High estrogen can cause heavy periods, bloating, breast tenderness, and worse PMS, while low estrogen often leads to hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, and fatigue, though both can cause mood swings, sleep issues, and weight changes, with symptoms overlapping and varying by individual.
High estrogen is usually associated with heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, or mood swings. Low estrogen symptoms include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, or irregular periods.
The drop in estrogen just before your period may cause headaches. Many people with migraines report that they have migraines before or during their periods, also known as menstruation. You can turn to proven treatments for migraines related to hormone changes.
Estrogen and progesterone can not only have an effect on transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel, eosinophils and mast cells, but also influence laryngeal dysfunction, gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome, which may lead to increased cough sensitivity in women.
When estrogen is low, you may experience some or all of these physical symptoms:
Estrogen plays a role in collagen production and skin hydration. Low levels can lead to dryness, thinning, and sensitivity. You may also notice an increase in fine lines and changes in skin elasticity. If your skin care routine hasn't changed but your skin has, your hormones could be shifting.
How can I check my hormone levels at home? Blood tests – At-home estrogen blood tests are quick and easy. You just need to prick your finger and collect a small blood sample in a vial. After that, you can send your sample to a lab for testing.
Cold flushes are a common but less-discussed menopausal symptom caused by declining estrogen levels affecting the body's temperature regulation system. Sudden chills often occur after hot flashes and can last from seconds to minutes, particularly during nighttime.
Here are the top five vitamins essential for female wellness during menopause.
What are the signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance?
Menopause headaches typically present as throbbing, one-sided pain that can last from 30 minutes to 72 hours. We often see these headaches accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and dizziness – occurring most frequently during perimenopause when hormone levels fluctuate dramatically.
Hormonal imbalances show up as symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, weight changes, irregular periods, skin issues (acne), hair changes, sleep problems, brain fog, low libido, digestive issues, and temperature sensitivity, affecting energy, body functions, and mental well-being, often linked to stress, thyroid, or reproductive hormones.
A silent migraine is a migraine without a headache. You may see flashing lights or spots or have tingling or numbness that spreads from your hands to your face. You may have difficulty speaking.
Symptoms of high estrogen levels
The most common hormonal breast soreness comes from an increase in the level of oestrogen before a period. This causes milk ducts and glands to swell, trapping fluid in the breasts. Many women have tenderness or pain in the lead-up to a period, and sometimes right through it.
Gut microbiome changes Estrogen influences the balance of gut bacteria. Lower estrogen in perimenopause can shift the microbiome, which may contribute to bloating, food sensitivities, or IBS-like symptoms.
Many women, like Oprah, are given systemic estrogen. This can be taken in a pill form, gel, skin patch, spray, or cream to relieve menopausal symptoms. Estrogen HRT has even been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease when taking post menopause – which is one year after your period has stopped entirely.
5 common vitamin & mineral deficiencies in menopause
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Mood swings are another effect of low estrogen. You may feel sad, anxious, or frustrated. Shifting hormone levels and night sweats may disrupt your sleep. This can cause fatigue, which may make mood swings worse.
Feeling cold often signals deficiencies in iron, vitamin B12, or folate, leading to anemia, which impairs oxygen and heat delivery; also, thyroid issues (hypothyroidism) due to mineral imbalances (like zinc) and poor circulation from other deficiencies (like omega-3s, vitamin C) can cause coldness by slowing metabolism or restricting blood flow.
It can also be triggered by other symptoms of the menopause, such as mood changes, or as a side-effect of medication.
Irregular periods or no periods (amenorrhea). Weight gain, especially in your belly. Headaches before or during your period. Decreased sex drive and painful intercourse (dyspareunia).
In premenopausal women, we have FDA-approved medications that can help treat low sex drive These are not hormone based, so checking hormone levels is not necessary. For post-menopausal women, there are off-label treatments, including testosterone therapy, that may help.
Your GP will ask about your symptoms to help rule out other possible causes, and check your blood pressure. They'll also arrange for you to have a number of hormone tests to find out whether the excess hormone production is caused by PCOS or another hormone-related condition.