metabolisms in good shape. It also helps to maintain fat loss in proper levels. Having too much can slow metabolism, as can having too little. So, you’re more apt to gain weight, especially in the hips, thighs and back, as well as the belly. You might notice you started out as a pear shape, and have gained weight and now have an apple shape, with much of your weight in the belly area as time goes on. 

Beyond this, estrogen dominance negatively interferes with thyroid hormone. The thyroid is the main controller of our metabolism, and of estrogen dominance is slowing our thyroid, our metabolism will slow and we will gain weight. 

Many women with estrogen dominance also have some level of thyroid dysfunction. 

Estrogen Dominance and Mood Problems

Beyond weight gain, mood disturbances are a big light bulb that estrogen dominance may be contributing to your issues. 

When estrogen is in balance, we feel sexy, strong, confident and ready to take on the world. We are uplifted and pleasant to be around. 

When estrogen dominates over progesterone, this can lead to anxiety (progesterone is a calming hormones) and depression, which may be seen even with low estrogen levels. 

Additionally, excess estrogen may have you feeling super irritable, or people may begin calling you bossy because of the way you act. 

These things don’t have to be cause for using anti-depressants, but rather are a signal to bring estrogen and progesterone into balance naturally to restore your moods. 

Estrogen Dominance and Painful, Heavy and Irregular Periods

Another big sign of estrogen dominance is period issues. Specifically, heavy, painful and/or irregular periods.

Having too much estrogen in relation to progesterone can stall or halt ovulation altogether. No ovulation = no period. 

Excessive estrogen also builds up the lining of the uterus more than normal, and often results in heavy periods accompanied by clotting. Pain and menstrual cramping may also be severe with estrogen dominance.
 
 

I’m sitting down to write a helpful post for you about reversing mood swings, and just two hours ago I had one of my own- the tears started flowing, and I felt like I was at my upper limit. Of course, it was over something really simple- my sister’s puppy jumped up and his teeth got me right in the lip and that was it. I felt like I wanted to go ball my eyes out back in bed. 

Thankfully, I’m well aware of the techniques I need to turn that mood around and prevent myself from becoming one with my mattress. 

And so, instead of crawling back under the sheets and giving this day a big middle finger, I’m here at my laptop writing and getting shit done with more of a smile on my face than I would’ve 5 years ago, when my mood was at the height of bitchiness. 

Why Do We Get Mood Swings?

Before we can talk about those simple secrets to eradicating your mood swings, it’s important to understand why the flip you’re getting them in the first place! Knowledge is power ladies, and when you know what’s happening in your body, it becomes MUCH easier to fix it. 

There are so many reasons we get mood swings, from physical processes (like imbalanced hormones) to our lifestyle and coping strategies. I’m going to share four major reasons below.

P.S. Nightly wine does not count as a healthy coping strategy.

#1 “Type A” Living + Overcommitment 

I want to address lifestyle factors contributing to mood swings before we get into the body science bit. Why? Because we’re always searching for something physically wrong when we don’t feel right, and often (knowingly or unknowingly) avoid thinking about how our lifestyle, emotional and mental health are playing into mood manifestation. 

Likely if you’re reading this, you’re a Type A personality. In my clinical experience, most women are- and the more “Type A” they are, the harder they are on themselves, and the worse their moods become. 

You might be considered a Type A personality (Type A and B were developed by psychologists based on how people react to stress) if you’re:

• Very competitive 
• Extremely self-critical
• Easily wound up
• Tend to overreact
• Feeling a constant sense of urgency around time and getting things done
• Easily aroused to hostility or anger
• Feeling guilty about taking time for yourself
• A multi-tasker

I’m a Type A too, and it takes constant compassion from me to ME to bring myself back down to earth. I’ve come along way in the past 6 years (thanks in part to my man Kyle) to where I have times of feeling more laid back, relaxed and ready to go with the flow. 

One of the biggest things I notice about Type A women is that we tend to overcommit. We’ll work full time, cook the food, walk the dog, take the kids to after-school activities, join the PTA, help a friend, clean the house, make sure our partner can sit back and relax- and just about anything else we can squeeze in to our limited time. 

Did you notice a serious LACK of time for yourself? Yep- it’s basically impossible when you’re constantly giving and doing for everyone else. 

Here’s where the mood swings start. Anger, aggression, over-reacting to stupid shit, insomnia-inducing anxiety and creeping depression to the point where we don’t even recognize ourselves anymore. 

#2 Estrogen – Progesterone Imbalance

Now that you’re sufficiently riled up after reading the above, let’s talk about science and physiology- my personal favorite part, as a major (proud) nutrition nerd.

As you may be aware, estrogen and progesterone are your major sex hormones. They are made in the ovaries (mostly) and regulate just about everything for us ladies. Not just our cycles and menstrual flow, but also our moods, our energy, our weight and so much more.

Typically, women who experience PMS-related mood swings are estrogen dominant. What this means is that they have too much estrogen in relation to progesterone. This is even possible if your estrogen levels are low, so watch out for that. 

When you’re living with low levels of progesterone, you’re more prone to mood swings. Progesterone is a naturally calming hormone, and when in balance can reduce levels of anxiety. Estrogen on the other hand helps your mood stay uplifted, where you feel sexy, powerful and in control. Mess with the balance of these babies and you’re up shit creek when it comes to your moods.

#3 Cortisol and Adrenal Imbalance

Cortisol is your major stress hormone, created in your adrenal glands. Cortisol is released in response to both short-term and long-term stress. In an acutely dangerous and stressful situation, cortisol is fantastic because it helps our bodies to either fight or run the hell away from whatever the danger is. 

However, when we are getting riled up about everything (see the Type A description above), including the commute to work, dirty dishes in the sink and an over-bearing boss- cortisol is constantly being released, and this will lead to more, crazier mood swings, adrenal burnout, weight gain (hello, belly fat!), etc. 

Cortisol also influences neurotransmitters, those chemicals that allow nerves to talk to each other and have a major impact on our mood (like serotonin, for example). Specifically, cortisol gums up the synthesis, transport, breakdown and overall activity of neurotransmitters, leaving you depressed and anxious. I highly recommend checking out the book “The Cortisol Connection” by Shawn Talbott if you’re dying to know more about this science (it’s NOT a light read). 

#4 Underactive Thyroid

Another endocrine gland, the thyroid, also plays a role in mood swings. Situated comfortably on your neck, the thyroid plays a role in your menstrual cycle, your metabolism, your immune system and your mood, to name a few duties. 

The thyroid gland is connected to your adrenals and your ovaries through the OAT Axis, or Ovary-Adrenal-Thyroid axis. They communicate through this axis, and if one is out of balance, chances are the other two are as well. For example, if you’re super stressed, your adrenals are not doing so well, and your body is going to use energy to support them rather than making sex hormones like progesterone, leaving you anxious.

In connection to the thyroid, when the adrenals and/or ovaries are going down the crap shoot, the thyroid gland can become sluggish, deepening any imbalances in the adrenals and ovaries, adding to the moodiness. Nutrient deficiency (especially minerals) also contributes to this.

It’s important to realize that even if your doctor says your thyroid is “normal” or within range, it may still not be functioning properly. Doctors don’t do deep testing if your 

TSH comes back normal, so you could be walking around with a thyroid issue and not even know about it. But that’s a topic for another day and another post.

7 Simple Secrets to Easily Eradicate Your Mood Swings

Phew! Now that you understand your body, let’s talk about how to eradicate these mood swings. Moods naturally change depending on external and internal factors as a normal function, but if it’s so severe it’s affecting your ability to function in daily life, it’s time to implement some of these simple secrets.

#1 Eat Fat

Forget about the low-fat fad you’ve been conditioned to use in your own diet. It’s false science, and it’s creating a LOT of health problems for many people. 

Fat is the biggest part of our cell membranes (every single cell in our bodies), it is used to create hormones (like progesterone and cortisol), keeps our blood sugar balanced and generally calms the nervous system by insulating nerves. 

Make sure to get fat at every meal. My personal favorite way to start the day is with a bulletproof matcha latte, which is loaded with fats and seriously sets my mood and energy up to be stable all day like nothing else ever has. 

Other sources of fat to include with your meals are coconut oil/milk/butter, avocados, hemp seeds, chia seeds, all other nuts and seeds, butter, ghee (clarified butter), animal skins/meats, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, olives and olive oil, etc. 

Aim for a high-fat breakfast plus an additional 1-2 tbsp. added fat to each meal. 

#2 Morning Meditation

In 2016 one of my goals was to implement a rejuvenating morning routine that included at least 5 minutes of meditation. I’m happy to say that I reached that goal, and have increased my meditation time to 10 minutes since the start of 2017. Ladies- it has changed my life. No word of a lie- people through that statement around, but I’m being completely serious here.

I notice on the odd day that I don’t meditate first thing, I’m moody, my energy sucks and I’m generally a royal biotch to be around. 

You can do it too. Whether it’s a guided meditation, sitting silently and breathing, using a male or other meditation implement, sitting, standing, walking, lying down- it seriously does not matter. The only thing that matters is that you do it consistently. 

You can get an example of a short two-minute meditation in my Happy Hormones in 5 Minutes a Day cheat sheet! Simply click the image below to get your free copy. 

#3 Take Breaks

Remember how we talked about why being a go-go-go Type A person and overcommitting yourself is contributing to mood swings? Well, here’s where we remedy that. Simply, stop working yourself into the ground and take a few minutes throughout the day to give yourself a break.

Dr. James Wilson, author of “Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome” recommends getting horizontal if you can during breaks to help recirculate energy and calm yourself down.

Breaks can be as little as 5 minutes or as long as 30+ minutes, depending on what you have time for. Schedule it in your planner like any other task or appointment to make sure you’re consistent. I’ll be taking my morning break once I finish writing this article.

#4 Rest

Beyond taking breaks, it’s important to rest. If you get up in the morning to rush around getting yourself ready before running out the door and freaking out about slow drivers because YOU made yourself late, to boogying around work and back home to make dinner, do stuff with the kids and head back out the door for either kids or personal to-dos and activities, there’s no rest time in there. 

Likely you’re also having trouble sleeping if this is your lifestyle, reducing the amount of rest you get even more. 

Fill your cup so you can pour out to others (in a happy, joyous and altogether non-grumpy way).

Go to bed 30 minutes earlier. Take those horizontal breaks. Take a restorative yoga class. Whatever you need to do to get more daily rest.

#5 Probiotics

A happy gut = happy hormones. It may seem silly to talk about gut health when it comes to mood, but it’s incredibly important for a few reasons. 

Having a healthy probiotic (healthy bacteria) balance in the body can:

• Calm the nervous system
• Increase production of happiness chemicals like serotonin and GABA
• Improve estrogen detoxification to lessen/help with estrogen dominance
• Improve resilience and immune system
• Support the thyroid gland
• And MUCH more. . .

Seriously the research on the benefits of probiotics has just touched the tip of the iceberg, but we DO know that it’s SO important for everything going on in your body. 

You can get probiotics by consuming fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, beet kvass and much more. You can also try a probiotic supplement. My personal favs are:

1. Healthy Start System by Natren
2. MegaSpore Biotic by Physician’s Exclusive (only available through practitioners like myself)

#6 Liver Detox

Functional liver detoxification is imperative for good probiotic balance, for detoxifying excess estrogens and other hormones like cortisol, and for the health of your mood. By regularly supporting gentle liver detoxification, you can remedy any estrogen dominance happening that might be messing with your mood.

You can also help regulate the movement of qi (chi), prana (life force) or energy through your body. When the liver is stagnant or sluggish, feelings of anger, irritability, hostility, teariness, and depression may result. 

You can easily support your liver daily by:

• Drinking warm lemon water with some MSM powder upon waking
• Eating loads of veggies- especially the leafy green kind
• Swapping your coffee or caffeinated tea for liver-helping teas like Detox Tea, milk thistle, dandelion root and/or nettle tea
• Exercising and sweating regularly

#7 B Vitamins

All the B vitamins will play some role in regulating adrenals, sex hormones and mood issues. For example, vitamin B5 helps to regulate stress (anxiety!) and adrenal gland function. Vitamin B6 helps to regulate mood and increase progesterone (which when low can contribute to anxiety). Vitamin B1 or thiamine could also help to remedy mood issues like anxiety and depression. I always recommend getting your B vitamins through a B-vitamin complex supplement that includes all the Bs, as they work synergistically together and prevent an imbalance of Bs from happening.

Foods: dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and collard greens, lentils, bell peppers, liver, eggs, almonds, walnuts, sardines, oats and sea vegetables

Dose: Follow bottle directions or directions from your natural healthcare practitioner

Recommended Products:

• Stress B Complex by Thorne
• Pro-B Complex by AOR Professional
• Advanced B Complex by AOR
• B-Complex Plus by Pure Encapsulations

Used for: Sleep disturbances, mood issues like irritability, depression and anxiety, inability to handle stress or low resilience, irregular, painful or heavy menstrual cycles, digestive difficulty, lack of energy and focus, brain fog

Depression

PMS/PMDD

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Sources:

Food

Sunshine

Supplements

What’s your story with Vitamin D and your mood? Have you tried it? Would you? Did it work?

Do you think of your period not as ‘raining roses’ but as your monthly red devil? You are not alone! Up to 95% of women suffer from some PMS symptoms as some point during their menstruating years. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and PMS has plagued me for years. Thanks to diet change and supplementation, I can say my symptoms have reduced drastically! And yours can too!

What is PMS?

PMS or Premenstrual syndrome, is characterized by a series of symptoms that women experience generally 1-2 weeks before their period arrives, and sometimes during menstruation. Some of the symptoms (and this is by no means an exhaustive list) include:

• Water retention & bloating
• Breast tenderness
• Mood swings and irritability
• Depression and/or anxiety
• Fatigue
• Food cravings
• Aching joints and muscles
• Acne & other skin eruptions
• and MANY more

The reason these awful symptoms come about is usually because of a progesterone deficiency.During the latter two weeks of our cycle, progesterone is supposed to be high in the event of a pregnancy. Because so many of us have excess estrogen floating around due to chemicals and other additives, progesterone is not able to get as high as necessary. This results in you becoming a scary lady that even frightens yourself! Never fear, read on to fix the most common symptoms. . .

3 Common Symptoms and How to Fix Them

Bloating/Weight Gain

Ahh yes, we’ve all been there: One day your fav pair of skinny jeans fits like a glove and the next your lying on the bed tugging and pulling to get them up over your lady lumps. What gives? If you are low in progesterone, you tend to retain water. This wonder hormone is a natural diuretic that helps keep us slim and trim throughout the whole month.

What can you do about it? Vitamin B6 is essential for proper water balance. Try to include foods rich in this nutrient such as turkey, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds and spinach in extra amounts for the two weeks before your period starts. Still not enough? Consider a B6 supplement of 100mg or more. Make sure you drink plenty of water- dehydration makes our body hold on to water because it fears famine. Let it know that abundance is here by drinking about 2 litres per day.

Mood Swings & Depression

Are your mood swings making your friends, family and the general public run for cover? I’ve been there too. Never fear- help is here! The highs and lows of estrogen and progesterone throughout your cycle can cause serious mood swings, irritability, anxiety and depression. It is important to have these hormones working like clockwork in order to remain emotionally stable.

Try to keep your blood sugar stable by reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing your fat intake. Limiting your carbs to later in the day will do wonders for your mood. Spend some time outdoors everyday to get your Vitamin D- the sunshine vitamin! Vitamin D is essential for happy moods and who doesn’t feel happy looking at a beautiful lake, forest or flower patch?

Food Cravings

Food cravings are a huge concern for women who suffer from PMS. One minute you want to eat the whole chocolate cake and the next you want to inhale a whole bag of potato chips! Salty, sweet, and loaded with carbs, giving in to these cravings often makes things worse!

Prevent this from bringing you down by stabilizing your blood sugar! Like we already talked about, increasing your fat intake goes a long way to keeping you satisfied! And who doesn’t like the taste of fat, am I right? Throw some avocado on your salad and put some flax or hemp oil in your morning smoothie. Still want those carbs? Choose sweet potato, red skin potatoes or squash with your evening meal instead of french fries, pasta or white rice. You’ll get that starchy mouth-feel plus some awesome nutrients!

Don’t worry. . .PMS isn’t something you have to dread every month. Try these tips and you’ll be feeling great in no time!