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Have you heard about seed cycling? Are you wondering if your hormones could be out of balance?

• Do you suffer from irregular periods? 
• Are you struggling to lose weight? 
• How about a lack of sexual desire? 
• Are you suffering from infertility?

Have any of these concerns crossed your mind? Your hormones could likely be out of whack. 

Your hormones play a massive role in the way your body behaves. Hormones confuse the body, but seed cycling can reset your body naturally.

Imagine you get to try a treatment that could change your life without going to the doctor. No blood draws, no expensive medications, no shots. Sounds like a dream, right?

This dream can be entirely yours with the help of seed cycling. Regulating your hormones can improve your health drastically.

The research on seed cycling has highlighted its benefits many times over. Naturopathic doctors refer patients with irregular cycles and infertility issues to seed cycling. 

Seed cycling is a fantastic way to help your body regain balance through the natural use of seeds. 

Many women suffer from imbalanced hormones. Often PCOS causes this imbalance of hormones. Seed cycling is a way to improve your hormones and allow your body to reset. Seed cycling helps to improve infertility and PCOS symptoms. 

Balancing hormones with seed cycling has improved the lives of women all over the world. 

What is Seed Cycling?

Seed cycling uses specific seeds to aid in hormone regulation. These seeds include flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds. 

This practice is used to help balance hormones and promote fertility health. 

Menstrual Cycle Review

To understand how seed cycling helps, let’s review the menstrual cycle phases.

• Menstruation phase
• Follicular phase 
• Ovulation
• Luteal phase

Hormones play a vital part in these phases’ timing and length. Imbalanced hormones cause issues with heavy bleeding, infertility, and lack of menses. 

How Do You Start Seed Cycling?

Seed cycling follows your normal menstrual cycle. You will follow the moon cycle if you are irregular or no longer have menstrual cycles. 

Take 1 tbsp of each seed, whole or ground. 

Days 1-14 (new moon to full moon)

• 1 tbsp of raw organic flax seed 
• 1 tbsp of raw organic pumpkin seeds 
• Take at least 1,200 mg of omega-3 to support your body during this time.  

Days 15-28 (full moon to new moon)

• 1 tbsp of raw organic sesame seed
• 1 tbsp of raw organic sunflower seeds

Again during this time, it is helpful to add 500 mg of evening primrose oil.

So seeds are going to change my hormones?

Yes, seed cycling helps support progesterone and estrogen within your body. At times these hormones need help metabolizing. 

During the first 14 days

In the first 14 days, your body goes through the follicular phase. This phase is when your estrogen levels are the highest. 

Lignans help the body metabolize estrogen. Pumpkin seeds and Flax seeds help increase lignans.

 High concentrations of lignans help metabolize excess estrogen in the body. Through this, lignans encourage the regulation of your hormones and cycle. 

During days 15 through 28

In the second menstrual cycle phase, your body boosts progesterone levels. 

This period includes Sunflower and sesame seeds to aid in supporting progesterone levels. These seeds also improve the luteal phase. 

Now that you better understand seed cycling and what seeds you need. Are you ready to change your life? 

It’s Time to Start.

The best way to start is to wait for your menstrual cycle to begin or finish. 

Suppose you fall into the 14%- 25% of women suffering from irregular cycles and will be following the moon cycle. Do your research on the new and full moon days to plan what phase of seed cycling you will need to start. 

Prepping makes Perfect!

Prepare your home with plenty of flax, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds. Also, add the evening primrose and omega 3s to aid your results. 

Prepping your seeds a few days in advance can improve your likelihood of remembering to take them daily. 

Grounding the seeds will help with the digestion of the seeds and improve absorption. 

Find fun and diverse ways to incorporate the seeds into your diet. Look for recipes on Pinterest, such as salads, yogurt, smoothies, or baked goods. 

Benefits of Seed Cycling

Seed cycling balances hormones and allows your body to reset its cycles. Often balancing hormones improves fertility, PMS, and PCOS symptoms. 

The list can go on and on, yet the critical fact is that your body can perform optimally with regulated hormones. The feelings of “being off” can resolve in a few short months. 

Seed Cycling for Infertility 

Infertility is, unfortunately, a very common occurrence for women. Often infertility is caused by imbalanced hormones. 

Seed cycling can help to regulate hormones and restore alignment. 

How Can Seed Cycling Improve My Fertility? 

Seed cycling decreases the occurrence of anovulation. 

Anovulation is failing to ovulate or release an egg during the menstrual cycle. Anovulation is the number one cause of infertility in women. 

Common symptoms of anovulation are

• Irregular or absent periods
• Heavy or lite periods
• Lack of cervical mucus

Research shows flax seeds can decrease the chances of anovulatory cycles and improve fertility over time. 

Flax seed is also shown to prolong the Luteal phase. The luteal phase is when your body prepares the uterus for implantation.

 Imbalanced hormones cause a shortened luteal phase. The imbalance prevents women from getting pregnant or causing miscarriages. 

Lignans are used in the body for estrogen metabolism. 

Pumpkin seeds and Flax seeds have both been shown to increase urine lignans. These seeds help your body metabolize excess estrogen. They also regulate your hormones and cycle. 

Sesame seeds increase the amount of sex hormone-binding globulin. The benefit of this globulin is in high dosages, these bind with excess estrogen and testosterone. 

Sesame seeds in postmenopausal women help to decrease lipid levels. These seeds also balance hormones and increase antioxidants. 

How Long Does Seed Cycling Take to See Results?

Your hormones did not get this far off track in one day. It, unfortunately, takes time for your body to adjust to this new lifestyle. 

Giving your body up to four months is recommended to allow your hormones to adjust. Be patient and allow your body to reset itself. 

 Seed Cycling sounds fantastic, but is there any science to back this up?

The Research is in!

Research is growing every day as this treatment is becoming more popular. 

Yet, there is still a lot already known. Throughout this article are links to research proving the benefits of seed cycling.

Anything from lowering lipid levels in postmenopausal women. To use the benefit of seed cycling to lengthen the luteal phase and improve fertility.  

I encourage you to look further into this practice. I have become more excited about seed cycling during my research and started myself. 

Let’s Review Seed Cycling

• Seed cycling is used as a natural way to rebalance your hormones.
• You can follow your cycle or the moon’s phases.
• On days 1-14, take 1 tbsp of pumpkin and 1 tbsp of flax seeds.
• On days 15-28, take 1 tbsp of sesame and 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds.
• Take every day for four months for the best results.
• It helps to improve fertility.
• It balances hormones in PCOS patients.
• It returns your body to optimal health.

Featured Image by Susann Mielke from Pixabay