How To Increase Estrogen Levels
1. Get Your Levels Checked
Visit your doc. That’s the first thing you need to do. Even before you start off with an estrogen program (or any other way of increasing the levels in your body), take your doctor’s advice.
There are a variety of tests that can determine your hormone levels. Your blood might be tested for FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone). If that is all that is wrong, you might want to try estrogen therapy after consulting your doctor. The therapies can include pills, topical gels, or skin patches and they may be synthetic hormones or bioidentical However, there are many options to investigate before resorting to hormone replacement. Let’s see how you can help your body make its own hormones.
2. Quit Smoking
Kick the butt. Smoking can have detrimental effects on the endocrine system, and this can limit your body’s ability to produce estrogen (1).
3. Change Your Diet
Your endocrine system needs a healthy body to produce adequate levels of estrogen. Eat healthy and make certain that your food is non-GMO. Try consuming foods that contain phytoestrogens. We know that soy products like tofu, soy nuts, and edamame produce phytoestrogens, which mimic the effects of estrogen. But soy is very hard to digest, and many people are allergic to it, so tread lightly. Other foods that contain phytoestrogens include peas, lima beans, cranberries, apricots, and prunes, broccoli, cauliflower, flax seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, red clover sprouts, mung bean sprouts, and whole grains.
Also, cut down on your sugar intake as it can lead to hormonal imbalances in the body (2). Sugar also contributes to yeast overgrowth, and yeast toxins can block hormone receptor sites.
Adding magnesium-rich foods to your diet or magnesium supplements can help promote estrogen production and can diminish many of the symptoms of low estrogen.
You can also consume low glycemic index fruits, complex carbohydrates, good quality proteins and fats, and natural herbs to reduce inflammation in the body and improve cell receptivity for various harmones.
4. Try Gaining Weight
In case you are underweight, that is. Being underweight can hinder your body’s ability to produce estrogen. Returning to a healthy weight can improve your estrogen levels. Young female athletes who are under 100 lbs can lose their periods to low hormone levels. You need body fat to produce hormones.
5. Go For Chasteberry Supplements
Chasteberry is a herb that has shown to influence estrogen levels (3). But consult your doctor before consuming it as research in this aspect is limited as of now. Also, avoid chasteberry if you are taking birth control pills or using medications to treat Parkinson’s disease.
6. Consume Herbal Teas
Several herbal teas are found to enhance the estrogen levels. These include red clover, alfalfa, hops, licorice, thyme, verbena, and saw palmetto. You can simply steep the herbs in hot water for about 5 minutes and then drink the tea. But as with chasteberry, don’t go overboard. The best way to tell if you are stimulating too much estrogen is sore breasts.
Black and green teas contain phytoestrogens and can improve estrogen levels in your body.
7. Try Coffee
But not more than 400 mg of caffeine a day. Studies have shown that women who take more than 200 mg of caffeine a day have higher levels of estrogen than women who don’t.
But ensure you use organic coffee. Most coffee is heavily sprayed crop, which is why drinking organic coffee can keep you away from pesticides and other harmful fertilizers. And remember that caffeine is a strong stimulant, so don’t take it if you are already speedy.
8. Embrace Exercise
Though there is research that heavy exercise can lead to a drop in estrogen levels, moderate exercise is just plain healthy and can cut the risk of breast cancer and increase longevity.
These are some ways you can increase estrogen levels in your body. But ensure the levels are not too high as that might lead to another set of issues.
9. Increase Your Fluid Intake
Increase your intake of fluids like water, juice of green leafy vegetables like celery, spinach, kale, and lettuce, green tea, and coconut water to flush out toxins from the body. It relieves oxidative stress and enhances hormone production in the body.
What Happens With Excess Estrogen Levels?
Also called estrogen dominance, this condition is more common than low estrogen and is marked by the following symptoms:
- Bloating
- Decreased sex drive
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Cold hands or feet
- Weight gain
- Hair loss
- Anxiety/panic attacks
- Fatigue
- Memory issues
- Tender breasts/breasts containing fibrocystic lumps
