Understanding the Estrobolome: How Gut Health Shapes Hormone Balance

Today’s video episode of On the Move with Dr. Beth dives into a fascinating—and often overlooked—piece of hormone health: your estrobolome, the community of gut bacteria responsible for helping your body process and eliminate estrogen.

If you struggle with symptoms like bloating, mood swings, heavy menstrual cycles, “wired but tired” energy, or stubborn weight around the abdomen or triceps, your estrobolome may be part of the picture. This video breaks down what the estrobolome does, why it matters, and the simple daily habits that support healthy estrogen metabolism.

Below you’ll find the full video, a written transcript, and key takeaways you can begin applying today.

Video: The Estrobolome, Estrogen & Your Microbiome

Key Concepts Covered in the Video

What Is the Estrobolome?

The estrobolome is a specific group of gut bacteria that produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, which helps regulate how much estrogen is reabsorbed versus excreted.

Why It Matters

When the estrobolome is working well, estrogen is processed efficiently.
When dysregulated, it can lead to estrogen dominance, contributing to:

  • Abdominal weight gain
  • Tricep fat accumulation
  • Brain fog & mood swings
  • Heavy menstrual cycles
  • Fibrocystic breasts
  • “Wired but tired” energy patterns

How to Support Healthy Estrogen Metabolism

Dr. Beth highlights several lifestyle tools, including:

  • 30–50 grams of daily fiber to bind and eliminate estrogen
  • Regular bowel movements to prevent hormone recirculation
  • High-fiber foods like sweet potatoes, winter squash, nuts, prunes, figs, chia, and flax
  • Fermented and prebiotic foods to nourish the microbiome—sauerkraut, kimchi, onions, asparagus & garlic
  • Multi-strain probiotics (not just high CFU counts)
  • Bowel-supporting tools like magnesium, aloe, high-dose vitamin C, and castor oil packs

Full Video Transcript

Welcome to another edition of On The Move with Dr. Beth. Today, we’re talking about the estrobolome—so, estrogen and your microbiome. Your gut bacteria impact your hormones in a big way.

The estrobolome is a specialized category or community of bacteria, and these bacteria produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. What beta-glucuronidase does is regulate the amount of estrogen that gets reabsorbed back into the system versus being excreted. When this system works well, things are great. When it does not work well, things are not so great.

Estrogen

If estrogen continues to get recycled in the body, you can start to develop symptoms of estrogen dominance—things like extra abdominal tissue, extra tissue in the triceps, mood swings, brain fog, fibrocystic breasts, heavy menstrual cycles, and that “wired but tired” kind of feeling.

One of the most important things you can do is focus on fiber intake. I know I personally don’t get enough fiber in my daily routine, but you want to focus on about 30 to 50 grams of fiber daily. Fiber helps bind estrogen and carry it out of the body.

Regular bowel movements are also a must because the bowels help excrete these hormones so they’re not recycled back into the system. Without enough fiber, it’s kind of like trying to empty your bathtub when the drain is half closed—it’s just not efficient.

Some examples of higher-fiber foods include sweet potatoes, winter squash, raw unsalted pecans or walnuts, dried organic prunes, figs, apricots, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. We make those fat bombs, and I love sprinkling chia seeds on them—it helps thicken things. Those are some good examples.

Microbiome Support

If you’re looking for microbiome support in terms of probiotics or prebiotics, good food sources include sauerkraut, kimchi, onions, asparagus, and garlic. If you’re taking a probiotic, look for a multitude of different strains, not just the number of colony-forming units.

Digestive Habits

Digestive habits and bowel function are other big things to pay attention to. I know I focus on that a lot, but make sure you’re going to the bathroom every day. Ideally, the amount of stool should reflect the amount of food you ate the day before.

If you’re having a really hard time going to the bathroom, castor oil can be effective. I like the Queen of Thrones brand—it’s organic and hexane-free. You can use a castor oil pack on your abdomen. High-dose vitamin C, magnesium, and aloe vera can also help support bowel function and make sure you’re excreting those excess hormones.

What to learn more about estrobolome?

Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with Dr. Beth.

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