Estrogen (estradiol) is responsible for a woman’s sex characteristics and reproductive abilities. If you are suffering from low estrogen, you may want to find ways to help naturally boost these levels instead of just relying on medications. The good news is that there are supplements and foods that you can take, giving you a natural way to boost your estrogen levels. By simple lifestyle changes through adding these things to your diet, you can get the help that you need to get your estrogen levels back up. Reading on, you can learn some of the best ways to increase your natural estrogen.
Vitamin-Rich Foods and Supplements
1. Soybeans
Soybean and any product manufactured with soybeans such as miso or tofu are excellent sources of phytoestrogens. This is important because phytoestrogens can mimic estrogen in your body through binding to your estrogen receptors. These can not only mimic estrogen, but they can also offer other estrogen-like benefits that you can gain. For instance, those with breast cancer had a lower chance of dying from their breast cancer. There is still research to be done to verify this, but it’s still something to think about when it comes to improving your estrogen levels.
2. Flax Seeds
Flax seeds are another food that are high in phytoestrogens. These estrogen-boosting seeds contain phytoestrogens known as lignans, known for how beneficial they are to estrogen metabolism. They have just started animal studies on this, which showed that diets rich in flax seeds could reduce the frequency and severity of ovarian cancer in hens. However, this has not been tested in humans at this point.
3. Sesame Seeds
Another great food to get phytoestrogens is sesame seeds. Using sesame oils and seeds can be an effective way to add this into your diet.
4. B Vitamins
B vitamins play a significant role in creating and activating your body’s estrogen. If you have low levels of vitamin B in your body, you will likely have low levels of estrogen negatively impacting your life. Because these vitamins play a major role in metabolizing estrogen, which is why it is believed that this can help lower the risk of breast cancer.
5. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin because it can function as a hormone within the body. For instance, vitamin D and estrogen can work together in order to reduce a person’s cardiovascular disease risk. It is believed that the link between estrogen and vitamin D is because of the role that this vitamin plays in the synthesis of estrogen. As a result, increasing your vitamin D can help supplement your low levels of estrogen.
6. Boron
Boron is a versatile trace mineral that can play a variety of different roles in your body. One of the things that boron can do is help reduce your risk of a variety of different cancers. It’s also an essential mineral when it comes to the metabolism of both sex hormones. The belief is that this mineral can influence the body’s estrogen receptors through allowing your body to use your body’s available estrogen better and more efficiently.
7. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
This is a naturally occurring hormone that is able to be converted into testosterone and estrogen. While in the body, DHEA is converted into the androgens, which can then be further converted into estrogens. It is believed that DHEA can offer the body some similar benefits as you would get from estrogen.
8. Black Cohosh
This is an herbal supplement that you may not have heard of. Traditionally used in the Native American culture, this is an herb that has been frequently used in this culture to treat a variety of different issues. These issues include menstrual and menopausal issues. It is believed that this herb has compounds in it that can help stimulate the estrogen receptors.
9. Chasteberry
This traditional herbal supplement is specifically used to treat gynecological conditions, including PMS. The benefits in boosting estrogen levels likely come from the apigenin, which is another type of phytoestrogen.
10. Evening Primrose Oil
Also referred to as EPO, evening primrose oil is an herbal remedy that was traditionally used to help with conditions like menopause and PMS. With a high content of omega-6 fatty acids, this has shown promise for helping naturally boost estrogen levels in the body.
Lifestyle Changes
In addition to adding these supplements, nutrients, and foods into your diet, there are lifestyle changes that you can make to help boost your estrogen levels. These lifestyle changes include:
11. Decreasing Intake of Tobacco and Caffeine
Do you smoke a lot? Do you rely on your daily caffeine intake to function? The problem with these things is that it can significantly impact your estrogen levels. This means that you may notice a major difference in your hormone imbalance symptoms when you reduce your caffeine intake and tobacco intake.
12. Do More Weight-Bearing Exercises
Regularly exercising is important in helping you to maintain healthy estrogen levels. By working out, you can maintain a healthier weight, which can be helpful here. However, there is something about weight-bearing exercises that can be especially helpful in boosting your estrogen levels.
13. Eating a Balanced Diet
As previously mentioned, being healthier can make a huge difference in your estrogen levels. Eating a healthy diet and consuming the right number of calories can help you boost your estrogen levels. Your body requires a specific number of calories to keep up with the energy that it takes to promote healthy hormone levels. It’s also essential to eat plenty of healthy fats for your estrogen levels. In addition to eating a balanced diet, these things can help you live a healthier life and boost your estrogen levels.
Conclusion & Estrogen Therapy (BHRT)
Low levels of estrogen and progesterone can significantly impact how you feel physically and mentally. Low levels of these hormones can lead to problems with your bone health, sexual desire, and mood. By naturally increasing your estrogen levels with these approaches, you can replicate the production of estrogen or support the creation of this hormone. In either case, your body gets the boost in estrogen that it needs to improve the quality of your life.
If you have concerns about your estrogen levels or are experiencing any of the symptoms of menopause, estradiol is most likely the cause. Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and make sure that you ask to have your estradiol levels checked. A Comprehensive Female Hormone Panel is highly recommended to receive the most accurate estrogen level assessment. Your blood test results will provide a deep look into your body and what treatment is best for your symptoms. If you’re looking for a more convenient testing option, the DUTCH hormone test may be for you. This hormone test kit allows you to collect dry urine samples from home and receive results through mail.
Get the Full Picture Throughout the Entire Menstrual Cycle
Testing on just one day of the month is not enough for some female patients. Women with infertility, irregular cycles, or no menstrual bleeding due to an ablation or partial hysterectomy can benefit from the DUTCH Cycle Mapping. This profile helps evaluate hormones throughout a complete menstrual cycle. Nine targeted estrogen and progesterone measurements provide essential details on a patient’s hormone levels in the cycle’s follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases.
After your test results have been reviewed, you may want to consider asking whether hormone therapy would be a suitable course of action. HRT can help optimize your sex hormone levels while reducing the symptoms you are experiencing. A licensed physician and qualified telemedicine provider can prescribe this effective therapy such as EVOLVE.
Want to learn more about hormone tests and the types of treatments available? Contact EVOLVE patient care to get started!
