Calling all ladies in town! Have you ever got agonized by problems, such as loss of hair, dry skin, slow metabolism, irregular menstruation, and mood changes? Some may blame stress and hectic urban life, but estrogen may play a vital role here!
When talking about endocrine disorders among women, an imbalanced female hormone is commonly observed, which refers to the level of estrogen in female bodies. If you want to stay young and energetic, you need to keep your estrogen level at equilibrium, a lifelong topic for many. However, do you know what estrogen is? What are the effects of excessive or insufficient estrogen? Let’s understand more about estrogen in this Cigna Smart Health article!
What Is Estrogen?
Estrogen is an important hormone and exists in both male and female bodies, but it is one of the major sex hormones for ladies (the other is progesterone). Therefore, it plays a vital role in women’s health.
After female puberty, the ovaries start producing a large amount of estrogen. Estrogen is a steroid hormone and is responsible for transmitting messages to the relevant hormone receptors, such as uterus and breasts. In the vagina, estrogen maintains the thickness of the vaginal wall and promotes lubrication. Besides, the body uses estrogen to form breast tissue and subdermal fats for pregnancy.
Why Is Estrogen Important for Women?
Although estrogen is crucial in staying young, more of it is not better. Excessive or insufficient estrogen affects your body adversely. Below are some symptoms reflecting both conditions.
| Symptoms of High Estrogen Level | Symptoms of Low Estrogen Level |
|
|
Therefore, as a woman, you should learn how to control the intake of estrogen according to your physical needs and ages, for example:
- Stay alert to products with artificial estrogen, such as cosmetics and plasticizer
- Absorb estrogen from natural food items rather than estrogen supplements
- Conduct regular gynecological examinations to observe if there is any irregularities
- Consult your doctors when the above symptoms persist
You should also be cautious of any abnormal changes of your body as prolongedly excessive estrogen can lead to breast and cervical cancer.
How Can Cruciferous Vegetables Balance Your Estrogen Level?
According to the data of the Hong Kong Cancer Registry (last updated on 4 Oct 2021), there were 35,082 cases of cancer diagnosed and 14,871 deaths recorded due to cancer. Among women, cancers of breast and cervix ranked first and fourth, respectively. To mitigate your risks to these lethal diseases, you are recommended to consume more cruciferous vegetables if your estrogen level is too high. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Chinese cabbage, can help you excrete excessive estrogen when removing toxic substances from your body. Also, cruciferous vegetables contain indole-3-carbino (I3C), which can reduce estrogenic activity and foster your liver’s metabolic rate. As such, excessive estrogen is expelled, preventing the above illnesses and even cancers.
To avoid endocrine disorders, balancing estrogen is one of the effective prevention methods to help you get out of the troubles and reclaim your best form! As the first step, let’s try including such tasty and healthy food items, cruciferous vegetables, in your diet!