Estrogen dominance is often thought of as a female-only disorder, however men suffer with it as well, and overexposure to estrogen-like compounds (xenoestrogens), has made it increasingly common.
Understanding Male Estrogen Dominance
The healthy range of estradiol is between 15 and 60 pg/ml. When estradiol climbs higher than that, or when testosterone levels fall too low to balance out estrogen, estrogen dominance occurs.
Estrogen Dominance Symptoms
Estrogen dominance can cause: mental fatigue, memory problems, an inability to concentrate, moodiness, irritability, emotional hypersensitivity, insomnia, unrelenting physical fatigue, depression, obesity, bone loss, back pain, headaches, and high cholesterol.
Estrogen Dominance and Your Sex Life
Estrogen dominance can cause: a loss of libido, an inability to get and/or maintain an erection, low sperm count, infertility, an inability to orgasm, and male breast enlargement.
Estrogen Dominance and Prostate Health
As estradiol levels climb, both prostate size and fibrous tissues increase. This makes it hard to urinate and increases the risk for prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Four Main Causes of Estrogen Dominance in Men
Cause #1: Diet
Animal products are major estrogen dominance contributors. Non-organic produce and processed foods made from them, can also contribute to estrogen dominance because they are grown with herbicides and pesticides which mimic estrogen.
Cause #2: Excess Body Weight
Fat tissues are rich in an enzyme that converts protein into testosterone, and testosterone into estradiol; the more fat you have, the higher your estradiol levels will be. Estrogen is also stored in fat cells, so if you’re overweight you’ll need to lose excess fat cells to reverse estrogen dominance.
Cause #3: Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeinated beverages are major estrogen dominance triggers. Alcohol is also problematic because plants used to produce alcoholic beverages contain estrogen-like compounds that mimic estrogen in the body.
Cause #4: Tight Underwear
Tight underwear forces the testicles to be squeezed up against the body, which reduces the flow of blood to the testicles and causes them to overheat. These two factors lead to an increase in estradiol and a decrease in testosterone.
~Written by Nick Delgado, PhD, CHT
