Laura Lewis, MS
What is the Estrobolome?
The word “estrobolome” hints at its meaning. You probably recognize the “estro-” of estrogen and the “-ome” from microbiome. The estrobolome is a group of microbes that can influence the estrogen balance in your body. Yes, this applies to all humans on every spectrum of sex and gender.
Why is Estrogen Balance Important?
Estrogen is generally known for its role in secondary sex characteristics in biological females. However, this steroid hormone is present and active in all humans. The adrenal glands, adipose (fat) tissue, and the ovaries all synthesize estrogen.
In the ovaries, estrogen supports fertility by contributing to egg follicle development. It also helps to maintain a healthy uterine lining, regulates the flow of mucus, and stimulates the development of breast tissue in preparation for lactation.
In males, estrogen plays a role in the maturation of sperm and modulates both erectile function and sex drive.
Outside of sexual function and fertility, estrogen plays an important role in calcium metabolism. This means it supports bone density, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health. [1]
An imbalance in estrogen can cause a variety of concerning issues.
Females with too much estrogen can experience weight gain, mood swings, low or worried moods, exhaustion, heavy menstrual bleeding, hair loss, abnormal growths in breast tissue. Males with too much estrogen can experience overgrowth of breast tissue, sexual dysfunction, infertility, and poor prostate health. [1]
Too-low levels of estrogen can also create havoc to your health. Females that don’t have enough estrogen often experience irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and uncomfortable intercourse, a low mood, and trouble with the urinary tract. Low estrogen levels in males often present as weight gain, fatigue, or a low mood. [2] Low bone density (or osteoporosis) can be a result of low estrogen in males and females [1].
How is Gut Health related to Hormonal Balance?
Gut health is central to the health of all body systems. To name a few examples, your gut health affects your immune system, your mental health, your energy levels, and yes, your hormones. This is because the bacteria and yeast species living in your gut are breaking down foods in your diet and converting them into nutrients and chemicals that can bring benefits or harm to your body. A healthy microbiome living in your gut means you have maximized the bacterial species that bring you benefits and minimized the species that cause harm.
The estrobolome is just one subsection of bacterial species within your microbiome. A healthy estrobolome mediates the reabsorption of estrogen from the gut ensuring hormone balance.
The liver metabolizes estrogen and delivers it to the gut for excretion. The estrobolome includes bacteria that produce beta glucuronidase, an enzyme that reverts estrogen back into its unconjugated, active form.
If there is an overgrowth of these bacteria, we can absorb too much estrogen back into the bloodstream resulting in elevated estrogen levels. Elevated beta glucuronidase and elevated estrogen are both associated with premenstrual difficulties, weight gain, infertility, mood imbalance, poor cardiovascular health, and more. [3][4]
On the other hand, low levels of beta glucuronidase can cause problems too. Without enough microbes creating beta glucuronidase, your body can miss out on plant-based estrogens from the diet and resorption of estrogen when circulating levels are low. This can lead to overall low estrogen levels in the body and symptoms described above.
Disclaimer:
The information provided is for educational purposes only. Consult your physician or healthcare practitioner if you have specific questions before instituting any changes in your daily lifestyle including changes in diet, exercise, and supplement use.
Laura Lewis is a clinical researcher and science communicator with a Master of Science degree and a background in nutrition science and integrative health. She brings a decade of experience translating complex clinical data into accessible insights for healthcare practitioners and patients alike.
Laura has contributed to educational programming and strategic content development across the integrative and functional medicine space. Her strengths lie in evidence synthesis, practitioner engagement, and crafting communications that bridge the gap between scientific rigor and real-world application. At ARG, Laura supports clinical content development and educational initiatives that elevate practitioner confidence and product credibility.
