Watch Out for a Hormone Imbalance

The terms "estrogen" and "progesterone" are thrown around a lot when women's bodies are under discussion — however, these two steroid hormones are important influences on the metabolism of both sexes. While you may think "muscle-bound meathead" when you hear the word "steroid," all it signifies is that your body uses cholesterol to make these hormones. Men and women both produce estrogen and progesterone normally, but our environment also imposes a tremendous amount of estrogen on our bodies. Man-made estrogens in hormone replacement therapy, pesticides, and food additives can all have a profound effect on the body's overall hormone balance. What you need to do is to find a balance between progesterone and estrogen by focusing on what you're eating and avoiding toxins.

For a long time people believed that women's hormone problems stemmed from declining levels of estrogen, especially during premenstrual syndrome, after giving birth, and during perimenopause and menopause. But increasingly, women in Western cultures tend to have too much estrogen rather than too little. For the past 50 years, doctors have noticed that the onset of puberty among girls — characterized by the development of breasts and pubic hair and the beginning of menstruation — has been occurring at earlier ages. In addition, rates of breast cancer have jumped 40 percent in the past 35 years. Studies have linked excessive exposure to estrogen to early puberty and breast cancer. And many signs — including decreasing sperm counts and increasing prostate cancer rates — indicate that men are also struggling with the effects of excessive exposure to estrogen.

How can we fix the problem? An estrogen and progesterone imbalance can be corrected by addressing the endocrine disruptors that are affecting you — not so easy given our society's seeming addiction to toxic chemicals. Our bodies are slammed with synthetic estrogens, from the ingredients in our cosmetics and the cleaners under our sinks to the preservatives in our foods and the chemicals in the plastics that wrap them. Other factors that can add to unhealthy levels of estrogen are stress, a lack of quality fats and protein, and too many refined grains and sugars. Remove as many exogenous estrogens — those that originate outside the body — from your diet and your environment as possible, and eat whole foods, especially healthful fats; do your best to minimize stress as well, and you'll help your body build the right hormones.