Estrobolome (Hormones)

This marker evaluates the Estroboloma, which is the specific collection of bacteria in your gut capable of modulating the balance of your sex hormones, specifically estrogens. These bacteria determine whether your body eliminates excess estrogens through feces or if they "recycle" them and return them to your blood. An imbalance in the estroboloma is one of the most common hidden causes behind hormonal disorders, from severe Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) to endometriosis and hot flashes in menopause.

The control of your hormonal levels is a team effort between your ovaries (or testicles), your liver, and your intestines. When your estrogens have fulfilled their function in the body, the liver inactivates them (it "packages" them by attaching them to a molecule of glucuronic acid) and sends them to the intestines through bile to be eliminated.

However, in the intestines, certain bacteria in the estrobolome produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. This enzyme acts like scissors, undoing the modification made by the liver. By unpacking the estrogens, they return to their active form and are reabsorbed by the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.

If you have the right amount of these bacteria, you maintain a perfect estrogen level. If you have too many, you recycle too many estrogens that should have been eliminated, creating a state of hormonal excess.

Hyperactivity or a deficit of the estrobolome has direct clinical consequences, especially on women's health (although it also affects men):

• Estrogen Dominance (Excess Recycling): If the estrobolome is hyperactive, you recycle too much estrogen. This "estrogen dominance" state is the main biochemical driver behind painful menstrual cycles, heavy bleeding, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and an increased risk of hormone-dependent cancers (such as breast cancer).
• Estrogen Deficit (Lack of Recycling): At the opposite extreme, an inactive estrobolome eliminates all estrogens quickly. In premenopausal or menopausal women, where the ovaries already produce little estrogen, the lack of this bacterial recycling exacerbates symptoms: severe hot flashes, vaginal dryness, loss of bone density (osteopenia), and brain fog.
• Obesity Metabolism: Estrogens regulate the distribution of body fat. A chronic imbalance driven by the gut facilitates the accumulation of stubborn fat in the hips and thighs.

The evaluation of stroboloma activity is carried out by Shotgun metagenomic sequencing, quantifying the global genetic potential for estrogen reactivation.

Our bioinformatic algorithm does not look for a particular species, but rather tracks and quantifies the abundance of the uidA genes (and homologous gus gene families) that encode for the synthesis of the bacterial beta-glucuronidase enzyme. Taxonomically, this capability is distributed across multiple phyla, but is found to be strongly enriched in the phylum Firmicutes (especially in the clusters of Clostridium, Ruminococcus, and certain Lactobacillus) and in the phylum Bacteroidetes.

Low levels indicate rapid estrogen clearance. It can be detrimental in menopause (worsening the deficit). Normal levels suggest a healthy balance of excretion/reabsorption. And high levels indicate that your microbiome may be sabotaging your liver's detoxification work. If the marker is high and there are symptoms of estrogen dominance, the priority intervention is to inhibit the bacterial enzyme. The use of Calcium-D-Glucarate supplement (a natural beta-glucuronidase inhibitor), drastically increasing insoluble fiber and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, which contain DIM/I3C to help the liver), and reducing inflammatory pathobionts is recommended.