Not All Estrogens Are Equal You may have heard that estrogen fuels breast cancer risk, but it’s more complicated than that.

Estrogen - whether made in the body or taken in externally from hormone therapy - is metabolized through pathways in the liver, forming estrogen metabolites. Estrogen metabolites interact with genetics, liver enzymes, antioxidants, and other biochemical pathways to ultimately influence breast cancer risk.

When we think about female hormones, estrogen and progesterone usually come to mind first. But here’s the thing—they’re only part of the story. If you’re experiencing period problems - yes, it MIGHT be your hormones. AND ALSO your hormones might be out of balance for other reasons.

When it comes to health, the thyroid often takes center stage. But rarely is a thyroid issue isolated to just the thyroid. The thyroid's function is intricately linked to other hormones produced in the brain, adrenal glands, ovaries, and pancreas.

The benefits of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause symptoms outweigh the risks. This is the conclusion of an analysis based on 2 decades of follow-up data from the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Read to learn more!

Perimenopausal weight gain is a real thing.

This is a fact.

It's common for weight gain to start a few years before menopause, during the time known as perimenopause. Weight gain often continues at about the rate of 1.5 pounds each year as a woman goes through her 50s.

When I meet with women to discuss the potential risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy - fear of weight gain with estrogen therapy is common.

But is this fear valid?

As discussed in my previous blog, chronic elevation of the stress hormone cortisol is one of the most significant root causes of health issues in many of my clients. It can have long-term effects on many aspects of health and well-being, including metabolism, sleep, brain, and mood.

Have you ever thought about what’s actually creating stress in your body? It might not be what you think.

If you want to train your body to be more resilient to stress (so it doesn’t have so much control over your life), it helps to understand stress hormones. There are 2 stress hormones I want you to know about: Cortisol & Adrenaline (also called Epinephrine).

In May 2022, I was diagnosed with an early-stage breast cancer, detected by a routine screening mammogram. I chose to undergo a skin-sparing double mastectomy with reconstruction in late June 2022 and spent the summer recovering. Fortunately, the cancer was caught very early, and I was given an excellent prognosis without chemotherapy.

In my 20+ years of practicing medicine, I have often found stress levels in my patients to be higher in May - especially for those with school-aged children. The problem with letting all that stress get to you is that higher levels of stress hormones can really MESS with your other hormones! The Stress-Hormone connection is REAL - and it’s a vicious cycle. As I often discuss with my patients, hormones “dance” with one another. When one set of hormones becomes imbalanced - this is likely to wreak havoc on other hormones.

Bringing hormones into balance requires a commitment to healthy habits, but we can support the process with targeted nutritional supplements. When considering nutritional supplements for estrogen dominance, there are 3 categories to consider: Gut Support - for proper estrogen elimination, Liver Support - for healthy estrogen metabolism, and Hormone Support - for estrogen-progesterone balance.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re focusing on one of the most common hormone imbalances I see in practice - ESTROGEN DOMINANCE.

There is no pill anybody can take to magically correct estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance is a common pattern in women, where estrogen levels are high in comparison to progesterone levels. Our hormones respond to so many aspects of our physiology that it can take some detective work to figure out the root cause of estrogen dominance.

Hormone Balance is one of the most common reasons patients seek my care, and for good reason! Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being.

As I have mentioned in prior blogs, your hormones dance with one another. This is why, when evaluating hormone balance, you have to take into account the various hormones interacting in your body. When one hormone becomes imbalanced this can lead to other hormonal imbalances. Stress hormones and thyroid hormones are good examples of this.