About two years ago, my aesthetician of all people, told me that based upon my symptoms, she was positive I was Estrogen Dominant.
My symptoms were many. I had been a heavy lifter for over 6 years at that time (thanks to Cathe!) and had no muscles to show for it. I ate right (seriously!) and exercised a lot…but no results. I was skinny, sure, but…I still had flabby triceps and fat over my abs..
I also got migraines regularly, battled with crazy mood swings, sleep was haphazard, sex drive was nil…and on and on. When I finally saw the list of symptoms for estrogen dominance, I could practically tick off every box.
Well, okay, I thought…but now what? I had no idea what to do about it, so I just kept on.
Since the first Cathe video that I purchased, Muscle Max, I’ve been a devotee! And since that was my favorite time of day, I decided to pursue that as a way of life. I became a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, Pilates instructor, cycling coach, yoga instructor and nutrition specialist. It was when i was going through my nutrition training that ‘estrogen dominance’ came up again.
It said, as a note to personal trainers, that if you had a female who was doing all the right things–lifting, doing cardio, eating right, but her triceps/fat calibrations were not going anywhere, she most likely had estrogen dominance. Ah ha! My aesthetician had been right…but again, what to do?
I started buying books on the subject (thanks to a wonderful Cathlete that suggested the first one to me) and really started to do my research into bio-identical hormones…heck, I think I can write a book on it now!
We had hoped to wait til we had insurance, but most of the doctors and patients in the books said insurance didn’t always cover it anyway, so finally, I had had enough! I was a personal trainer who lacked the very muscles I was coaching my clients towards…something had to be done.
I met with a specialist in bio-identical hormones and she said “Yep, you are estrogen dominant.” They sent me for labs, and when the results came back, my estrogen was off the charts, my testosterone nowhere to be found…and my thyroid was low. No one at the office could figure out where I got my energy on a daily basis, but I guess it was from my workouts! I don’t know, but I do know this:
They immediately put me on hormones. I went through a compounding lab so everything I now take/put on my body (creams) was designed specifically for me.
I feel just ‘better’…just ‘good’ now on a daily basis. And guess what? My workouts? They are working now. Now, when I complete Slow and Heavy I FEEL it the next day, whereas before…’eh’ not so much…I do have more energy…even though I thought I’d had plenty before!
I sleep better, I’m nicer to be around…and I sweat less 🙂 Yay!
So, am I on the road to recovery? I certainly hope so! And I hope, by this time next year, I’ll have plenty of pictures where I’m showing off my toned muscles!!
So, thank you to the Cathletes who wrote me and suggested these things to me, and thank you Cathe, for being who you are and leading me down this path!!
You have proved that the difference between the attainable and the unattainable lies in your DETERMINATION!!
Those compounded hormones are downright dreamy in the battle against estrogen dominance. I had a physician figure it out about a year and a half ago, and it changed my perimenopausal/menopausal life. I think the better sleep allows for better recovery and better training benefits. Weight management, mood and muscle attainment, are more reasonable again. Worth mentioning is the decreased risk of reproductive cancers once that estrogen is under control, thanks to the progesterone portion of the cream. Thanks for bringing that solution to the forefront for those of us in the same boat!
What book are you referring to? I was diagnosed Estrogen Dominant about a year ago, but didn’t realize this is why I appear to have little to no muscle definition! I’ve been on Bio-identical progesterone cream and I feel so much better! Thank you for your story….it has helped make a connection for me! You have inspired me to do more research to see how I can improve my muscle definition!
I wonder what it was about your skin your aesthetician saw that made her say you were estrogen dominance? Do you have any idea?
thanks for info. i am in the same boat. hmmm. i will research it. any suggestions on books to start with? drs. are very little help at this point. sure would explain alot of my stuff. lol thanks
Hi – good to hear I’m not the only one except I think I have the opposite problem. I can’t lose weight and gain muscle really easy. Still trying to figure out the balance for my body with hormones as I don’t produce anything on my own.
Thanks for your story! I’m another one who is estrogen dominant, taking bioidentical progesterone and trying to get my thyroid back on track! I’m building muscle too, completely changing my body, and feel great! Sleep is wonderful too when the hormones are balanced!
Nicola, I started with “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by Dr. John R. Lee.
From Hormone Hell to Hormone Well was the book that got me started thinking this was my problem…