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Natural Awakenings Lehigh Valley

What is Estrogen Dominance in Women?

Any woman headed towards menopause has probably heard the term Estrogen Dominance but how many understand it? Estrogen Dominance refers to the imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. Typically, this happens during peri-menopause and menopause but it can occur in pre- and post-menopausal women as well. Estrogen causes growth which must be balanced with progesterone, the female sex hormone. When these two hormones are left unbalanced, symptoms of excessive growth, such as, fibrocystic breasts, breast cancer, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and endometriosis are prevalent. Other symptoms may include mood swings, anxiety, hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, headaches and heavy periods.

And then there is stress, which plays an important role in most imbalances. As women age, progesterone levels naturally drop, which causes their stress hormone to drop. This in turn increases the body’s demand for progesterone, which exacerbates the naturally occurring imbalance, creating a downward spiral. Getting older is difficult, and adding hormone imbalance only makes it worse!

The good news is that these symptoms can be greatly diminished or eliminated simply by balancing progesterone with estrogen. Specialists in hormone replacement therapy, both physicians and pharmacists, are able to develop custom made solutions ( because everyone is unique). Using saliva test kits, which can be done at home, help determine the appropriate replacement regimen and the strength of the hormones needed. The objective is to dose just enough to bring hormone levels back to normal, thus relieving all symptoms and enabling a woman to feel like herself again!

Newhard Pharmacy & Long term Care 1001 Main Street Northampton, PA 18067. [email protected] NewhardPharmacy.com. Fax: 610-262-2677, Tel: 610-262-7593.