Everyone knows someone with painful, highly symptomatic periods. It might be you, or your sister, coworker, or long-time friend.
Painful periods are deemed “normal” and just something you have to learn to live with, or resort to hormonal birth control to halt ovulation and periods altogether.
But I want to shout from the rooftops - that it’s in fact NOT normal, and painful monthly cycles can be a thing of the past. If this is you, I want to share what I wish I’d known sooner! (And if it’s not you, pass this along to a loved one who needs this.)
There are a lot of different factors that can contribute to severe cramping, overly tender breasts, mood changes and heavy bleeding.
Most commonly I see “estrogen dominance” causing this frustrating monthly dance many women are forced to trudge through. Estrogen dominance means that there’s an excess of estrogen in the body, either due to increased estrogen production or low progesterone levels, or BOTH.
Estrogen is a “proliferative” (meaning, helps things multiply) hormone, which is why women with estrogen dominance might experience heavy periods with clotting (more growth of the uterine lining to shed), swollen sore breasts (more estrogen sensitive tissue in the breasts), weight gain (estrogen signals for fat storage during reproductive years), and more intense cramping (estrogen increases inflammatory compounds produced in the uterus).
So when estrogen is in excess, and causing these uncomfortable symptoms every month, we’re thinking about WHY estrogen might be high and what we can do to normalize estrogen levels.
Over the next few weeks I want to walk through some of the key factors for not only estrogen balance, but our hormonal health overall. This week we’re going to start with the LIVER.
Liver Congestion
There are a few ways the liver can influence our hormone status, and also be influenced BY our hormones.
The liver is associated with detox, and rightly so - it even “detoxes” hormones.
Our liver is responsible for packaging up excess estrogen, sending it to the gallbladder in bile, ready to be released into the colon and head for the exit. When the liver isn’t effectively binding and eliminating hormones, they can end up getting recirculated, which leads to higher levels than your body wants.
Estrogen also has the effect of making bile “thicker” and harder to be eliminated from the gallbladder. High estrogen levels are associated with cholesterol gallstones. When estrogen levels are high, it increases cholesterol buildup in the gallbladder and eventually levels are high enough that stones form and are unable to be moved out from the gallbladder in bile at all.
This can be somewhat of a vicious cycle, because we’re seeing that sludgy bile can cause high estrogen, and then high estrogen can make bile thicker still and harder to release into the digestive tract.
This is not a helpless situation however - there’s LOTs to be done to support the liver, gallbladder, and estrogen elimination. Even if you’re someone who’s struggling with estrogen dominance symptoms and already had your gallbladder removed, the issues of liver congestion and estrogen detoxification still need support.
Nutrition
Raw carrot salad - the fibers in raw grated carrots have a unique ability to bind to estrogens circulating in the digestive tract and help eliminate them. Consistent grated raw carrots between meals has improved estrogen symptoms for a number of clients.
Beets - beets support thinning of the bile, to help it flow more easily from the gallbladder into the digestive tract and carry estrogens out of the body. Beets have been long known to support the liver, gallbladder and be a great daily addition for constipation, liver congestion, or estrogen excess symptoms.
Bitter greens - the bitter taste on the tongue stimulates bile flow from the gallbladder. Greens like arugula, dandelion greens, mustard greens, broccoli rabe (different from baby broccoli), and endive or radicchio are all GREAT additions to a daily salad or any other dish. Other bitter foods like a digestive bitters tincture, or bitter melon can also be beneficial for the same reasons.
Healthy fats - egg yolks, salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, butter. Not only are fats an important part of every meal to stimulate bile flow, but these wholesome fats also contain nutrients that are directly linked to healthy liver function. For example choline is a nutrient that’s been shown many times over to support liver health, is also uniquely found in egg yolks, liver (yes, like beef liver!), and other animal-based fats. Vitamin E is also liver protective, and is high in avocados, almonds, sunflower seeds and wheat germ oil.
Beyond foods and nutrients, there are some bigger factors to consider when we’re thinking about liver congestion and its impact on our hormones and period symptoms!
Look into blood work; particularly cholesterol, liver enzymes, GGT, and bilirubin can also give you a good understanding of liver function.
Bring in supplementation to improve bile flow, eliminate estrogens more effectively and nourish your liver.
Identify gut microbiome issues that might be playing a role in liver dysfunction, like pathogens, overgrowths or even a LACK of beneficial bacteria.
Address toxins that might be impacting liver function - environmental toxins like pesticides and plastics, toxins in our indoor air and water, and mold toxins like Zearalenone (ZEN) also have a unique ability to mimic estrogen activity and decrease detoxification from the liver and kidneys.
For some of these more complex issues that can be impacting the liver and hormones, consider working with a practitioner to help guide you through any labs and recommendations that will be most effective for you.
In the upcoming weeks we’re going to continue exploring hormones and hormone balance by understanding blood sugar, digestive health, nutrients and inflammation. Share this series with a loved one who doesn’t want to miss this!