The Effects of Gut Function on Estrogen: Your Estrobolome

Estrogen is a hormone that influences many different aspects of women’s health, including estrogen-sensitive cancers such as breast and uterine cancer. Estrogen also impacts the female reproductive system by regulating menstruation and fertility cycles. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how estrogen levels are impacted by various factors in our gut bacteria environment, which we call the estrobolome. These include: diet (which affects bacterial populations), antibiotic use (which can kill off beneficial bacteria), and stress (which can decrease stomach acid).

We will discuss how estrogen-related conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome or endometriosis may be linked to unhealthy gut function and estrogen levels, as well as ways to improve gut health.

The Gut-Hormone Connection and Estrogen

Healthy estrogen levels are important for women in every single stage of life. Estrogen regulates weight, fertility, cardiovascular health, mood and mental health, and so much more. Gut health and the gut microbiome is related to hormonal balance through what we call the gut-hormone connection. The hormone estrogen is of special concern for premenopausal women, as well as for reproductive health.

A healthy gut affects the metabolism of the different forms of estrogen. Dysbiosis in the gut can lead either to a deficiency or excess of estrogen, and imbalances in other hormones leading to the development of estrogen-related disease. As dysbiosis progresses in the gut, the more estrogen can build up and cause unpleasant symptoms and increase the risk of several serious health concerns, including some cancers.

Excess estrogen can also cause irregular periods, mood changes, weight struggles, headaches, bloating, and other digestive ailments. We call this estrogen dominance.

What is the Estrobolome?

The estrogen in your body is processed by bacteria in the gut, which we call the estrobolome.The estrobolome includes estrogen, estrogen metabolites, enzymes, and your gut microbiome that’s present in your digestive tract.

Friendly gut bacteria play a significant role in regulating estrogen metabolism (1). This is the process by which your microbiome breaks down estrogen, packages up any excess, and gets it ready for elimination by your digestive system. Healthy estrogen metabolism is especially important in premenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women.

Diet, lifestyle, and certain medications can affect the healthy function of your estrobolome and estrogen levels, and can make it harder to get rid of estrogens your body is no longer using.

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How Gut Health Impacts Estrogen Levels

A healthy gut is important for estrogen levels, overall hormone balance, and estrogen metabolism.

Your gut microbiome influences the absorption of nutrients and the immune system, which also plays a role in regulating estrogen metabolism in women.

Poor digestive health is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and some cancers, including breast cancer (2). This could be related to your gut’s role in regulating circulating estrogen levels which have an impact on estrogen-dependent diseases, like breast or ovarian cancer.

Read more: 3 Ways to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance

Excess estrogen can show up as weight gain around the hips and thighs, especially after menopause; heavy menstrual bleeding; cramping before or during your period; estrogen-related cancers like breast cancer or uterine cancer, and fertility problems.

Symptoms of estrogen dominance can also include fatigue and brain fog, mood swings, irritability & depression – all things that are common in the perimenopausal years as estrogen levels fluctuate.

In addition to estrogen being produced naturally from cholesterol through other natural processes of bodily function, estrogen also comes from foods and environmental factors that cause hormone disruption. These substances include estrogen-like chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastics, estrogenic pesticides, and phytoestrogens that are plant molecules with estrogenic activity.

Estrogen produced inside the body naturally, and the exposure to estrogen-like compounds in the environment can contribute to circulating estrogen levels and estrogen excess.

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PCOS and Gut Bacteria

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is also associated with estrobolome disruption and excess estrogen. PCOS patients have high androgen (male hormone) levels in relation to estrogen levels, but also a high rate of gut dysbiosis (3).

This suggests that supporting beneficial bacteria and gut microbial diversity may be beneficial in the treatment of PCOS.

Is PCOS the cause of your leaky gut?

Endometriosis and Excess Estrogen

High estrogen levels also impact estrogen-related conditions such as endometriosis.

Endometriosis is the growth of uterine tissue outside the uterus in other areas where it shouldn’t grow. Estrogen excess only further influences proliferation of tissue. This can create chronic inflammation in surrounding tissues that also have estrogen receptors, like the uterus, cervix, and intestines. This results in worsening symptoms like pelvic pain and debilitating cramps during your period.

Gut microbial diversity supports healthy estrogen metabolism and has been shown to improve endometriosis symptoms in some women.

Estrogen levels and breast cancer risk

In the U.S. breast cancer has been the second leading cause of death after lung cancer to women in the last 100 years (4). The most common breast cancer subtype is influenced by estrogen, which suggests that the estrobolome may play a role in mediating estrogen-related cancers.

The gut microbiota metabolizes estrogen to prevent it from recirculating in the blood and increasing the risk for estrogen-sensitive cancers. So the estrobolome is a key part in ridding the body of harmful excess estrogen (5).

How do you balance the estrobolome?

Now that you understand how your estrobolome impact estrogen levels, you’re probably wondering what you can do to improve estrogen levels.

Many women are aware of the importance of estrogen for holistic women’s health, but few know how their digestive system plays a role in this process.

Foods like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower contain estrogen-blocking compounds according to several studies (6). According to a meta-analysis, there’s an inverse relationship between intake of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, and breast cancer risk.

Antibiotics can also change the way estrogen is metabolized by gut bacteria in the digestive tract leading to an imbalance that could lead to increased risk for certain types of cancer.

Calcium d-glucarate is a supplement that has estrogen-balancing properties, but it is important to work with your doctor when considering recommending this or any other supplements for estrogen balance (7).

Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a compound found in broccoli, kale and other cruciferous vegetables that helps estrogen work more efficiently.

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Can probiotics help balance hormones?

A healthy, diverse microbiome plays a role in overall hormone balance. Gut bacteria help reduce or increase different enzyme activity that tell your digestive system to get rid of excess estrogen instead of sending it back through the body for recirculation.

Getting rid of estrogen your body is no longer using is important to maintain a balance between estrogen and other sex hormones, like progesterone.

You can support gut microbial richness with prebiotic foods, as well as with live probiotic supplements and fermented foods.

Learn more about prebiotic foods and balancing your gut in the 21-Day Belly Fix.

Restoring a Healthy Estrobolome

A healthy gut microbiome is crucial for holistic health in premenopausal women and postmenopausal women alike. Here are the basic steps to recover your microbiome for optimal estrogen homeostasis.

Take a probiotic daily.

A diverse gut microbiome is beneficial for hormone balance. If you’re not able to eat many probiotic foods, look for a supplement with at least 3 different strains of bacteria. Look for a supplement that offers several forms of strain.

Live a lifestyle that supports microbial diversity

Lifestyle choices like diet and stress management are still some of the most influential pieces of the puzzle for better gut health. Your gut bacteria need plenty of prebiotic foods like vegetables and minimally processed whole grains. Plus, it’s important to maintain good sleep habits and immune heath to keep robust gut microbiota.

Eat fermented foods

You can boost the friendly intestinal bacteria responsible for breaking down excess estrogen and turning estrogen metabolites into their more harmless form. Eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, beet kvass, kombucha, or yogurt are all great options to increase probiotics naturally.

Read: 7 Foods for a Healthy Gut

In Summary

Estrogen is a hormone that plays an important role in the health of women in all stages of life. The best way to support healthy levels of estrogen is by balancing your estrobolome, which can happen with simple steps like eating more high-fiber foods and probiotics.

Join my 21-day belly fix course, where you’ll learn how to make healthy food swaps as well as what supplements will help balance your gut naturally, promoting hormone balance (without drugs).

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