How Seed Cycling Can Help Regulate Hormones and Reduce Menstrual and Menopausal Symptoms

So many of my clients struggle with hormone fluctuations that can cause bloating, mood swings, cramps, weight gain, hot flashes, cramps, headaches, acne and loss of energy every month.

There are several ways that you can reduce or even eliminate these symptoms. The most effective way is to remove inflammatory foods from your diet and focus on whole, plant-based foods.

But what if you are already doing this and still suffer with these symptoms every month?

Seed Cycling might help!

How does it work? Various seeds can help boost either estrogen or progesterone levels. When these hormones are out of balance you can experience different symptoms.

High estrogen levels can cause breast tenderness, weight gain, mood swings and even breast or ovarian cysts or cancer. Low progesterone levels can cause menstrual headaches, sleep disturbances, and some of the same symptoms as high estrogen. Seed cycling can help regulate the balance of estrogen and progesterone which can alleviate the associated symptoms.

Seed cycling is easy to do and can create noticeable results in just a few weeks. It’s important to remember that seeds must be ground in order for you to digest & absorb the nutrients they contain. If you buy your seeds already ground, store them in the freezer to prevent them from going bad.

To take your seeds, start on the first day of your menstrual cycle. If you do not get a period, follow the moon phase. You can easily look up the current moon phase on the internet to know when the new moon is beginning.

You will want to take about a Tbsp of each type of ground seeds for the menstrual phase you are in. You can just eat them plain, or add them to smoothies, oatmeal bowls, etc. There are recipes for seed cycle crackers as well if you want to get fancy, but it isn’t necessary.

During the second half of the cycle, you can also add Evening Primrose Oil. This oil supports hormone balance because it contains GLA, an essential fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory & pain relieving effects.

Beyond the great benefit of relieving menstrual & menopausal symptoms, taking flax seeds regularly has been proven in studies to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. This makes sense since the seeds are helping balance hormones.

I adopted a whole foods, plant-based diet about 3 years ago. Shortly thereafter, I finally took myself off the birth control pill I had been on for nearly 20 years on the advice of my OBGYN to reduce my risk of ovarian cancer after my mom died of the disease at the age of 52. I was not happy with the side effects the pill was causing, and also wanted to find out if I was beginning menopause (I hadn’t had a period in years because of taking the pill, so I had no idea if I would even get a period). In the first month or so after going off the pill, I began to have hot flashes. My periods returned after about 2 months, but became lighter and shorter with each passing month. I started seed cycling as soon as I stopped the pill, and I have not had any hot flashes or other period or menopause symptoms since that first month. I do not get cramps, bloating, mood swings, headaches, hot flashes, breast tenderness or have difficulty sleeping. The only symptom I have at all is that my periods are irregular. They are still very light & short, but I have gone as long as 3 months and as short as 2 weeks between periods. That is the only way I can tell that I am in pre-menopause.

Eating an anti-inflammatory diet along with seed cycling has made this transition into menopause so different for me and my clients than it is for anyone else I know.

Planning to give seed cycling a try? Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments or let me know how it’s going for you!