Estrogen Dominance and Fibroids

Research suggests that fibroids are affected by your hormone levels. Specifically, excess estrogen in the body seems to make fibroids grow, and they will often decrease in size after menopause, when overall levels of estrogen are lower. So one of the ways to treat uterine fibroids naturally is to address estrogen dominance in the body.

Ultimately, fibroids have multiple root causes, including genetics, hormones, and other factors like the health of the microbiome and the level of inflammation in the body. The more you know about all of these factors and what drives them — which I dive into below — the better set you are to ease fibroids naturally. 

Estrogen dominance happens in the body when there is too much estrogen in relation to progesterone. This can happen as the result of the foods we eat, the beauty and body care products we use, stress, poor sleep, other environmental factors—or a combination of all of the above. It can be very hard to completely avoid estrogen excess because we’re surrounded by chemicals that disrupt hormonal harmony every day. Endocrine disruptors are in everything from our furniture to our nail polish and household cleaning supplies.

When it comes to balancing your hormones and decreasing fibroids, food plays an important role. What you eat — and what you don’t eat — is critical to help rein in fibroids. That’s because what we eat affects our body’s levels of inflammation, which we want to be low, and our levels of estrogen, which we also want to be low. When it comes to food, your first step is to remove inflammatory foods and foods that may directly or indirectly contribute to estrogen dominance. 

Dairy – Conventional dairy products are full of artificial hormones, including synthetic estrogen, which is given to dairy cows to make them grow and produce unnatural amounts of milk. Eating dairy with synthetic estrogen will add to a high-estrogen environment in your body. The antibiotics in regular dairy also have a destructive effect on your gut microbiome, which is essential for estrogen metabolism. The bad news about dairy doesn’t stop there. Dairy is an inflammatory food and inflammation in the body can fuel fibroids. If you have uterine fibroids or another hormone imbalance, I recommend giving up dairy entirely. If you choose to eat dairy, opt for organic goats’ or sheeps’ milk, cheese, and yogurts as these do not contain A1 casein, which can be problematic.  

Processed red meat – Processed red meat from factory farmed cows is injected with antibiotics and fed with GMO grains and soy, is another food type to avoid if you have fibroids. As part of the Healthy Hormone Mastery Program, I  recommend eating small amounts of red meat during specific phases of your cycle — and to always choose organic and grass-fed/pastured meats.

White bread, pasta, potatoes  – Eating refined carbohydrates is no different to eating piles of sugar. Both refined carbs and sugar increase insulin and trigger blood sugar imbalances — both of which add fuel to the fire of hormone imbalances. On top of that, the gluten found in wheat products, like white bread, is inflammatory and messes with the microbiome, where much of your estrogen is metabolized and processed. Plus, most wheat is treated with the pesticide glyphosate, which disrupts hormones and contributes to hormone imbalances. I recommend cutting out refined sugar and refined carbohydrate products as part of a natural approach to heal fibroids. It’s best to say goodbye to gluten, too.

Caffeine + Alcohol — Over-consumption of coffee and/or alcohol, which for women means just 2 cups of coffee or two high-caffeine drinks a day or a glass of wine every night, can tax the liver, hampering its ability to process and eliminate excess estrogen. Like the microbiome, the liver plays a vital role in safeguarding optimal hormone balance — and when it’s busy getting rid of coffee and alcohol, it cannot do its hormone-balancing job properly. Just a couple of glasses of wine significantly raises your estrogen levels. And coffee suppresses ovulation, thereby suppressing production of progesterone and increasing the likelihood of estrogen dominance. 

So what should you eat to help keep fibroids at bay? Food is a major component of balancing hormones and erasing period problems, including fibroids. The Healthy Hormone Mastery program is a food-first strategy that helps heal a variety of period problems.

So, what can you eat?

Flax seeds are part of a food group called “selective estrogen receptor modulators” that inhibit estrogen sensitivity in the uterus, which is beneficial when you have fibroids. They are also a fantastic source of fiber which you need to move excess estrogen out of your bowels as quickly as possible to eliminate it from your body. Finally, flax seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids (which reduce the insulin resistance and inflammation that can suppress liver function) and lignans (which bind to estrogen receptors and prevent absorption of excess estrogen).

Soy isn’t my favorite food for women with hormonal issues, but in the case of fibroids, certain forms of soy can be beneficial. Specifically seek out non-processed, organic soy in the form of tempeh and miso to add to your diet.  This kind of soy has an anti-estrogenic effect on the uterus. Avoid all processed soy like soy cheese, soy meat and other meat and dairy replacements. Moderation is key here and I wouldn’t recommend having soy every day, but unprocessed and organic soy is a useful dietary tool for managing fibroids.

Beans are an excellent source of fiber and protein, plus they have a low glycemic impact for most women, which reduces the kind inflammation that can increase fibroid growth. You should focus on kidney beans, lentils, and mung beans. Beans and legumes can be a healthy protein replacement if you’re working to reduce meat (which can also help address fibroids).

Whole grains are the best substitute for white processed stuff like bread, pasta, and noodles, and will help with insulin stabilization. High insulin levels from white starchy stuff (which acts like sugar in the body) is a factor in making fibroids grow. Whole grains are also a great source of fiber and will help to speed up the process and elimination of excess estrogen.

Pears and apples are liver-supporting foods that contain lots of fiber, along with a flavonoid named phloretin, which impairs tumor growth.

There’s a lot you can do with nutrition and lifestyle to address the hormone imbalances that underlie uterine fibroids. The key natural remedies that I used in the Healthy Hormone Mastery Program are understanding your cycle, eating to balance estrogen, balancing the microbiome, cutting out chemicals, supporting liver function, and balancing blood sugar.

You might not know this, but a diagnosis of uterine fibroids means that your daughter is more likely to also develop uterine fibroids once she hits puberty. Try thinking about it from this perspective –  what would you do to prevent your child from going through the pain, the heavy bleeding, the backaches and the other ensuing health issues that you have gone through? I’d imagine you’d say – everything and anything possible. 

I truly believe that we need to treat ourselves like we would treat our own daughters – with the same love, compassion, and care. You in this very moment have the fierce heart of a mother to turn that love into powerful self-care for you.

I meet so many women who say, “If only I had known what was coming, I would have made different choices for myself far earlier in my life.” This is especially true for women who have suffered with fibroids. You can take your health into your own hands and make a difference.

What are you waiting for?

Book a call with me today!