The conventional medical mindset is that menopause is an estrogen deficiency disease resulting from ovarian failure.

Women have been led to believe that at the slightest symptoms, they should run out and get estrogen replacement.

While estrogen levels will decrease during menopause, the truth is, estrogen levels do not fall appreciably until after a woman’s last period.

In fact, far more women suffer from the effects of “estrogen dominance” during the transition — that is, they have too much estrogen relative to progesterone.

And some women can suffer from the symptoms of estrogen dominance for 10 to 15 years, beginning as early as age 35.

Estrogen Dominance Symptoms

The symptoms listed below, as well as many others, often arise when estrogen overstimulates both the brain and body.

All of these symptoms are exacerbated by stress of all kinds.

Many women in their thirties and early forties find that they experience moderate to severe symptoms of estrogen dominance as they approach perimenopause.

• Decreased sex drive
• Irregular or otherwise abnormal menstrual periods
• Bloating (water retention)
• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Headaches (especially premenstrually)
• Mood swings (most often irritability and depression)
• Weight and/or fat gain (particularly around the abdomen and hips)
• Cold hands and feet (a symptom of thyroid dysfunction)
• Hair loss
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Sluggish metabolism
• Foggy thinking, memory loss
• Fatigue
• Trouble sleeping/insomnia
• PMS
  
  

What are EDCs?

EDCs are chemicals or mixtures of chemicals that interfere with the way the body’s hormones work.

Some EDCs act like “hormone mimics” and trick our body into thinking that they are hormones, while other EDCs block natural hormones from doing their job. Other EDCs can increase or decrease the levels of hormones in our blood by affecting how they are made, broken down, or stored in our body. Finally, other EDCs can change how sensitive our bodies are to different hormones.

How are We Exposed?

Since EDCs come from many different sources, people are exposed in several ways, including the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.

EDCs can also enter the body through the skin.

Example of Common EDC Sources:

• Industrial chemicals and pesticides can leach into soil and groundwater, and make their way into the food chain by building up in fish, animals, and people.
• Non-organic produce can have pesticide residues
• Some consumer products contain EDCs or are packaged in containers which can leach EDCs, such as household chemicals, fabrics treated with flame retardants, cosmetics, lotions, products with fragrance, and anti-bacterial soaps
• Processed foods can accumulate traces of EDCs that leach out of materials used in manufacturing, processing, transportation, and storage
• Soy-based products contain phytoestrogens, which are chemicals produced by plants that mimic estrogen
• Household dust can contain EDCs such as lead, flame retardants, and PCBs from weathering construction material or furniture.

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