Common signs of low estrogen

What are the signs of low estrogen? While estrogen levels naturally ebb and flow throughout your cycle, chronically low estrogen levels can result in the following symptoms:

• Irregular or absent periods
• Infertility
• Fatigue
• Sleep problems
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Low libido
• Moodiness
• Brain fog
• Dry skin
• Weight gain
• Bone loss or osteoporosis (estrogen helps maintain bone density)

If you suspect your symptoms are due to low estrogen, lab work is the best way to know for sure. Not only will they give you an accurate look at your estrogen levels, they will also give you insight into the rest of your hormone levels and how they relate to estrogen - particularly progesterone and testosterone. Check out my article here to learn more about how to get your hormone levels tested.

How to increase estrogen naturally

So how can you increase your estrogen levels naturally? Thankfully, there are many ways to support healthy estrogen levels. By understanding how estrogen is influenced through different lifestyle and dietary changes we can learn how to increase estrogen naturally and promote hormonal balance.

Foods High in Phytoestrogens

Consider working foods like these into your diet: 

• Flax seeds & sesame seeds 
• Dried fruit
• Garlic
• Peaches
• Berries
• Wheat bran
• Tempeh
• Cruciferous vegetables

Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbal Supplements

There are plenty of vitamins, minerals, and supplements you can take to increase your estrogen: 

• Vitamin B
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin D
• DHEA
• Boron
• Black cohosh
• Red clover

Lifestyle Changes

Other than supplements and food, there are some lifestyle changes I’d recommend you look at to support your estrogen balance: 

• Sleep. It might seem contradictory to recommend getting more sleep when low estrogen can make sleeping difficult, but prioritizing sleep and cultivating a nighttime routine can allow for more hours of uninterrupted sleep which in turn will help improve your estrogen levels and overall hormone balance. 
• Stress. Chronic, unrelenting stress is one of the key destroyers of hormone balance. When you are stressed, your body produces cortisol that can inhibit estrogen production, leading to low estrogen levels over time. When it comes to managing stress, I always suggest incorporating mindfulness techniques like meditation and breathwork that can be done throughout your day in addition to reassessing your boundaries with work and relationships to cut out as much unnecessary stress as possible.

What about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?

For many people with low estrogen - particularly those going through menopause - hormone replacement therapy is a popular treatment often prescribed in conventional medicine as a way to combat the effects of low estrogen by boosting your levels. Hormone replacement therapy utilizes hormone patches, pills, and vaginal creams to deliver synthetic estrogen into your system as a way to restore estrogen to proper levels.

Although hormone replacement therapy can be an effective solution it often has its own set of uncomfortable side effects including:

• Chronic headaches
• Weight gain
• Breast tenderness
• Vaginal bleeding
• Bloating
• Indigestion

And those are just the minor side effects. Research has shown that HRT can increase your risk of blood clots, breast cancer, stroke, and heart attacks so it is not recommended for long-term use for more than 5 years. Because of these symptoms and the increased risk for more severe health problems, more people are wanting to know how to naturally increase estrogen so that they don’t have to rely on hormone replacement therapy.

Discover the real reason for your low estrogen levels

If you struggle with low estrogen, there are many answers to the question of how to increase estrogen naturally. From superfoods to supplements, these clinically-backed remedies can help support proper estrogen levels without having to turn to hormone replacement therapy. Whether you are struggling with uncomfortable symptoms or looking to maintain healthy estrogen levels as you age, these natural remedies can help you and your hormones thrive.

However, as a functional medicine expert, I know that one of the best ways to restore hormone balance is by uncovering the root cause of why your estrogen levels are low in the first place. At my telehealth functional medicine clinic, we take a whole-body approach to your health by examining every aspect of your health case--diet, lifestyle, stress levels, toxin exposure, and more--to determine what exactly is contributing to any imbalances. This allows us to put together recommendations that target your specific areas of dysfunction for long-term, sustainable healing.

If you are looking for more support in your hormone health journey, schedule a telehealth consultation today to learn more about how we can help you using functional medicine.

READ NEXT: What Is Estrogen Dominance? Signs & Natural Treatments