Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Estrogen dominance means high estrogen compared to progesterone. It’s a real condition and, at the same time, not a very helpful term. There are better ways to discuss estrogen and progesterone balance.
The next time your doctor orders a progesterone test, ask yourself: “When is the right day to do this test?”
Forget “day 21 progesterone.” There’s no need to test progesterone until about one week before your period. That will depend on how long your cycle actually is.
Here’s what you need to know about progesterone testing.
High estrogen can contribute to heavy periods, breast pain, fibroids, and premenstrual mood symptoms. It can also suppress thyroid function and increase the risk of breast cancer.
To lower estrogen, you need to understand all the types of estrogen and why they’re high.
In your forties, you may find you don’t cope as well with stress. It happens because losing progesterone during perimenopause can destabilize the HPA (adrenal) axis or stress response system.
This recalibration of the nervous system is why perimenopause is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
A menstrual cycle is, by definition, an ovulatory cycle in which ovulation is the main event, and progesterone is made. Any other kind of bleed is either an anovulatory bleed or a pill bleed.
Furthermore, progesterone (which can only be made by ovulating) is important for general health, and is not just to make a baby.