10 Signs That Your Body Has Too Much Estrogen, Which Can Lead To Weight Gain!
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The human body is truly amazing. I mean, think of the absolutely intricate mechanisms that happen inside it. Right from the cells getting regenerated on a regular basis, to the perfectly coordinated functions – the entire body is nothing short of a magical work of some really talented wizard lord, or so it seems!
But jokes apart, it is truly very, very intriguing when you come to think of it. I mean, how is it possible for everything to be so much in sync, and so perfectly too? One hormone is let loose and you have it affecting the smooth flow of so many things that your body does! I mean, we all tend to take out bodies for granted till we are denied use of a part. Only then do we realize how precious that part is. Ever broken a limb or sprained an ankle? You’ll know exactly what we mean.
Which brings us to the real point of this article: the presence of too much estrogen in your bloodstream. Estrogen, commonly known as the ‘female’ hormone, is what brings about the normal running of the female reproductive system (1). It helps in making you fertile, and in maintaining the regular menstrual cycle of your body. It also helps in keeping your fallopian tubes, the uterus, and even your vagina, in perfect shape.
And here’s the more interesting part: apart from these things, estrogen also helps in maintaining your body’s bone structure and calcium supply (2), (3). It also contributes to keeping your heart healthy as well as maintaining a balanced mental health. As if this wasn’t enough, it also keeps your skin looking healthy, young, and wrinkle free (4), (5). Which simply means that a lack of it can have an effect on all of the above.
But what we must also remember is that not just lack of it, but an excess of it may also have adverse effects on your body. While it is normal to have high estrogen levels in a pregnant woman or a pre-/ pubescent female body, it isn’t healthy for the same to occur in a normal body. Excess estrogen may lead to various problems, such as weight gain and the inability to lose it later. But weight gain is the least of the ways in which it can affect your body. It can also cause diabetes and tumors in the adrenaline glands and ovaries (6).
Here are a few ways in which you can tell if your body has extra or excess estrogen:
1. Fluid Retention
If your body has more estrogen than necessary, it will retain more fluid, which will reflect on the weighing scales the next time you’re on it (7). You may also experience swollen ankles, which is another sign of water retention in your body. If you see these signs, make sure you consult your doctor.
2. Feeling Bloated
You may feel that every time you eat something, you feel exceptionally full and your tummy is always rumbling or feeling gassy and full. If that is the case, it may mean that there is too much estrogen in your bloodstream.
3. Irregular Periods
One of the most obvious signs of things having gone off-track is an irregular menstrual cycle. If at any point you realize that your periods are going haywire, it is time to pay a visit to the ob-gyn.
4. Lumps In Your Breasts
Any lump in your breast calls for an immediate consultation with a doctor. If at any point you feel that there are lumps present in your breasts, which weren’t there before, it could be because of estrogen imbalance in your body (8).
5. Low Sex Drive
If you find yourself absolutely disinterested in sex, estrogen could be the culprit.
6. Extreme PMS-Ing
By extreme, we mean fatigue and depression that is more than normal, and which affects you so much that it makes you unable to function normally.
7. Headaches For No Apparent Reason
Usually, a rise in estrogen level can cause this, but an extreme rise means extreme headaches that will actually render you helpless and unable to carry out your normal day-to-day activities.
8. Extreme Tiredness
Being always tired and wanting to sleep from morning till night is not a good sign at all. It could mean estrogen is playing havoc in your body, so it’s best to get yourself checked.
9. Clots
This is probably the scariest of the symptoms and the way this will reflect on your body is through pain and swelling in different parts of your body.
10. More Than Usual Mood Swings
While some amount of moodiness is okay, if it is too extreme, it means that your body is giving you signals. So, don’t ignore it.
Share this article with friends so that they too may know these signs and figure out if they have more than necessary estrogen in their bloodstreams, which may need a visit to the doctor.
