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| propriate example of this for purposes of this discussion is the liver's role in detoxifying estrogen metabolites. |
| As estrogen is broken down, it must go through the liver in order for the metabolic by-products to be made nontoxic and for them to be excreted from the body. The mechanisms the liver uses for this job are the same ones that are used to detoxify many other toxins or potential toxins in the body. This means that cigarette smoke, caffeine, alcohol, prescription drugs, the chemicals from auto exhaust and many other hormonal by-products go through this detoxification system in the liver. In addition, hormones taken in as prescriptions (oral contraceptive pills or hormone replacement therapy) are also detoxified here. Hormones may also be added to the liver's load from the foods that we eat such as red meat, cheese or chicken if the animals' feed contained hormones to make them grow larger. This may mean that the liver is very overworked, and may not be able to do its job properly. If this is the case, estrogen metabolites may remain in the body much longer than they should. |
| The effects of this overload will vary, depending on the woman's overall health and her genetic make up. Most often, hormonal regulation is altered in the body, creating disruptions of the normal reproductive cycle. Thus, irregular periods, heavy bleeding, or premenstrual symptoms may be experienced to one degree or another. Structural problems can also occur such as ovarian cysts, fibrocystic breasts or uterine fibroids. If the problem is serious enough, if there are other health problems in the woman, or if her family history so determines, breast cancer or uterine |
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