Estrogen Level & Depression: Here is How to Manage It

A lot of women don’t realize this but it is true that their Estrogen level is responsible for mood swings, stress, or even depression.

As a primary sex hormone, Estrogen plays a critical role in the development of reproductive organs and making them sexually active. However, estrogen is actually a group of hormones and plays multiple roles in women’s body including regulation of metabolism (or burning of fat), maintaining muscle mass, and uplifting psychological health.

Depression and mood swings are the most common psychological symptoms seen in women. According to a report by the American Medical Association, nearly 75% of women encounter mild or severe emotional distress in the period between their puberty and menopause.

The most observed symptom is depression and that is seen mainly at the age of 30 years. While this seems to be a common issue but it is really tough for women and their families who go through this.

As hormonal imbalance is mostly to blame for that, we are here going to take you through some effective ways to enhance estrogen level and get rid of depression.

But before that, let’s also find out how estrogen is responsible for depression.

How Estrogen Level Fluctuations Cause Depression

Depression is one of the severe symptoms of mood swings that happen due to differences in the level of Serotonin. It is a chemical messenger in our brains that is responsible for elevating or draining our mood.

When the serotonin production is higher, a woman’s mood is great too! When it reduces, mood drops.

Estrogen, along with progesterone is responsible for regulating the levels of serotonin in the brain. So, when anyone of these drops which is mainly during the menstrual cycle and at menopause, the serotonin production falls. This causes a continuous drain in their mental health or emotions, usually giving a feeling of depression.

When estrogen drops too low leading to a consistent cycle of depression or a bad phase in women, health experts suggest hormone balancing therapies including estrogen supplements.

Ways to Fight Depression Caused by Estrogen Level Imbalance

One of the key ways to fight mood swings including depression is normalizing the estrogen level in the body.  While the hormone levels fall naturally in women as they age, there are effective ways to restore the levels.

Here they are.

Choosing Foods that are Natural Hormone Booster

There are a lot of foods that help to naturally support the production of estrogen in the body or provide substances the act like the hormone. For instance, Soybeans and foods produced from it like tofu which produces phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogen is an estrogen-like substance that naturally helps to fight mood swings including depression by stimulating the production of serotonin.

Like soybeans, there are other items that produce this mimic estrogen and help to recover from hormonal deficiency such as sesame seeds and flax seeds. So, if you have lower hormone levels, include these in your regular diet.

Organic Supplements are Blissful Products

Herbal or organic estrogen supplements are perhaps the most effective, safe, and easy remedy for treating hormone deficiency and hence, depression.

Most of the supplements are made with pure and whole ingredients sourced from plants or herbs. Some of the common ones are:

• Black cohosh
• Chasteberry
• Shatavari
• Dong Quai
• Red cloves

All these are natural enhancers of estrogen in the body. A lot of health experts recommend these organic supplements which include compounds that exhibit the functions of estrogen.

Apart from these, many supplements include vital vitamins like Vitamin D and B, which support the increase in hormone levels. Minerals like Boron and DHEA are also essential to boost the hormone naturally and many supplements have that too.

Lifestyle Changes Help a Lot

Other than food habits and supplements, trying some lifestyle changes also helps to balance your hormones and hence, mood disorders.

Try doing some weight-bearing exercises regularly as it helps in blood regulation and in the natural stimulation of hormones. If you regularly consume caffeine and tobacco, decrease consumption of both as they affect estrogen levels in the long run.

Bottom Line

Estrogen hormone directly impacts the brain functions by regulating neurotransmitters or chemical messenger called serotonin. Serotonin affects the mood and hence lower level of hormones reduces serotonin which setbacks the mood of a woman.

The reduction in this key sex hormone is mainly observed in middle-aged women and those who are in their menopause.

Thankfully, there are a lot of natural effective ways to treat this hormone deficiency including natural estrogen-balancing supplements.

If you have serious signs of depression and are struggling a lot lately to lead a normal active life, it is better to get your hormone level checked. Also, necessarily, consult a health expert and get an appropriate remedy.