Estrogen is known as the “female” hormone. Testosterone is known as the “male” hormone. Although each hormone is identified with a specific sex, everyone produces both of them. Typically, people assigned female at birth produce higher levels of estrogen.
In females, having too much estrogen may cause:
- weight gain, especially around the hips and waist
- heavy or light periods
- worse PMS than usual
- fatigue
- fibroids in the uterus
- fibrocystic breast lumps
- low sex drive
- low mood or anxiety
Additional possible symptoms include;
- bloating
- headaches
- disrupted sleep
- hair loss.
In males, having too much estrogen may cause:
- enlarged breasts, known as gynecomastia
- erectile dysfunction
- infertility
According to a 2018 study, high estrogen levels are also associated with increased rates of depression in males.