If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ve likely heard me talk about the gut-brain connection that manages and influences digestion, mood, and cognition.
But have you heard of the gut-hormone connection?
Well, it exists!
Irregular periods – gut-hormone connection.
Premenstrual bloating – gut-hormone connection.
Recurrent yeast or vaginal infections, or HPV - gut-hormone connection.
Low libido, weight struggles, menstrual headaches, mood swings – yep, you guessed it, gut-hormone connection.
Infertility - gut-hormone connection.
I talk a lot about how our gut impacts our hormones. But I haven’t really talked about why our gut affects our hormones. Or why our hormones depend on a happy, healthy gut. So, let’s change that!
Estrogen’s Role in the Gut-Hormone Connection
Estrogen is one of the most crucial hormones to pay attention to because it plays many vital roles in the human body. Widely associated with the development and function of the female reproductive system, estrogen is also critical for sex drive, sleep, memory, mood, bone health, cognitive function, cardiovascular function, and so much more.
And when I talk about the gut-hormone connection, I’m really referring to the connection between our gut microbiome and the hormone estrogen.
So before we dive too deep into the gut-hormone connection, I want to provide a little background on estrogen.
What is estrogen?
Estrogen is a primary sex hormone in men and women that help the body carry out various functions. In women, estrogen is mainly produced in the ovaries (though it can be found in the adrenal glands and fat tissue) and helps regulate the menstrual cycle, fertility, and overall health.
Types of Estrogen
There are three primary forms of estrogen produced by a woman’s body: estrone, estradiol, and estriol.
Estrone (E1): Estrone is the most common type of estrogen produced after menopause.
Estradiol (E2): Estradiol is the most abundant type of estrogen found in women during their reproductive years and is primarily produced in the ovaries, the adrenals, and the placenta during pregnancy. When this form of estrogen is high in relationship to progesterone, it is found to play a role in conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, and cancers of the uterus, ovaries, and breasts.
Estriol (E3): Estriol is the most common estrogen produced during pregnancy and the least potent form of estrogen.
The Gut-Hormone Connection
Fascinating research in recent years tells us that the gut microbiome shares a close relationship with the endocrine system.
Gut health and hormones influence each other greatly.
In fact, we have an entire microbiome solely dedicated to regulating estrogens – the estrobolome. The estrobolome is a unique subset of bacteria within the gut’s microbiome that is responsible for metabolizing hormones and regulating the amount of circulating estrogens in our bodies. It makes sure the amount of estrogens is just right - not too high and not too low.
Estrogen Metabolites - diving in a little deeper
Before estrogens can reach our gut and estrobolome, they get metabolized by enzymes in the liver (known as phase 1 and 2 of estrogen metabolism).
Some metabolites, such as 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OH-E1) are considered “good” estrogen metabolites. These can help control cell growth triggered by estradiol and prohibit cell division in breast tissue.
Other metabolites, such as 16-hydroxyestrone (16-OH-E1) and 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OH-E1), are considered “bad” estrogen metabolites. These can cause oxidative damage to cells and DNA and have been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and other female type cancers as well as fibroids. You can see why supporting and loving our liver is so important.
Beta-Glucuronidase and Hormones
From there, the estrogen metabolites are broken down further by an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, produced by the bacteria in the estrobolome. The estrogen either gets absorbed back into the body to be recirculated or gets excreted in our urine and/or poop.
Simply put, the goal of the liver and our gut in relationship to hormones is to properly break down estrogen into “good” metabolites and to end up with just the right amount of estrogen to be recirculated and used in the body. The estrobolome and its bacteria within help us do these important jobs and maintain that ideal level of estrogen.
Dysbiosis of the Estrobolome
A healthy microbiome and estrobolome is made up of a wide variety of bacteria types/strains and also a robust amount of these preferred bacteria types. When a low diversity or low amounts of the preferred bacteria are present in the estrobolome, the whole community of microbes is imbalanced, known as dysbiosis. When this happens, the process of metabolizing estrogen is impaired. When dysbiosis occurs, the enzyme beta-glucuronidase gets too active, and this results in increased reabsorption of estrogen.'
This means there will be higher circulating estrogen in the body. And higher total estrogen can contribute to irregular periods, irritability and mood swings, weight struggles, acne, bloating, and abnormal digestive issues. Higher or imbalanced estrogen levels are also associated with conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, insulin resistance, fertility issues, and reproductive cancers.
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In some cases (when the activity of the gut enzyme beta-glucuronidase is too low), women can end up with lower-than-normal levels of estrogens in their bodies. This can lead to dry skin, sleep issues, irritability and mood swings, vaginal dryness, urinary tract irritation, loss of bone density, and irregular periods. Low estrogen levels are also associated with an increased risk for obesity, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.
So as you can see, it’s a balance. And it’s our gut microbiome and estrobolome’s job to keep that balance for us.
Testing for an Estrobolome Imbalance
There are several options for testing how well your estrobolome is working. I use the following tests:
DUTCH Test. The DUTCH test looks at the three types of estrogens and their metabolites, your androgens (DHEA, testosterone and others) and their metabolites, progesterone metabolites, methylation activity related to estrogen detox/metabolism, and organic acid tests (OATs) related to hormones and mood. This gives us a comprehensive look at your hormones and how well your liver and estrobolome metabolizes hormones, which can help us get to the bottom of many hormone-related symptoms.
Genova Diagnostics, Doctors Data, and Microbiome Labs/BiomeFX. Stool tests can check beta-glucuronidase levels, bacteria types and amounts in your microbiome/estrobolome, and indole levels. These help us identify what exactly in your gut is contributing to hormonal imbalance and specifically what we can do to correct abnormalities in the estrobolome. So cool!
Supporting Estrogen Detox and Restoring the Estrobolome
The functioning of your estrobolome is influenced by diet, alcohol, stress, environmental exposures, genetics, and medications. But, you can help to restore estrogen balance by focusing on the gut. If the gut’s not working, all of the other phases of estrogen metabolism get backed up (literally) and you end up with too little or too high of estrogen circulating in the body.
Below are 8 ways to support estrogen detoxification and help restore your estrobolome.
Identify Gut Dysbiosis and Repair the Gut
Whenever there are hormonal issues present, I always start with gut health and repair.
As you can see, the gut and estrobolome inevitably impacts everything from your menstrual cycles to your sleep to your mood to your skin.
The first step is identifying dysbiosis present in the gut. We can do this through testing or based on other symptoms present such as bloating after meals, chronic vaginal infections, or reflux. Once we know what level of dysbiosis we are dealing with, we come up with a comprehensive and individualized plan. We treat the dysbiosis, reconnect the nervous system (aka vagus nerve) to the gut, repopulate the gut with appropriate and specific strains of probiotics and heal the gut lining.
Learn how to recognize the signs of gut dysbiosis and how to begin healing your gut.
Fiber
Plant-based foods high in dietary fiber are one of the best food groups for supporting gut health and a robust and diverse microbiome. Think nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, artichokes, and leafy greens like arugula and kale.
These foods help keep estrogen levels healthy by supporting estrogen metabolism/detoxification and the elimination of harmful xeno-estrogens like BPA or other common chemicals in home and beauty products.
Plus, these fiber-rich foods help to keep you pooping at least once daily! This is the key to healthy estrogen levels and hormones!
Probiotics
After identifying any microbial imbalance through testing, we can work to reseed your gut and restore the gut microbiome balance with pre-and probiotic foods and supplements.
To help repopulate beneficial bacteria in the gut, I often recommend probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi and prebiotic foods like artichoke, garlic, onion, grapefruit, and legumes.
Specific probiotic strains can also be helpful, especially if you are dealing with recurrent vaginal infections, HPV, and infertility. I recommend these specific strains: Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Bifidobacterium longum.
Calcium D-glucarate
Calcium D-glucarate aids in the removal of excess estrogen by normalizing the activity of beta-glucuronidase. The body can then excrete any excess estrogen so it is not inappropriately reabsorbed.
DIM
DIM (Diindolylmethane) or I3C (indole-3-carbinol) help to modulate healthy estrogen levels. I3C is derived from cruciferous vegetables and converted to DIM in the body. DIM has been shown in in-vitro studies to have anti-cancer properties in breast, uterine, prostate, and rectum cells. DIM can also help normalize high levels of circulating estrogens contributing to breast cysts, fibroids, and endometriosis.
DIM should only be used after your estrogen levels have been tested, as it can inappropriately lower already low levels of estrogen, if misused.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol – a natural compound found in grapes, berries, and red wine – has antioxidant effects that support liver detoxification and phase 1 estrogen metabolism.
Milk Thistle
The liver is the processing plant for our body’s toxins and helps eliminate excess estrogens. The body cannot eliminate built-up toxins and excess estrogens if the liver is essentially overwhelmed. Milk thistle is one of the best liver supporting herbs to help balance your estrobolome and estrogen detoxification.
Magnesium, Choline, Betaine, B-vitamins
Nutrients and Vitamins such as magnesium, choline, betaine, and B-vitamins help support methylation (the phase 2 of estrogen detox). This is an important and often overlooked phase of estrogen detoxification.
Get Started on Your Journey to Balanced Hormones
Gut health and hormones are intricately connected, thanks to the estrobolome. And this powerful connection can influence our health in more ways than we likely even understand. So while gut health may not always be the first thing we think about when trying to balance our hormones, supporting estrogen detox and restoring your gut microbiome and estrobolome can be an essential part of that journey.
Start your journey to balanced hormones and learn more about how restoring your estrobolome can result in healthy estrogen or other hormone levels by scheduling a free discovery call.
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