So maybe you've figured out you have symptoms of being estrogen dominant.  (Click<a title="Estrogen Dominance" href="http://www.hormonesoup.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-estrogen-dominant/" target="_blank"> here</a> for list of estrogen dominance symptoms). You've determined that you have several of the symptoms.  Some are pesky little nuisances in your life like decreased sex drive, headaches, fatigue, irritability but hey - you're a woman, that's normal right?  Some of the symptoms you might not even be aware of, like magnesium and zinc deficiency or bone loss.

If you go to your family doctor for most of these symptoms you will most likely be given a prescription.  You are very likely to walk out of her office with a prescription whether it be for antidepressants, headache pain relief, birth control pills (Oh God, not more Estrogen!!), or Chlomid for infertility.   If you're lucky you might get a lab requisition for some tests like checking your thyroid level.  But sadly the level your doctor will probably consider to be normal is inaccurate and based on old information.  Many doctors are still using TSH ranges - 0.5 to from 5.0 to 6.0 and are not following the latest recommendations by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists which are actually 0.3 - 3.0 (and some doctors believe a TSH level over 2.0 puts you in the category of hypothyroidism). Thats a discussion for another day.

So you might be wondering how I know all this.   I know it because I have been offered all of the above to treat my "estrogen dominance"!  Not once over the years of infertility, miscarriages, PMS, low thyroid did any doctor suggest I had symptoms of estrogen dominance!   You might be thinking I must have had terrible doctors or that your doctor isn't like the doctors I have encountered.  But here's the thing - I didn't have "bad" doctors and my doctors are just like most other doctors out there.  It's not their fault really, they don't know, they haven't been taught and they need you to teach them.

Considering the not-so-pesky but more life threatening symptoms of estrogen dominance frightens me but I'll live through the fear and review them for you so you can understand why:
<ul>
	<li>Endometrial (uterine) cancer</li>
	<li>Breast Cancer</li>
	<li>Autoimmune Disorders such a lupus, thyroiditis, and possibly Sjoegren's disease</li>
	<li>Cervical Dysplacia (precancerous changes to the cervix which if left undetected &amp; untreated can cause cervical cancer - Get your PAP done!)</li>
</ul>
Here is one study that in my opinion highlights the reason we need to know what is going on in our bodies even when our symptoms seem pesky:

The American Journal of Epidemiology followed 1,083 women that had a history of infertility ranging from 13 - 33 years in 1981.  The researchers found that infertile women with progesterone deficiency had a premenopausal breast cancer risk that was <strong>540%</strong> greater than that of women whose infertility was due to non-hormonal causes.  And, the women with a progesterone deficiency had a 1,000% greater chance of death from <strong>all</strong> types of cancer.

It begs the question - why isn't anyone getting to the root of our "pesky" symptoms?  I have lived with unopposed estrogen roaming freely with little to no progesterone for my entire adult life.  Do I worry about my risk for breast cancer and other forms of cancer? Hell, yes I do.  I feel fortunate that I have taken the matter into my own hands and balanced my hormones by adding progesterone - but does anyone know what my cancer outlook is now?

Cancer prevention Coalition

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