Estrogen is crucial for day-to-day functioning. It regulates menstruation, hunger, satiety, insulin sensitivity, helps you metabolize cholesterol, contributes to bone density, and more. However, sustained monthly estrogen dominance leads to a wide variety of medical problems stemming from unopposed estrogen's side effects.
Estrogen dominance is likely the most important factor when it comes to breast cancer. Many factors can contribute to estrogen dominance including malnutrition, obesity, stress, the environment, and certain medications. Estrogen can be very immunosuppressive when at levels above natural.
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic cancer in the U.S. The majority of endometrial cancers are first diagnosed by abnormal uterine bleeding leading to endometrial sampling and diagnosis at an early stage. The only known cause of endometrial cancer is unopposed estrogen. Even cervical cancer has clinical evidence showing relation to estrogen.
In animal studies, "…The mice that were treated with estradiol went on to develop cervical cancer, whereas the mice that were treated with a combination of estradiol and MPA did not develop cervical cancer" (American Journal of Pathology).
Men and Hormone Changes
Breast and prostate cancer are more similar than different. Breast cancer and prostate cancer are the two most common invasive cancers in women and men. Both cancers are typically driven by estrogen. Testosterone converts to estrogen in the testicle. When a man is young this conversion is usually not strong.
However, as a man ages, the hormones that oppose estrogen (progesterone and pregnenolone) start to decline. The thyroid also starts to decline, further lowering progesterone. As women and men age, their breasts and prostates can start to deteriorate, making these organs more susceptible to unopposed estrogen.
When the semen of prostate cancer patients has been studied, there are often elevated estradiol levels present. There is a lot we can do to solve prostate cancer, and it tends to respond well to treatments that work to solve the root causes of hormone imbalances.
Sign up for this week's webinar to learn:
- Why hormones become imbalanced
- Which hormones can drive cancer
- Actionable ways to solve hormone imbalance