Tammy Worrell, WHNP-C

Tammy Worrell, WHCPOn a personal note, Tammy is married and has 3 sons, 18, 15, and 10. She spends her “free” time at the basketball court, the baseball field, and the football field. She is also an active member at Westover Church in Greensboro where she volunteers with the youth. Tammy is a trained classical pianist and enjoys playing in church when the opportunity arises. She also enjoys art and writing. She is currently hard at work writing a book entitled ‘Aging With Grace’. This is a book about how to safely go through the various changes in life…physical, emotional, and spiritual. If interested, Tammy is available for speaking engagements at your church or civic women’s groups. She has an interactive presentation entitled ‘Aging With Grace’ that covers the areas that her book will cover. Tammy is available for all aspects of women’s care, including annual exams and pap smears, with the exception of obstetrics.

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Estrogen Dominance

Questionnaire:

  1. Do you have PMS, heavy periods, bad menstrual cramps?
  2. Are you overweight?
  3. Do you have large breasts?
  4. Have you been diagnosed with Endometriosis, fibroid tumors of the uterus, or fibrocystic breasts?
  5. Are you taking oral birth control?
  6. Are you taking synthetic hormone replacement?
  7. Do you have a family history of Breast or Uterine cancer?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably have too much Estrogen.  Estrogen dominance is a problem that plagues about 70% of American women.  Having too much Estrogen in ratio to Progesterone is dangerous. It increases your risk for Breast cancer, Uterine cancer, Ovarian cancer, as well as the problems listed above in the questionnaire.  You can have normal amounts of Estrogen and still be Estrogen dominant.  It is usually related to too little Progesterone.  When evaluating your lab work, specifically your female hormone panel, you should have a 1:4 ratio between your Progesterone and Estrogen.

What causes Estrogen dominance?

  • Environmental factors:  Pesticides have a property that raises our Estrogen levels.  This is one reason that we stress the importance of eating organic foods, free of environmental toxins.
  • Excessive consumption of Soy: Another cause of Estrogen dominance is eating too many foods high in soy content.  Soy is used in many over-the-counter menopause support products.  Soy has a unique property of binding with your Estrogen receptor sites on the cellular membrane.  This can sometimes reduce the symptoms associated with menopause, but too much consumption of Soy products will raise your Estrogen levels.  This is true of men as well.  Men can become Estrogen dominant as easily as women.  This is the primary reason for Testosterone deficiency in men.
  • Being overweight:  Estrogen is a fat metabolized hormone.  This means that it is stored in the fat cells.  When the blood pumps through your body, it picks up Estrogen from the fat cell and disperses it throughout the body.  Too Much Fat = Too Much Estrogen!
  • Genetics: We often follow the genetic lineage of our Mothers and Grandmothers.  Often we will suffer the same physical ailments.  It is unclear yet whether or not we have a genetic predisposition to Estrogen dominance or if there is a gene responsible for the development of Estrogen dominant associated illness.  Often there is a problem genetically with Estrogen metabolism that carries the Estrogen molecule down the wrong pathway leading to increased risks for Breast cancer.
  • Birth Control Pills:  Oral contraceptives suppress the natural production of hormones.  The use of “the pill” often leads to problems with an imbalance of Estrogen and Progesterone.
  • Synthetic HRT:  Synthetic hormones are made of substances that bind to our Estrogen and Progesterone receptor sites. Unfortunately, these hormones have little similarity to a woman’s hormones.  They simply bind to the receptor sites, reducing or eliminating the symptoms associated with menopause.  Most people are surprised when they learn that the “estrogen” associated with synthetic HRT is made of horse urine!  The most dangerous component of synthetic HRT is the “Progesterone like” substance called Progestin.  This substance is created in a lab and very different from natural Progesterone.  Again, these pharmaceuticals suppress the natural hormone production of a woman, leading to Estrogen dominance.  These products raise our risks for breast cancer and heart disease.

How do you reverse Estrogen dominance?

  • Do not use synthetic hormones, including birth control pills and hormone replacement!  Only use natural, bio-identical hormones.
  • Keep your body at a healthy BMI (body mass index).
  • Avoid excessive intake of Soy.
  • Vitamin B-12 (sublingual or Injectable.)
  • Natural Progesterone (balances Estrogen)
  • Iodine (either SSKI drops or Iodural)
  • DIM or Indole 3 Carbinol (found in Ultra Indinol Plus)

While Estrogen dominance is a serious problem, taking precautions by avoiding the problems that cause hormonal imbalance to begin with can eliminate or reverse the risks.  To evaluate whether or not you are Estrogen dominant, you should have a complete evaluation and appropriate labs.  Contact the office for an appointment soon.