Is There A Link Between Estrogen And Allergies

Is there a link between Estrogen And Allergies

Although a more obscure menopausal symptom, occurrences of allergies can occur during menopause.
Women do have a higher incidence of allergies and allergic-type of reactions, when compared to men.

The exact link between menopause and allergies is not known, but it is believed that hormonal fluctuations, particularly with estrogen, can increase the production of a body chemical, called histamine, which can trigger an allergic response.
This is why women who have never suffered from allergies before, can do so, during menopause.
Source
positivepause.co.uk – can menopause make allergies

What exactly is an allergy?

Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance or allergens, such as pollen or bites or a food that does not cause a reaction in most people.
Allergies are a hypersensitivity of the body’s own immune system to external allergens, when inhaled, exhaled or come into contact with.
Your immune system makes antibodies that identify a particular allergen and assumes that it is harmful, even if it isn’t.

Research suggests that when estrogen peaks in the menstrual cycle, symptoms of allergies tend to be exacerbated.
This could be related to increased inflammation during this time due to higher estrogen levels and as a result, exacerbating the immune system response.
Source
allergy.org.au – what is allergy

What is histamine?

Histamine is a chemical that the body releases when there is some kind of irritant or injury to the body.
Too little histamine can cause major problems and your body can’t function properly without it.
Conversely, too much histamine can cause many different types of symptoms.

It has been discovered that histamine can also play a big part in other menopause symptoms.
Because women have more estrogen than men, they also tend to have more histamine.
Estrogen, progesterone, and histamine are all closely linked in the body and estrogen stimulates mast cells to make more histamine.

 

Why does menopause cause problems with your immune system?

• Menopause stresses your nervous system and if the nervous system is overstressed, it will have a possible corresponding effect on your immune system.
• Menopause causes fatigue
  Falling estrogen and all the hormonal changes that go with it can make you very fatigued, and fatigue will have an effect on your immune system.
• Menopause affects your sleep
  We know that menopause can affect sleep, due to night sweats or hot flushes and that can have a profound effect on how efficient and effective your immune system is.

• Menopause upsets your digestion
  Menopause can also affect your digestion, more specifically your absorption of nutrients that you need in order to support your immune system.
  It also affects the friendly bacteria in your digestive system and you need these healthy bacteria in order for the immune system to function properly.
• Dehydration & liver function
  Dehydration can be a big factor in your immune system and liver function.
  Changing hormones can also stress your liver which plays a part in deactivating histamine.
  Histamine can also trigger other allergies such as skin rashes and you can end up being allergic to things that you were not allergic to before.

What can you do to minimze allergies?

You may lack certain nutrients that are important in breaking down histamine.
A lack of these nutrients can result in your body having trouble producing those histamine-busting enzymes.

• B2, B5, B6, B12
• Folate (as methyl folate)
• Vitamin C
• Magnesium – not having enough magnesium can affect your nervous system which in turn affects your immune system.
• Valerian  helps to improve sleep, reduce stress, fatigue and anxiety all of which can affect the proper functioning of the immune system.

The importance of drinking enough water

The more histamine in your system and the more dehydrated you are, the stronger the histamine becomes, and therefore, your reactions to it increase, causing more swelling and inflammation.

Sources:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – estrogen affects in allergy
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – hormonal link to autoimmune allergies