Many fertility issues are the result of having estrogen dominance in the body. There are many ways for the body to become estrogen dominant, including:
- The environment
- Eating non-organic meat
- Stress
- Processed soy foods
- Chemicals in products
The good news is that there is now a natural way to rid the body of an overabundance of estrogen: a supplement called DIM.
What is DIM?
Scientist knew there were powerful nutrients in crucifers like broccoli, cauliflower, kale and rutabaga, but until they began to isolate the various phytonutrients, they didn’t realize just how important they were. One of the plant nutrients discovered was DIM, which stands for diindolylmethane. It comes from the plant chemical I3C short for indole-3-carbinol.
To get just 10-30 mg of DIM you would have to eat one-and-a-half pounds of cruciferous vegetables!
Diindolylmethane releases in the stomach after you chew and swallow the vegetables. It balances the hormones and aids in the breakdown of estrogen. Estrogen dominance is a major cause of the fertility issues women face today. Endometriosis, PCOS, and Ovarian Cysts, are all estrogen dominant conditions.
Michael A. Zeligs, MD shares of DIM research out of the University of California, Berkeley, showing that “absorbable DIM specifically directs metabolism to produce much higher levels of the 2-hydroxy “Good Estrogens” and a second clinical trial [out of New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York] confirms this activity in individuals concerned with thyroid health. Encouraging this favorable hormone metabolism produces remarkable results in the body, and invigorates the process of weight loss as well [in the journal Endocrinology].”
DIM also helps men. Both men and women’s bodies can experience estrogen dominance. Men’s estrogen increases with age and is subject to the same estrogen balance problems a female body may face, including improper metabolism of estrogen.
Women having troubles becoming pregnant may benefit from the hormone balancing actions of DIM.
Signs of Estrogen Dominance:
- PMS
- Cramps
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Ovarian cysts
- Recurrent miscarriage
- PCOS
- Lack of ovulation
What is Estrogen Dominance?
Estrogen and progesterone work in unison for the body’s benefit. As people age, their hormone levels reduce, particularly for women during the perimenopause stage and beyond. The levels of progesterone decrease faster than estrogen. This decrease may create an imbalance in hormone levels.
Younger women can also suffer from hormone imbalance. During a normal menstrual cycle, when the egg releases at ovulation, the empty follicle changes to the corpus luteum, which is the place that produces progesterone. If something goes wrong, it may not produce enough progesterone. When you consider that progesterone is necessary for womb maintenance, you will realize the potential harm that a reduction in progesterone might have on the developing fetus or fertility.
Many factors contribute to the development of estrogen dominance. Obesity is one of the factors. The ovaries produce androstenedione, which is a male hormone. Fat cells change those hormones to estrogen. Pesticides, estrogen in animal food supplies, stress and high intake of caffeine also are factors attributed to estrogen dominance.
Studies now link infertility to estrogen dominance by disrupting the process of ovulation and in some cases lowering a man’s sperm count or causing poor sperm health. Estrogen dominance plays a key role in the development and proliferation of endometriosis, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, which are all issues that can dramatically affect fertility.
Do You Have Estrogen Dominance?
Symptoms Of Estrogen Dominance
- Allergy symptoms like asthma and hives
- Thyroid issues
- Breast cancer
- Breast tenderness
- Decreased sex drive
- Depression with agitation and/or anxiety
- Dry eyes
- Early onset of menstruation
- Fat gain, usually around the middles
- Fatigue
- Foggy thinking
- Hair loss
- Headaches
- Increased blood clotting
- Fertility issues
- Irregular periods
- Insomnia
- PMS
- Polycystic ovaries
- Sluggish metabolism
How to Use DIM to Reduce Excess Estrogen
DIM is found in vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, but in order to get just 10-30 mg of DIM you would have to eat one-and-a-half pounds of these cruciferous vegetables! While that amount is better than none, it is not the therapeutic dosage. Most experts recommend taking 100 to 200 mg of DIM a day.
Click here to learn more about Fertilica™ DIM Complete
Get The Estrogen Dominance Checklist
- Tips and recommendation to supporting your body’s ability to get rid of excess hormones
- How to avoid chemicals that mimic hormones and where to find them
- Expert advice to support hormonal health
- Auborn, Karen J., Saijun, Fan, Rosen, Eliot M., Goodwin Leslie, Chandrasekaran, Alamelu, Williams,David E., Dazhi, Chen, Carter, Timothy H. (2003). Indole3carbinol is a negative regulator of estrogen. The Journal of Nutrition; vol. 133, no 7, SUP (109 p.) (27 ref.), pp. 2470S2475S Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/133/7/2470S/4688465
- Zeligs, M. A. (1998). Diet and Estrogen Status: The Cruciferous Connection. Journal of Medicinal Food, 1(2), 67-82. doi:10.1089/jmf.1998.1.67 Retrieved from: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.1998.1.67
- McDougal, Andrew. (3/ 2001). Methyl substituted diindolylmethanes as inhibitors of estrogeninducedgrowth of T47D cells and mammary tumors in rats. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment; Volume 66,Number 2. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1010608000074
- Eleuterio, J., et. al. (2001). Estrogen and progesterone receptors in peritoneal fluid cell sediment in pelvic endometriosis: immunocytochemical study. Rev. Bras. Ginecol. Obstet. Vol.23, n.2. Retrieved from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0100-72032001000200004&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en
- Zeligs, M. (20 June 2011). Diindolylmethane (DIM): Microencapsulated Phytonutrient Supports Hormone Metabolism and Weight Loss. Retrieved from http://www.medford.co.za/a196/Diindolylmethane%20(DIM)%20Microencapsulated%20Phytonutrient%20Supports%20Hormone%20Metabolism%20and%20Weight%20Loss%20.aspx