About Guides Store Blog Podcast Freebies
Work With Me
1:1 Coaching Pregnancy Prep Course Fertility Recipe Guide Fertility Awareness Masterclass

“Estrogen shrinks the thymus, and contributes to many auto-immune conditions…” - Dr. Ray Peat

autoimmune estrogren immune system progesterone

Autoɪmmune dise@se (AI dise@se) is when the ɪmmune system attacks itself. There is a high percentage of women that have AI dise@se compared to men — it’s 80% more likely in women. (Littlewood)

While both men and women have estrogen, it’s usually present in higher amounts in women. “Research has shown that estrogen enhances the inflammatory process of the ɪmmune system, meaning it could increase the attack on your tissues if you already have an autoɪmmune dise@se, but it can also be a source of the dysfunction.” (Brighten)

One way it affects the ɪmmune system is via the thymus gland. Progesterone is protective, but estrogen “directly causes the thymus gland to atrophy, and several of its effects, such as increased adrenal activity and elevated free fatty acids, also contribute to the shrinkage of the thymus and the inhibition of its functions.

While this is happening, the B cells, which normally are under the control of the thymus cells, are not killed by estrogen, and actually seem to be stimulated by estrogen to produce certain types of antɪbodies. This combination of effects, weakening the thymus and stimulating antibody production, is thought to contribute to the development of autoɪmmune dise@ses.” (Peat)

“...oestrogens seem to have a dualistic effect on the ɪmmune system. It has been demonstrated that oestrogens suppress antɪgen-specific T-cell dependent ɪmmune reactions while enhancing B-cell activities.” (Cuchacovich et al)

As someone who has autoɪmmunity, understanding the estrogen relationship helped connect dots in my own health web. I developed a raging AI dise@se while on a hormonal contraceptive (HC), many of which contain relatively large doses of synthetic estrogen.

Women on HC are 300% more likely to develop Crohn’s dise@se. They’re also at higher risk for Lupus, Interstitial cystitis, MS, Ulcerative colitis, Eczema,and others. (Brighten)

I get tons of questions every day about autoɪmmunity. Hopefully this post provides a few new avenues for those that want to research and explore.💗

___

Not medical advice.
____________________________________________________________

 

This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.

_____________________________________________________________

References

Brighten, J. (2019). Beyond the Pill. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers

Cuchacovich, M. Gatica, H. Tchernitchin, N. (1993). Role of sex hormones in autoɪmmune dise@ses. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8191156/.

Littlewood, K. (2019). Autoimmunity. Retrieved from: https://balancedbodymind.com/blog/2019/3/7/auto-ɪmmune-dise@se-is-it-really-in-your-genes-part-1?rq=autoɪmmune.

Peat, R. (2006). Immunodeficiency, dioxins, stress, and the hormones. Retrieved from: http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/immunodeficiency.shtml.

TTC? Get empowered with Conscious Conception, the ultimate fertility blueprint created to help you optimize your fertility and enter pregnancy empowered.

GET EMPOWERED >>

Stay in touch.

Sign up for my newsletter to get access to exclusive content and resources all about fertility and beyond.

We will never misuse your information.

Categories

All Categories #ttc acne active acupuncture adrenal cocktail adrenal fatigue adrenals aging ala alcohol allergies allergy aloe vera amh anabolism anemia anti-inflammatory antioxidants anxiety artificial sweeteners atp autoimmune autoimmune disease b3 balancing hormones beauty bee products beets beta carotene birth control bloating blood donation blood sugar blood tests bone health bones boron bpa breakfast breastfeeding calcium carbohydrates carbs care carnivore carrots castor oil catabolic catabolism cellulite ceruloplasmin chinese medicine chiropractor cholesterol choline circadium rhythm coffee cold collagen constipation copper copper deficiency cortisol cramps crossfit cycle dairy dairy free dao detox detoxification dha diabetes diet digestion diseases efas egg egg health egg quality egg quantity eggs electrolytes endometriosis endotoxin endurance energy essential fatty acids estrogen estrogen dominance estrogren exercise fam fat fat-free fats ferritin fertile fertility fertility awareness fertility treatment fertility window fitness folate folic acid food formula fruit fuel gelatin genes gestational gestational diabetes gifts glucose glutathione gluten gluten free glycine glysophate gratitude gray hair grey hair grounding guava gummies gut gut health gut issues hair loss healing health health journey healthy healthy pregnancy heartburn hellp syndrome herbs hfcs high fructose corn syrup histamine hormonal birth control hormone d hormones hypoglycemia hypothyroidism if immune immune system immunity infant feeding inflammation inflammatory inositol insomnia inspo insulin insulin resistance intermittent fasting iodine iron iron overload iron recycling iron toxicity iud ivf journey keto lactation lactoferin lifestyle lime liver low iron low-carb lps luteal phase macros magnesium male male fertility meat medication medicinal mushrooms mega trans fats melasma melatonin menstruation metabolism microbiome milk mindful eating mindset minerals miscarriage mood morning sickness motivation mthfr multi-vitamins mushrooms myth nails neural tube defects new habits nutrients nutrition oil oranges organic osteoporosis ovaries ovulation pathogens patience pbcs pcos pelvic floor performance period period problems periods pesticide phytoestrogens pms pooping post-birth control symptoms postpartum postpartum depression potassium pottasium pre-eclampsia precon preconception pregnancy pregnancy loss pregnancy prep pregnancy spacing pregnant prenatal vitamins prenatals prep preterm birth preterm delivery progesterone progress over perfection protein proteins pufas quercetin raw foods raw milk rcp recipe red raspberry leaf tea relax rest retinol riboflavin root cause protocol royal jelly salt seafood selenium self care serotonin skin skincare sleep soaking sodium soy sperm sperm health spirolactine spotting sprouting stomach acid stress sugar sun supplements sweeteners sweets swelling symptoms tcm testosterone thankfulness thoughts thymus thyroid toxemia toxicity toxins trans fat trans fats trauma tryptophan ttc vaginal health varicose veins vegan vegetables vegetarian vitamin a vitamin b vitamin b12 vitamin b6 vitamin c vitamin d vitamin e vitamin k vitamins water retention weight weight loss weightgain whole foods workouts x factor zeolite zinc

 

Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here. While the owner of this website tries to keep the information up to date, there may be things that are out-of-date and out of their control.