Seed Cycling for Hormonal Health

Does Seed cycling actually work?

Seed cycling or seed rotation is a method of regulating and balancing hormones naturally. It aims to support the natural menstrual cycle during its different phases for menstruating women and bring about a balance of estrogen and progesterone for menopausal and post-menopausal women. 

Seed rotation works through the consumption of specific innocuous seeds during the different parts of the menstrual cycle to bring about transformative changes to female health. The first phase of your cycle, lasting approximately 14 days, is known as the follicular phase. In this phase, estrogen levels start off low but gradually increase in order to prepare for ovulation. 

The seeds to be consumed in this phase – flax seed and pumpkin seeds – help boost your estrogen levels during this part of your cycle. Flax seeds, being high in Omega 3 fatty acids and lignans, help maintain the required levels of estrogen and detox any excess estrogen. Pumpkin seeds, being high in Omega 6 fatty acids and zinc, help boost fertility and healthy immune functions. Both these seeds work together to prep your body for the second half of the cycle. 

The second phase, lasting approximately another 14 days, is called the luteal phase. In this phase, the body needs to rid itself of estrogen and boost progesterone levels to ensure a healthy uterine lining. The luteal phase comes about due to a sudden drop in estrogen and increase in progesterone levels. However, issues arise when estrogen levels try to rise during this phase. This is where seed rotation comes in. 

The seeds to be consumed in this phase – sesame and sunflower seeds – help maintain healthy fertility levels and promote progesterone production. Sesame seeds, being high in zinc, boost fertility while sunflower seeds, being high in vitamin E, help reduce estrogen levels to allow progesterone levels to reach their optimum level. 

In the simplest terms, each combination of seeds – flax seeds and pumpkin seeds/sesame seeds and sunflower seeds – have to be consumed for 2 weeks each in ground up form. This extremely simple dietary inclusion can reap massive benefits for many women and not just with regulating periods. It can balance estrogen and progesterone levels, reducing problems like tender breasts, mood swings, hair loss, weight gain, anxiety, and insomnia. It can also help reduce symptoms of PMS. 

Ideally our menstrual cycle and the estrogen/progesterone production would happen naturally with no intervention but that unfortunately is not the case for most women these days with excessive stress, poor diet, and environmental toxins (including toxins in beauty products!) contributing to irregular, painful periods and even infertility. Seed rotation is a gentle, inexpensive, and non-invasive method to support our body to maintain its basic regular functions.