Susan’s story: from the pill to fibroids
This is a story of oestrogen dominance, that could so easily have been avoided.
When Susan was a child, her mother died of breast cancer, which was a huge emotional challenge for a young girl. It also put Susan at a higher risk of oestrogen dominance. Her doctors never informed her of this vital fact which may have enabled her to make different decisions about her health.
Because she suffered with difficult and irregular periods, in high school Susan was put on hormonal birth control - not because of sexual activity, but to try and regulate her cycles.
At university, Susan’s life became a series of late nights followed by caffeine binges “to keep going”. She ate lots of sugary snacks and processed carbs and did little exercise. She was always stressed. Sleep was often sacrificed.
Around this time, Susan started to notice early signs of hormone imbalance: PMS that made her moody and tired, bloating that made her feel bad about herself, and periods that were irregular, particularly during exams or after a lot of work.
Her doctor said these were typical signs that she was about to get her period. There were no tests done. No talking about hormones. Actually, these were classic oestrogen dominance symptoms that went unchecked and unaddressed.
Things grew worse after the birth of her first child. Susan's periods started to change more often. She experienced more headaches, more cramps, and more days when she didn’t feel like herself. She thought it was because of the stress of becoming a mother.
After the birth of her second child, she had a tubal ligation, but her symptoms got even worse: heavier periods, severe exhaustion, more irritability, and more pigmentation on her face.
Her doctors weren't paying attention to the fact that these are symptoms of oestrogen dominance.
At the age of 42, an ultrasound showed fibroids. They informed Susan they were not harmful and instructed her to wait. But the bleeding got worse.
The fibroid had grown three times its original size by the time she was 48, pushing against her bladder. Susan had a full hysterectomy. Both the uterus and the ovaries were taken out because of outdated thinking that didn’t take into account the long-term effects on hormones.
After her surgery, Susan was given synthetic oestrogen. She didn't have any natural progesterone to balance out the extra oestrogen because her ovaries were gone.
The hot flashes got better, but her body started to change: her skin was dry, her sadness got worse, she lost interest in sex, and she gained weight. Her oestrogen levels were going up without any opposition, which made the situation even worse.
Susan began to wonder about her life and the signs that she and doctors had overlooked.
Teenage years: Birth control use
College: PMS, cravings, irregular cycles
30s: Bloating, weight gain, pigmentation, facial hair
40s: Fibroids, insulin resistance, fatigue after meals
Post-hysterectomy: Dry skin, depression, oestrogen-only HRT, no libido
The mechanisms
Progesterone and oestrogen oppose each other and without progesterone, oestrogen is unchecked. Think of oestrogen as the grass and progesterone as the lawn mower.
Then add in stress, poor diet, ongoing exposure to xeno-oestrogens and the everything is set up for oestrogen dominance.
When she had her ovaries removed, this eliminated vital hormones.
The HRT increased her oestrogen levels still higher.
For years her cells were overstimulated.
What could Susan have done differently?
First, not going on hormonal contraception to manage her cycles. The hormonal cycle learns to work by working; switching it off in adolescence is counter-productive.
Progesterone takes up the same receptor sites in the body as stress hormones, so having help to manage stress naturally would have helped.
Reducing her exposure to xeno-oestrogens by eating a clean diet, supporting her liver’s detoxification and reducing the hormone mimickers in her lifestyle.
When she discovered she had fibroids, Susan could have managed them naturally. Vitamin D, liver detoxification, dietary modifications, Mizan may all have helped avoid the surgery.
If she had kept her ovaries with the hysterectomy she would have kept producing important hormones and reduced her reliance of HRT.
Now that Jane knows oestrogen dominance is causing her problems, she has to take action.
What can Susan do now?
It’s never too late to make changes.
This may be an extreme example of what can happen when you start the slippery slope of artificial hormones, but every woman can find herself somewhere on this curve. Wherever you are, you don’t want to slide further.
Mizan is the perfect therapy for hormonal balancing and womb health. Either visit a practitioner or you can join an online workshop.
We have two coming up, Oestrogens: the good, the bad and the ugly and Approaching Menopause, as well as a series of live Wombspace Workshops.
All of them include important information on how to achieve and restore hormonal balance naturally, wherever you are in your life right now.
Wombspace Workshop
Everything covered in the Wombspace Workshop will help to create or restore hormonal balance and womb health.
In two 2-hour live sessions we cover a lot of information to help clean up the diet, foods to include, foods to avoid; how to reduce xeno-oestrogens in your life; healthy exercise and a full range of resources to do at home: castor oil packs, pelvic steaming and a simple self massage.
Next dates: 30th/31st July, 9 am - 11 am; 13th/14th September, 7 pm - 9 pm; 1st/2nd October, 10 am - 12 pm; 15th/16th November, 11 am - 1 pm. All times are UK.
Oestrogen: The good, the bad and the ugly
Improve your hormonal balance and womb health with this very accessible workshop, suitable for anyone whether you are working with women or simply looking to help yourself.
A two hour live workshop devoted to exploring oestrogen, how it works, the benefits and how to keep it in check, along with information on plant based oestrogens and xeno-oestrogens, including which to avoid and how. There will also be some safe and simply alternative to the toxic chemicals in your life.
Sunday 6th July, 10 am - 1 pm (UK).
Approaching Menopause
Menopause can be a turbulent time for women, particularly if you go into it unprepared. Peri-menopause can begin 10 or more years before menopause, so you have plenty of time to get your life and hormones in order.
Whatever your current beliefs about the menopause, this workshop will provide you with tips and hints to enable you not only to survive but to thrive by embracing this new stage of your life and discovering the amazing benefits it has to offer!
Friday 4th July, 7 pm - 9 pm (UK)
Don’t be like Susan, sliding down that slippery slope. Get a grip and take action.