Estrogen Directly Causes Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

haidut

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The worldwide rates of PCOS are skyrocketing, and have more than doubled over the last 10 years. Currently, about 12% of women in child-bearing age living in "developed" countries have PCOS and as a result struggle with infertility, diabetes, CVD, acne, bone issues, and even cancer. The fact that infertility is almost always present in those women as well as the well-known connection between infertility and estrogen should have given a hint to endocrinologists long time ago that estrogen may be a causative factor in PCOS. However, not only has this simple connection escaped the minds of endocrinologists but they usually claim the exact opposite - i.e. that estrogen is a protective factor and it is elevated androgens that cause PCOS. The fact that androgens are actually known to improve insulin sensitivity, fertility, bone health, etc in BOTH men and women, and have been used clinically for decades to correct those issues is conveniently ignored by th emedical gurus in their lofty public statements. Peat has written extensively on the topic, and has repeatedly told people over email or during interviews that estrogen is the main causative factor for PCOS and anti-estrogenic interventions are highly therapeutic. There has been a lot of criticism in regards to his views and I have also gotten hate mail for "defending" his views. I am not defending anybody, I simply look at the available evidence and make conjectures based on the known metabolic effects of various steroids. Almost 3 years ago I did a post on 2 articles implicating estrogen in PCOS, but I received criticism about that post too since the studies in it were observational. Recently, an article reviewing the role of estrogen in "metabolic" diseases (of which there are very few according to mainstream medicine) popped up in my news feed and it raised the alarm that the current epidemic of PCOS may be linked to the rising rates of hormonal contraceptive use among young women. The article did not directly say estrogen is the cause of PCOS, opting instead for the more popular statement that the issue is "controversial". However, the article did mention a lot of "troubling" evidence coming out of Iranian research groups and upon digging further I stumbled upon the following (non-exhaustive list of) studies, which directly demonstrate that PCOS is easily induced in laboratory animals by administering a relatively low dose of estradiol (valerate) - an estrogen ester commonly used in contraceptive pills - for just 30 days! Most women take birth control pills with estradiol valerate for years, and often decades. A quick Google search for "estradiol valerate PCOS" returned hundreds of scientific studies which discuss at length the apparently well-known role of estrogen in the pathology of PCOS and various antiestrogenic interventions as a potential treatment/cure. So, once again, medical censorship is on full display. As it turns out, a large number of non-Western countries have a very different view on the etiology of PCOS and have made significant advances towards treating/curing it. It seems, it is only the corruption of the Western medical system and the accompanying censorship that prevents the same from happening over here.

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)00437-2/fulltext
Thymoquinone ameliorates some endocrine parameters and histological alteration in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome
"...Intraperitoneal injection of estradiol valerate for 25 days was used to induce PCOS in Wistar rats, followed by intraperitoneal administration of 8 and 16 mg/kg thymoquinone for 30 days. Rats were divided into 5 groups; control, sham or PCOS, experiment-1 (PCOS and 8 mg/kg thymoquinone), experiment-2 (PCOS and 16 mg/kg thymoquinone), and metformin (PCOS and metformin administration, 100 mg/kg) groups. All of the animals were subjected to serum biochemical analysis of blood and histopathological study of ovaries."

Eugenol recovers some endocrine and histological changes in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome
"...Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is one of the most common cases of infertility among women of reproductive age. It is an endocrine disorder with inflammatory aspects leading to lack of ovulation. Eugenol is an active phenolic constituent of clove essential oil with the anti-inflammatory properties.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of eugenol in rats suffering from PCOS. Materials and Methods: 32 adult Wistar rats were divided into four groups of control, PCOS, PCOS + intra peritoneal injection of eugenol (12 and 24 mg/kg) for 30 days. The induction of syndrome was done by intra peritoneal injection of 4 mg of Estradiol valerate for 28 days."

Estradiol Valerate-induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Animal Model Study - Armaghane danesh
Neuropeptide galanin and its effects on metabolic and reproductive disturbances in female rats with estradiol valerate (EV) - Induced polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - ScienceDirect
Europe PMC
http://www.ijwhr.net/pdf/pdf_IJWHR_114.pdf#:~:text=Exposure to a single dose,of PCOS women (9).
https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12958-019-0539-y
http://eurjanat.com/web/paper.php?id=180429en
 

JudiBlueHen

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What could be causative if you get PCOS before ever taking birth control meds? I was diagnosed with Stein-Leventhal cysts (now called PCOS) after skipping many periods in my teens. Edit: That was in the late 1960's.
 

Lollipop2

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What could be causative if you get PCOS before ever taking birth control meds? I was diagnosed with Stein-Leventhal cysts (now called PCOS) after skipping many periods in my teens. Edit: That was in the late 1960's.
Wouldn’t that still be high estrogen levels? I feel strongly your hormones were out of balance at that young age even.
 

Lollipop2

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What fantastic studies! I can share these with my friends currently suffering... Thank you for posting.
 

JudiBlueHen

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Wouldn’t that still be high estrogen levels? I feel strongly your hormones were out of balance at that young age even.
Probably would be high estrogen - but it would be nice to have an idea why it would have been high without taking hormones. Not as much fake food and mandatory food supplements in those days and we lived on a small farm, so we ate relatively well.
 

graciousxx

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Probably would be high estrogen - but it would be nice to have an idea why it would have been high without taking hormones. Not as much fake food and mandatory food supplements in those days and we lived on a small farm, so we ate relatively well.

Was your life stressful? Stress, especially chronic stress, has a profound effect on hormones and can cause elevated cortisol which would also increase estrogen. If you lived on a farm, I would assume that you may have performed hard physical labor? Overexertion is a form of stress. By the way, stress can come in many forms, such as emotional, psychological, physical/injuries, nutrient deficiencies, not eating enough, not enough quality sleep/rest, cigarette smoking, second hand smoke, alcohol, drug use, lack of play and enjoyment, and so on... Sources of stress may not be super obvious but that does not mean that they were not there.
 

Tamara Simon

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The worldwide rates of PCOS are skyrocketing, and have more than doubled over the last 10 years. Currently, about 12% of women in child-bearing age living in "developed" countries have PCOS and as a result struggle with infertility, diabetes, CVD, acne, bone issues, and even cancer. The fact that infertility is almost always present in those women as well as the well-known connection between infertility and estrogen should have given a hint to endocrinologists long time ago that estrogen may be a causative factor in PCOS. However, not only has this simple connection escaped the minds of endocrinologists but they usually claim the exact opposite - i.e. that estrogen is a protective factor and it is elevated androgens that cause PCOS. The fact that androgens are actually known to improve insulin sensitivity, fertility, bone health, etc in BOTH men and women, and have been used clinically for decades to correct those issues is conveniently ignored by th emedical gurus in their lofty public statements. Peat has written extensively on the topic, and has repeatedly told people over email or during interviews that estrogen is the main causative factor for PCOS and anti-estrogenic interventions are highly therapeutic. There has been a lot of criticism in regards to his views and I have also gotten hate mail for "defending" his views. I am not defending anybody, I simply look at the available evidence and make conjectures based on the known metabolic effects of various steroids. Almost 3 years ago I did a post on 2 articles implicating estrogen in PCOS, but I received criticism about that post too since the studies in it were observational. Recently, an article reviewing the role of estrogen in "metabolic" diseases (of which there are very few according to mainstream medicine) popped up in my news feed and it raised the alarm that the current epidemic of PCOS may be linked to the rising rates of hormonal contraceptive use among young women. The article did not directly say estrogen is the cause of PCOS, opting instead for the more popular statement that the issue is "controversial". However, the article did mention a lot of "troubling" evidence coming out of Iranian research groups and upon digging further I stumbled upon the following (non-exhaustive list of) studies, which directly demonstrate that PCOS is easily induced in laboratory animals by administering a relatively low dose of estradiol (valerate) - an estrogen ester commonly used in contraceptive pills - for just 30 days! Most women take birth control pills with estradiol valerate for years, and often decades. A quick Google search for "estradiol valerate PCOS" returned hundreds of scientific studies which discuss at length the apparently well-known role of estrogen in the pathology of PCOS and various antiestrogenic interventions as a potential treatment/cure. So, once again, medical censorship is on full display. As it turns out, a large number of non-Western countries have a very different view on the etiology of PCOS and have made significant advances towards treating/curing it. It seems, it is only the corruption of the Western medical system and the accompanying censorship that prevents the same from happening over here.

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)00437-2/fulltext
Thymoquinone ameliorates some endocrine parameters and histological alteration in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome
"...Intraperitoneal injection of estradiol valerate for 25 days was used to induce PCOS in Wistar rats, followed by intraperitoneal administration of 8 and 16 mg/kg thymoquinone for 30 days. Rats were divided into 5 groups; control, sham or PCOS, experiment-1 (PCOS and 8 mg/kg thymoquinone), experiment-2 (PCOS and 16 mg/kg thymoquinone), and metformin (PCOS and metformin administration, 100 mg/kg) groups. All of the animals were subjected to serum biochemical analysis of blood and histopathological study of ovaries."

Eugenol recovers some endocrine and histological changes in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome
"...Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is one of the most common cases of infertility among women of reproductive age. It is an endocrine disorder with inflammatory aspects leading to lack of ovulation. Eugenol is an active phenolic constituent of clove essential oil with the anti-inflammatory properties.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of eugenol in rats suffering from PCOS. Materials and Methods: 32 adult Wistar rats were divided into four groups of control, PCOS, PCOS + intra peritoneal injection of eugenol (12 and 24 mg/kg) for 30 days. The induction of syndrome was done by intra peritoneal injection of 4 mg of Estradiol valerate for 28 days."

Estradiol Valerate-induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Animal Model Study - Armaghane danesh
Neuropeptide galanin and its effects on metabolic and reproductive disturbances in female rats with estradiol valerate (EV) - Induced polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - ScienceDirect
Europe PMC
http://www.ijwhr.net/pdf/pdf_IJWHR_114.pdf#:~:text=Exposure to a single dose,of PCOS women (9).
In rats with estradiol valerate-induced polycystic ovary syndrome, the acute blockade of ovarian β-adrenoreceptors improve ovulation
Protective role of broccoli extract on estradiol valerate-induced polycystic ovary syndrome in female rats


So what do you think the solution is for these women? I've never had regular periods, took BC 2x, at the age of 16 for 10 months and at 19 for a year. It was awful so I stopped it. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 23, but I never had regular periods before BC either so it probably didn't cause it, but definitely contributed. I have high testosterone, DHA and very low DHEA, so lot of androgenic symptoms.

Do you think the solution for women like me should be driven by lowering estrogen? I do carrot salad, mushrooms, Vit E all the time (besides living pretty good) and I don't see any improvements.
 

Lollipop2

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So what do you think the solution is for these women? I've never had regular periods, took BC 2x, at the age of 16 for 10 months and at 19 for a year. It was awful so I stopped it. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 23, but I never had regular periods before BC either so it probably didn't cause it, but definitely contributed. I have high testosterone, DHA and very low DHEA, so lot of androgenic symptoms.

Do you think the solution for women like me should be driven by lowering estrogen? I do carrot salad, mushrooms, Vit E all the time (besides living pretty good) and I don't see any improvements.
not Haidut, but absolutely yes to your question. Reducing estrogen should be first and foremost. Your measures for reducing estrogen are good when in a normal load, but you have a high amount of estrogen. I use aspirin and progesterone to decrease my high estrogen from change of life.
 

Tamara Simon

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not Haidut, but absolutely yes to your question. Reducing estrogen should be first and foremost. Your measures for reducing estrogen are good when in a normal load, but you have a high amount of estrogen. I use aspirin and progesterone to decrease my high estrogen from change of life.

Do you think that estrogen dominance would resolve itself over time with mild support if the metabolism is working optimally? I heard the argument before that you can work on estrogen detox but if your metabolism is low, it's worthless. It would be just so good to see some improvements or some kind of indication that I'm doing the right thing..
 

Lollipop2

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Do you think that estrogen dominance would resolve itself over time with mild support if the metabolism is working optimally? I heard the argument before that you can work on estrogen detox but if your metabolism is low, it's worthless. It would be just so good to see some improvements or some kind of indication that I'm doing the right thing..
Yes, I think if metabolism is working well, the body will naturally detox excess estrogen through the liver. That is the natural design. I think you have to consider liver health, hormonal health, and metabolic health when choosing a strategy.
 

Tamara Simon

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Yes, I think if metabolism is working well, the body will naturally detox excess estrogen through the liver. That is the natural design. I think you have to consider liver health, hormonal health, and metabolic health when choosing a strategy.
Thanks for your answer, it is much appreciated!

I'm unsure what to do, I've been eating for my metabolism (basically how RP recommends) for over a year and my diet was not bad before that either (I'm 25). I tried bioidentical progesterone but it thinned my uterine lining and made my very long cycles even longer with bad mood swings and weight gain, so I decided to stop taking it. I'm not taking aspirin, but I am considering it - how does it help lower estrogen?

Also, what else do you think I could do to help lower my estrogen? I have high testosterone, DHEA and very low SHBG and progesterone with irregular cycles and androgenic symptoms.
 

ursidae

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Thanks for your answer, it is much appreciated!

I'm unsure what to do, I've been eating for my metabolism (basically how RP recommends) for over a year and my diet was not bad before that either (I'm 25). I tried bioidentical progesterone but it thinned my uterine lining and made my very long cycles even longer with bad mood swings and weight gain, so I decided to stop taking it. I'm not taking aspirin, but I am considering it - how does it help lower estrogen?

Also, what else do you think I could do to help lower my estrogen? I have high testosterone, DHEA and very low SHBG and progesterone with irregular cycles and androgenic symptoms.
What exactly do you eat?
 

Lollipop2

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What about the cases when estrogen always shows up low on tests
If you have high estrogen symptoms and low on blood tests this usually this means it is stuck inside the cell with not enough progesterone to pull it out of the cell for the liver to detox it. You might head over to raypeat.com and read his articles on estrogen.
 

Tamara Simon

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+1 @Tamara Simon cooked mushrooms, carrot salad, milk, coffee, vitamin E, all help me with estrogen as well.


Thank you :) I try to eat balanced meals of animal protein and carbs, no pufas. Around 100g of carbs a day, lot of raw goat and cows milk, cottage cheese, parmesan, sour cream, beef muscle meat, and organs such as heart and liver, sometimes I do chicken and white fish too as well as lamb, bone broth but not enough of that. I am not very good on doing oysters 1x a week, I tend to forget. For carbs I do fruit, potatoes, sometimes rice, other roots and the raw carrot salad, honey, maple syrup, coconur sugar, cane sugar. For fat it’s mostly butter and ghee, coconut oil at times too, and I do a lot of good quality chocolate and cocoa. I drink coffee every morning and eat 4-5x a day. My temps as pretty good, they really came about during this one year. I used to do some cardio but not anymore, I kinda went easy om the exercise lately, lots of walking and just recreational stuff I enjoy, kayaking and tennis in the summer, hiking, walking my dog. I sleep well, and generally have a good level of energy during the day too (the last two weeks I’ve been a little off). I get a lot of sunlight, drink good quality water. I live in a flat in London for most of the year, and that is definitely something I wanna change.
 

Lollipop2

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Thank you :) I try to eat balanced meals of animal protein and carbs, no pufas. Around 100g of carbs a day, lot of raw goat and cows milk, cottage cheese, parmesan, sour cream, beef muscle meat, and organs such as heart and liver, sometimes I do chicken and white fish too as well as lamb, bone broth but not enough of that. I am not very good on doing oysters 1x a week, I tend to forget. For carbs I do fruit, potatoes, sometimes rice, other roots and the raw carrot salad, honey, maple syrup, coconur sugar, cane sugar. For fat it’s mostly butter and ghee, coconut oil at times too, and I do a lot of good quality chocolate and cocoa. I drink coffee every morning and eat 4-5x a day. My temps as pretty good, they really came about during this one year. I used to do some cardio but not anymore, I kinda went easy om the exercise lately, lots of walking and just recreational stuff I enjoy, kayaking and tennis in the summer, hiking, walking my dog. I sleep well, and generally have a good level of energy during the day too (the last two weeks I’ve been a little off). I get a lot of sunlight, drink good quality water. I live in a flat in London for most of the year, and that is definitely something I wanna change.
+1 I like your routine and lifestyle. I do think you are low on carbs. Peat has said before 180gms of carbs is good. What is the problem for you exactly? Do you have some kind of condition? How can we help you?
 

gately

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I know it works within min for me if I have high estrogen symptoms: foggy mind, overall bad weird off feeling in my body, headache. I do not know the science of my it works; maybe someone more technically minded can answer this for you. @Recoen @ecstatichamster @Energizer @gately
This is really interesting, Lollipop. Thanks for tagging me. I'm sure one of the pubmed warriors on the board will have some possible ideas for what's going on there. But can I ask, how are you certain those symptoms are directly related to high estrogen, and not say, endotoxin? Have you correlated those symptoms to ingestion of estrogenic foods or any other obvious hormonal symptoms?
 

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