I'm sure you have heard about seed cycling and all the wondrous things it claims to have.

There’s not a lot of research papers done (besides one I found that was done in 1993) on the effectiveness of this but it has been around for a very long time with many proven personal results.

There isn’t much risk giving it a try to help balance hormones unless you have a major seed allergy.

When I was going through PCOS I had used this as a "supplement" method to regulate my periods as I didn’t get my period for over 7 months . its different for everyone, but you need to seeds cycle for at least 3-4 months to reap the benefits. The body is a tricky thing especially when it comes to hormones, so have patience. Why I say "supplement" is because nutrition comes first, seeds aren't going to be the magical cure if your food is out of whack.

So for those who have PCOS, endometriosis, terrible period cramps (which shouldn’t be a normal thing by the way), estrogen dominance, unbalanced hormones, short luteal phases, irregular periods and cycles, give this a go for a few months (it takes about 3 months or more to see any sort of benefit, so be consistent), you’ve got nothing to lose, possible only to gain:)

But let's break it down!⁣

So what is seed cycling?

In short its eating 4 different kinds of seeds at specific times during your cycle.

Pumpkin, flax, sesame, and sunflower are eaten every day, raw and ground. Whole seeds won't break down completely in your gut, so grinding them enables your body to extract more nutrients from the seeds. They can be eaten alone or added to other foods like smoothies, salads, soups or just sprinkled over your meals.

Why supplement with seeds?

These seeds contain specific vitamins, nutrients, and fatty acids that are believed to support hormonal function.

Each of the seed types utilized in seed cycling contains lignans, plant compounds that are believed to weakly mimic some of the effects of human estrogen. This is important because estrogen influences the menstrual cycle, which can in turn impact ovulation, fertility, and menopause.

Pumpkin and flax in Phase 1 are thought to support the estrogen-dominant follicular phase when the ovaries increase estrogen levels in the body. Likewise, sunflower and sesame seed supplementation in Phase 2 are thought to support increases of progesterone in the luteal phase.

There will be two phases:

Phase 1 of seed cycling is one tablespoon of raw, ground pumpkin seeds and one tablespoon of raw, ground flax seeds from day one of your period until the day before you ovulate.

Phase 2 of seed cycling involves eating one tablespoon of raw, ground sunflower seeds and one tablespoon of raw, ground sesame seeds per day from the day after ovulation until the day before the first day of your period.

Hope this has helped!

And as per usual, if you have any question, shoot them through!

Citations:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818834/#:~:text=PCOS%20is%20a%20misnomer%20as,they%20are%20actually%20antral%20follicles.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/female-infertility/symptoms-causes/syc-20354308

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/expert-answers/ovulation-signs/faq-20058000

http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/understanding-ovulation/

http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/signs-of-ovulation/

http://www.thebabycorner.com/page/2710/

https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/ovulation_drugs.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279054/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818834/#:~:text=PCOS%20is%20a%20misnomer%20as,they%20are%20actually%20antral%20follicles.

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