The balance between these hormones depends on two things: how
much hormone the body produces, and how efficiently the body
breaks it down and disposes of it. The ovaries are the primary
source of estrogen and progesterone in premenopausal women (with
estrogen also being synthesized by intestinal bacte ria and by
conversion of adrenal hormones to estrogen by the fat tissues);
the liver has the major responsibility for inactivating
estrogen. The liver tries to make sure the levels of estrogen
circulating through the body in a chemically active form don't
become too high. Breakdown in the liver's ability to perform
this function affect the levels of estrogen in the body. Both
emotional stress and you nutritional habits play significant
roles in how efficiently this sys tem will run. For example,
excessive intake of fats, alcohol, and sugar stresses the liver,
which must process these foods as well as the hormone. With
vitamin B deficiency, which can be caused by poor nutrition or
by emotional stress, the liver l