Does Losing Weight increase or decrease Estrogen levels?

There has been some speculation and commentary that "estrogen levels RISE when you lose weight. Estrogen gets stored in fat instead of being released and shared throughout the body, so when you lose weight you have an abundance of estrogen in your body. Some weight loss surgery patients are required to get on birth control before surgery because it becomes so much easier to become pregnant, and they don't want that to happen soon after the surgery." However others have noted that our estrogen levels drop when we lose weight and "that being heavier can cause too much estrogen in the body."

This conversation thread began because I have noticed differences during my monthly curse and in my skin and hair. I believe my exercise and change in diet has contributed to the difference. I have always had nice clear skin but my hair has always been a problem for me. What I have noticed is my hair is stronger and healthier - even shinier. It looks really good and it is growing faster than before. Now this may have something to do with me taking vitamins as well, but I think the exercise and change in what I put in my body is a result of this change. My skin (all over) is softer and when our evil curse brought down on us by our Mother Eve decides to pay a little visit, the water intake and less sweets has reduced the unpleasant side effects before and during this time, in addition to this, it also seems that her stay is a little shorter.

Has anyone else noticed a change in hair strength or look? How about the smoothness, clearness, or softness of your skin? What is the verdict on Estrogen Levels?

I don't know from personal experience, but a friend once lost a lot of weight rapidly. They could not figure out why, in the end it was related to estrogen but I honestly cannot remember which way the relationship went.

Hmm...here is what I found on the Breast Cancer website:

Get more exercise. Exercise has many healthy benefits. Research has shown that 5 hours of exercise a week may lower the risk of breast cancer. Over time, exercise may be able to lower the estrogen levels in your body. With less estrogen around, there is less stimulation of breast cell growth, which is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Other research on exercise and breast cancer has found that exercise also can help boost the immune system, limit weight gain from chemotherapy, and help ease treatment side effects.

Maintain a healthy weight. Overweight women have an increased risk of getting breast cancer after menopause. And being overweight can increase the risk of breast cancer coming back in women who have had the disease. There are probably several reasons that being overweight is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Extra fat cells make extra estrogen that might stimulate breast cell growth. Plus, overweight women tend to exercise less and eat higher-fat foods. Regular exercise can reduce fat in the body and help with weight loss. As we age, it's harder to keep weight under control because our metabolism slows down and we tend to get less exercise. But if you can stick to a low-fat, low-calorie diet and stay physically active, weight is much easier to control.
Reduce your exposure to estrogen. Prolonged exposure to estrogen without a break can increase your risk for breast cancer. To reduce or eliminate sources of extra estrogen from your diet and environment, try the following steps: Shed any extra pounds and try to keep those pounds off. Extra fat cells make extra estrogen. At a healthy weight, estrogen levels tend to be lower.

I will say that, when I lose weight, I tend to get much less irritable. I think that fat has only one good use and that is surviving a famine. And I think we're all pretty safe in that department! So let's get rid of this life-threatening extra flesh!

I asked my doctor friend and she said losing weight decreases your estrogen levels but not to dangerous levels. Excess estrogen turns into fat which is why most overweight people are so susceptible to different health conditions like endometriosis.

I agree with you Deb, I don't think we are in danger of a famine! lol.

I think that if one gets too skinny, like anorexic girls, they CAN decrease estrogen levels too low and even delay puberty, especially young girls. But again, I don't think we're in danger of that! LOL! I'm not afraid of a potential bout of anorexia if I lose weight!

I have been really depressed despite losing 17 pounds in 5 weeks. I'm normally a happy person with reasonable ups and downs. My doctor told me that losing weight somewhat quickly can cause massive changes in your hormone levels. He said that it's normal to feel depressed and even have breast changes... which explains why I've ballooned... It was reassuring to hear. It makes sense... excess fat stores estrogen. As it burns, wouldn't it make sense that it would also be released? Anyone know if this is logical or just made up in my head?