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July 31, 2025

Estrogen Dominance: What It Is, What Causes It, and How to Fix It

Estrogen dominance affects women and men, leading to fatigue, weight gain, and mood changes. Learn how to identify, understand, and treat it naturally with targeted functional medicine strategies, peptides, and supplements.

Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen Dominance: What It Is, What Causes It, and How to Resolve It Naturally

Hormonal imbalances are behind a wide array of chronic health complaints—and one of the most misunderstood is estrogen dominance. Though often discussed in the context of women’s health, estrogen dominance affects both women and men, with far-reaching effects on metabolism, mood, detoxification, and long-term disease risk.

In this article, we’ll explore:

  • What estrogen dominance actually means

  • Common signs and symptoms

  • Root causes and contributing factors

  • How to test for and diagnose it

  • Natural solutions including supplements, peptides, and lifestyle strategies to rebalance your hormones and restore health.

What Is Estrogen Dominance?

Estrogen dominance occurs when estrogen levels are too high relative to progesterone (in women) or testosterone (in men). It's not just about how much estrogen is present, but rather the imbalance between hormones that normally counterbalance each other.

Estrogen Dominance in Women

Women naturally cycle through estrogen and progesterone throughout the month. When estrogen rises too high or progesterone drops too low, a relative dominance can occur. This is especially common:

  • In perimenopause

  • With anovulatory cycles

  • With chronic stress

  • After exposure to environmental estrogens

Estrogen Dominance in Men

In men, estrogen levels can rise when:

  • Testosterone declines (due to age, obesity, medications, or insulin resistance)

  • Aromatase activity increases (converting testosterone into estrogen)

  • Liver detoxification is impaired
    This leads to signs like gynecomastia (male breast tissue), belly fat, mood swings, and fatigue.

Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance

In Women:

  • PMS, heavy or irregular periods

  • Breast tenderness or fibrocystic breasts

  • Mood swings, irritability, or anxiety

  • Weight gain (especially hips, thighs, and belly)

  • Bloating or water retention

  • Headaches or migraines

  • Decreased libido

  • Thyroid dysfunction

  • Trouble sleeping

In Men:

  • Low libido or erectile dysfunction

  • Fat gain around the midsection

  • Muscle loss

  • Brain fog or depression

  • Gynecomastia

  • Low testosterone symptoms

What Causes Estrogen Dominance?

1. Poor Liver Detoxification

The liver is responsible for metabolizing and eliminating excess estrogen. If phase I and II liver detox pathways are sluggish, estrogen recirculates and builds up.

2. Low Progesterone or Testosterone

Estrogen is rarely the problem in isolation. When progesterone (in women) or testosterone (in men) declines, estrogen becomes relatively dominant—even if it hasn’t increased.

3. Chronic Stress

Cortisol steals pregnenolone, the precursor to progesterone and testosterone. This leaves estrogen unbalanced and dominant.

4. Gut Dysbiosis

A compromised microbiome—especially overgrowth of bacteria with high beta-glucuronidase activity—can impair estrogen elimination through the stool, leading to reabsorption.

5. Obesity

Fat tissue contains aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgens to estrogen. More fat = more aromatization = more estrogen.

6. Environmental Estrogens (Xenoestrogens)

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mimic estrogen and disrupt normal hormone signaling. Common culprits include:

  • BPA (plastics)

  • Phthalates (cosmetics)

  • Pesticides (glyphosate)

  • Parabens (personal care)

  • Flame retardants

7. Hormonal Birth Control

Synthetic estrogens can suppress ovulation and lower natural progesterone, creating a lasting imbalance even after discontinuation.

8. Thyroid Imbalance

Thyroid dysfunction can slow estrogen clearance and increase estrogen sensitivity at the receptor level.

How to Diagnose Estrogen Dominance

Functional lab testing gives a clearer picture than symptoms alone.

Blood Testing:

  • Estradiol (E2)

  • Progesterone

  • Estradiol:Progesterone ratio

  • Total and free testosterone

  • DHEA-S

  • Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)

Urine Hormone Testing:

  • Measures estrogen metabolites (2-OH, 4-OH, 16-OH pathways)

  • Assesses methylation and liver detox status

Preferred testing includes the Hormone Zoomer or HUMAP urine hormone panel.

How to Fix Estrogen Dominance Naturally

A root-cause approach includes multiple pillars:

1. Support Estrogen Detox Pathways

Supplements:

  • DIM (Diindolylmethane) – promotes the 2-hydroxyestrone pathway, the “good” estrogen metabolite
    → Hormone Balance (DIM supplement)

  • Calcium D-Glucarate – binds estrogens in the gut, inhibits beta-glucuronidase
    → Calcium D-Glucarate supplement

  • Sulforaphane – boosts phase II detox, NRF2 activation
    → Detox 2.0 (Sulforaphane)

  • Methylated B-vitamins – support estrogen methylation (especially B6, B12, and folate)
    → B12 & Folate, B Complex

Lifestyle:

  • Eat cruciferous vegetables daily

  • Avoid alcohol (impairs liver estrogen detox)

  • Increase fiber (helps estrogen excretion)

  • Drink enough water for toxin elimination

2. Balance Hormones with Supportive Nutrients

For Women:

  • Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus) – supports progesterone

  • Magnesium – improves progesterone receptor sensitivity

  • Vitamin E – helps relieve PMS symptoms

For Men:

3. Use Functional Peptides to Support Hormone Balance

Peptides offer precision in balancing hormonal pathways without synthetic hormones.

Recommended Peptides:

  • Kisspeptin – naturally stimulates LH and FSH to increase sex hormone production.
    → Helps raise progesterone in women and testosterone in men when low.

  • Tesamorelin or CJC-1295/Ipamorelin – promote growth hormone release, reduce visceral fat, and may indirectly reduce estrogen dominance through metabolic improvement.
    → Tesamorelin
    → CJC-1295
    → Ipamorelin

  • Follistatin – blocks myostatin, improves body composition, and may reduce aromatization by lowering fat mass.

  • BPC-157 – supports gut repair, which can lower beta-glucuronidase and improve estrogen clearance.

4. Heal the Gut to Eliminate Estrogen Efficiently

Gut health is essential for hormone clearance.

Key Supplements:

5. Reduce Xenoestrogen Exposure

  • Use glass or stainless-steel containers instead of plastic

  • Choose organic produce to reduce pesticide load

  • Use EWG-approved skincare and cleaning products

  • Avoid fragrances and air fresheners with phthalates

  • Filter your water to remove endocrine-disrupting chemicals

6. Lose Excess Fat to Reduce Aromatase Activity

Visceral fat is hormonally active. Weight loss through:

  • Low-carb, anti-inflammatory diet

  • Zone 2 cardio and resistance training

  • Peptides like MOTS-c or AOD-9604 to enhance fat metabolism

7. Consider Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (If Appropriate)

In cases of confirmed low progesterone or testosterone, a supervised HRT plan may be appropriate. Always balance estrogen with its hormonal counterparts to avoid worsening dominance.

Summary: A Step-by-Step Strategy to Resolve Estrogen Dominance

  1. Test hormone and metabolite levels (blood and/or urine)

  2. Improve estrogen detox (DIM, CDG, sulforaphane)

  3. Rebuild hormone balance (chasteberry, zinc, peptides like kisspeptin or CJC-1295)

  4. Heal the gut (probiotics, enzymes, immunoglobulins)

  5. Remove xenoestrogens (plastic, skincare, food chemicals)

  6. Reduce fat mass (diet, peptides, exercise)

  7. Support liver methylation (B vitamins, liver nutrients)

  8. Manage stress and cortisol (adaptogens, sleep, boundaries)

Final Thoughts

Estrogen dominance is not a mystery—it’s a predictable outcome of modern lifestyle, stress, and environmental exposures. The good news is that you can reverse it naturally by understanding what’s driving the imbalance, testing appropriately, and implementing a multi-pronged strategy using food, lifestyle, targeted supplements, and peptides.

With the right support, your body can return to balance. Hormones are not enemies—they’re messengers. And when they’re listened to, not suppressed, true healing begins.

References

(Sources will be listed here as requested by user, and are omitted from the main body)

  1. Estrogen Metabolism and the Role of Estrogen Dominance – Institute for Functional Medicine

  2. The Impact of Xenoestrogens on Health – Environmental Working Group (EWG)

  3. Role of Gut Microbiome in Estrogen Clearance – Journal of Clinical Endocrinology

  4. Clinical Use of DIM and Calcium D-Glucarate – Alternative Medicine Review

  5. The Role of Sulforaphane in Estrogen Detoxification – Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

  6. Kisspeptin and Hormone Regulation – Frontiers in Endocrinology

  7. Tesamorelin and Visceral Fat Reduction – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

  8. Follistatin and Metabolic Syndrome – Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle

  9. BPC-157 and Gut Healing – Current Pharmaceutical Design

  10. Aromatase Activity and Adipose Tissue – Nature Reviews Endocrinology

  11. DIM and Estrogen Metabolism Pathways – Nutrition and Cancer Journal