The Immunology of Oestrogen

“Oestrogen is good. No oestrogen is bad. No too much oestrogen is bad. But not enough oestrogen causes joint problems. But doesn’t my thyroid need oestrogen? Uh, what’s the right thing for me?”

The truth is all of those statements can be correct, just how oestrogen applies to women can be different based on what is going on in your body.

Not only does oestrogen effect our metabolic function, but it regulates our cells, and plays a part in increasing and decreasing cytokines (which are basically our inflammation signals). Oestrogen and the microbiome are also highly connected, which is where the immunology of oestrogen plays a big part in inflammation.

This is why when the menstrual cycle comes and there is something wrong, there are symptoms that have nothing to do with the bleed at all. Oestrogen regulates the response [cellularly] and the intensity of the response is directly connected to the actual problem.

This is another reason we call menstrual cycles report cards – they help us see if anything is wrong in the body.

Oestrogen, the endocrine system, and the immune system all seem complete separate and unrelated. In fact, medically speaking, we’d go to three, possibly five different doctors for each separate issue.

So naturally, many never think oestrogen has anything to do with the immune system.

This is what makes the immunology of oestrogen so interesting.

Why spend five minutes reading this?

If you are a woman, at some point in your life oestrogen is more than likely going to demand your attention.

Typically, for one of the following three reasons:

1. Reproductive Diagnosis like infertility, Endometriosis, PCOS, Adenomyosis, Fibroids, Cysts, or Menstrual Problems.
2. Peri-Menopause problems like heavy bleeding, extreme mood changes, fluid retention, weight gain, or sore breasts.
3. Post-Menopause problems like joint pain, osteoporosis, osteopenia, muscle aches, decreasing bone density, bursitis, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Rather than react to the symptoms, we invite you to dig deeper into whether or not there’s more to the problem, like a problem with the microbiome or nutrient deficiency effecting the cells and/or immune system.

So, how is Oestrogen connected to the Immune System?

Oestrogen receptors are widely distributed to immune cells, which combine with oestrogen and participate in allergic responses by affecting immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory factors.

Oestrogen regulates white blood cells and activates an antigen response from the cells in the body.

An antigen is defined as any substance that causes the body to make an immune response against that substance. Antigens include toxins, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, or other substances that come from outside the body.

Oestrogen also affects the expression of cytokines, which are the inflammatory signallers with the body. A few weeks ago, we spoke about cytokines and how they are what turns pain and inflammation up or down.

Progesterone, Oestrogen, and cytokines run a mirror cycle to one another during perimenopause.

Inflammatory cytokines are going up as oestrogen goes up.

And non-inflammatory cytokines are going down as progesterone is going down.

The immune system, in the context of period problems or menopause, is particularly relevant largely due to inflammation.

Inflammation causes symptoms like:

• Pain
• Bloating
• IBS, Constipation, Diarrhea
• Fluid retention
• Nausea
• Autoimmune Conditions
• Ezcema, Psoriasis, Rashes
• Insulin Resistance

Why Inferfitily, Endometriosis, PCOS, Adenomyosis, and Menstrual Problems merit greater investigation into the immune system.

Only 25% of women get a diagnosis, and it often takes between seven and twelve years to be diagnosed.

Most women that have period problems or trouble with infertility have a similar story like:

• being a sick child that was on and off antibiotics
• adenoids removed
• tonsils removed
• asthma
• bad batch of ross river fever, glandular fever, or a bad virus
• grommets put in to help drain the mucous

There’s a “gland” and immune system connection with so many women that have these kinds of problems. You see, 80% of the immune system sits in the microbiome.

Oestrogen regulates the cell’s response [as it pertains the immune system] and the inflammatory response to underlying problems.

Oestrogen, in this context, is like the immune system ignitor.

And progesterone naturally is deficient in many of these women suffering from these symptoms.

Put very simply, the cell response at the time of the flow, acts in response to the rising oestrogen to let you know there is a problem, by presenting symptoms.

Most women that suffer from infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, or other menstrual diagnosis have a very different menstrual cycle. Many complain of symptoms like:

• IBS, or diarrhoea
• nausea and/or fatigue
• bloating
• intense pain or back pain
• short cycles
• heavy bleeding
• moodiness, anxiety, or intense anger

Just to name a few of the common symptoms.

High levels of oestrogen increase the growth of tissue or cysts. It also raises the inflammation (through raising inflammatory cytokines which effect the immune system).

Progesterone plays a role in preventing excess growth of tissue.

Most of these women are suffering from low progesterone, or the body skipping ovulation, so it’s common for the proliferation of tissue growth to be present.

What’s most fascinating to us, is the bacteria connection. And this is the key oestrogen-immunology connection to pay attention to.

91% of the patients we see that sit in this category, have had an immune event that changed the immune system composition, which effected the balance of bacteria in the microbiome.

There’s a notable debate in the medical community about the classification of endometriosis as an auto-immune condition, for instance.

This is largely due to the nature of the immune system reaction each cycle. Oestrogen is much higher, and progesterone much lower. And the immune system and cytokines are responsible for a large majority of the growth of endometrial tissue as well as patients’ symptoms, and reactions.

Oestrogen is also known to trigger fluid retention, while progesterone acts as a diuretic to help remove excess fluid from the body. Many patients that suffer from period problems as well as infertility complain about bloating, especially right before their cycle. It’s not uncommon for women to gain 2-3kg in fluid, because of imbalanced levels of oestrogen and progresterone.

I highly recommend if this is happening for you or you want to learn more to start with our Endometriosis & Bacteria Inflammation webcast. You can watch that here: https://naturalhormonebalance.co/free-training-endometriosis-bacteria-inflammation-2/

Fibroids, Cysts, Polyps

Research from the National Institute of Health suggests that women with fibroids, polyps or cysts:

1. Have an increased risk of thyroid goitres and thyroid nodules, and,
2. 65% to 75% are likely to receive a future under-active thyroid diagnosis.

Women with endometriosis are at least 6X more likely to have autoimmune hypothyroidism. Rates of Graves’ disease are also higher in women with endometriosis

Many women suffering from uterine, cervical, or ovarian growths suffer have nutrient malabsorption issues (most commonly seen with low levels or iron or anaemia).

And poor nutrient absorption leads to a response from the immune system, which triggers oestrogen and inflammatory cytokines to increase inflamation can can proliferate more tissue growth.

Even if you have had surgical removal of a fibroid or cyst or polyp, we encourage you to look deeper at your nutrient levels, your full blood count (in your cells), and your thyroid function.

Oestrogen levels are often much higher in patients with cysts, fibroids, or polyps, which merits further investigation into the immune system, the gut microbiome, and thyroid function.

Oestrogen, Mast Cell Activation, & High Histamines

Oestrogen effects the provocation and phase of allergic reaction which promotes an allergic reaction, immune activation and increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. This is common between 48 and 57 years of age.

Mast cells are known as immediate hypersensitivity effector cells, and are widely found in barrier tissues associated with the external environment such as the skin or the mucosa of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract.

The release of major mediators of immediate hypersensitivity (e.g., histamine, cysteinyl leukotrienes) is an essential process in allergic reactions.

Oestradiol enhances IgE-dependent activation, IgE-induced degranulation.

Studies have suggested that oestrogen and oestrogen-like compounds combine to stimulate calcium signalling, and, thus, induce mast cell degranulation.

Oestrogen causes an immune response deviation. There are numerous immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory mediators involved in various stages of immune response to allergic diseases.

As an important immune regulatory factor, oestrogen is undoubtedly involved in the regulation of many cells, cytokines, and inflammatory mediators which are the core elements of allergic reactions.

I highly recommend if this is happening for you or you want to learn more to start with our Body Recalibration webcast. You can watch that here: https://naturalhormonebalance.co/free-training-body-recalibration

Menopause & Post Menopause – Lowering Oestrogen: Rise in Joint Pain, Arthritis, or Autoimmune Conditions

Oestrogen is important for mood, bones, muscles, and metabolism. It’s natural to go through menopause. Your body naturally switches from menstrual oestrogen to cellular oestrogen.

As mentioned above, it’s common for women in menopause or after menopause, to have an increase in cytokines, so it’s important to make sure your nutrient levels are within healthy ranges to support healthy bone density and joint health.

But, if there’s a noticeable increase in joint pain, bursitis, muscle recovering, or a diagnosis like osteopenia or osteoporosis, it’s worth investigating further.

Often if severe joint pain kicks on post-menopause, oestrogen can be a short term medical solution, but it’s important to look a bit further.

Osteopenia, for instance, can in some cases merit investigation for coeliac disease, especially around this age.

Many women have the rheumatoid factors looked at to rule out rheumatoid arthritis or even sometimes lupus.

We often look at the bigger picture, because the immunology of oestrogen and the absorption of nutrients in the gut plays a big part in the joint pain or muscle aches – which are caused because of inflammation.

I highly recommend if this is happening for you or you want to learn more to start with our Body Recalibration webcast. You can watch that here: https://naturalhormonebalance.co/free-training-body-recalibration

Want to learn more or Get Support?

I don’t normally offer two trainings in one email; however today I feel like it’s relevant.

If you have been diagnosed with a menstrual problem or struggle with fertility, I encourage you to watch our presentation on Endometriosis even if you don’t have endometriosis as a diagnosis.

The microbiome, cyctokines, and auto-immune system characteristics of endometriosis are closely being studied and finding similarities to patients that suffer from PCOS, Adenomyoisis, and Infertility.

With infertility, for instance, the same composition of antigen activation from oestrogen is found in women struggling to fall pregnant, causing a porgregsterone deficiency. In some cases, there is a “killer cell” that actually stops the pregnancy from happening.

In this endometriosis pregnancy, we talk a lot about the bacteria expression of endometriosis and the hormone component.

Both of which can easily be controlled by you, once you get the bacteria ratios right, support the immune system and enable healthy hormones in the body. It’s actually quite simple to do and most of our patients that want to fall pregnant, do so within four to six months of our treatment.

You can reserve a spot or watch a replay of that webinar here: https://naturalhormonebalance.co/free-training-endometriosis-bacteria-inflammation-2/

On the other hand, if you have are in your late 40s or even early 60s, I encourage you to watch our presentation, “The Body ReCalibration”. We further explain what happens especially between the ages of 48 to 67. As the body shifts away from a reliance on menstrual oestradoil.

Women are especially susceptible to high histamines and mast cell activation between 50 and 57, which has a direct impact on the immune system.

Other women after 50, and after a hysterectomy, become more conscious of their inflammation levels and bone density. This is especially important if one has been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, OR if there is a history of endometriosis, adenomyosis, Hashimoto’s, Coeliac Disease, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or another autoimmune condition.

You can watch “The Body Recalibration” webcast here: https://naturalhormonebalance.co/free-training-body-recalibration/

If you’d like further assistance and would prefer to speak to us, we do offer a Free Introductory Consultation. You can organise that here: https://calendly.com/nz-naturopathy/intro-consult

Looking forward to connecting again soon.

Warmly,
Tiaan