Seed Cycling For PCOS – What Is It And How Does It Work?
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Have you ever heard of the term seed cycling?
Seed cycling for PCOS and hormone imbalance is one of the top trending health practices these days when 3 out of 5 women endure PCOS.
Our hormones have a delicate balance that is deeply influenced by our environment, stress levels, diet, and sleep.
If any one of these factors turns upside down, our hormones can get affected.
Hormone-related problems can be a cause of a number of health issues like polycystic ovaries, fatigue, acne, excess hair growth, and thyroid problems.
You must have heard of, or been one of the women complaining about feeling “down” before their period date too.
This can be from an imbalance of progesterone and estrogen.
These two hormones help keep our menstrual cycle regular.
When our cycle starts and reaches ovulation, estrogen levels rise.
After ovulation, progesterone levels rise, while estrogen begins to get low.
Then, both hormones go down which allows the menstrual period to start.
What happens when your hormonal symphony plays out of tune?
You may experience mood swings, headaches, irritability, breast tenderness, hot flashes, and discomfort – all of this happens before the start of the period.
For some women, this feeling is a lot worse because of dysmenorrhea – painful abdominal cramping at the time of the period.
The first time I heard of seed cycling was from a friend who is a naturopathic doctor.
According to her, it’s one of the best foods used as a medicine to balance your hormones, bring your cycles back on track, and get rid of period-related problems.
Seed cycling for PCOS is actually beneficial for those who don’t have PCOS too since it has the natural properties to fix almost any hormonal ailment afflicting you.
Hormonal changes in estrogen, androgen, and progesterone can cause acne, excess hair growth, infertility, weight gain, and menstrual issues, and a lot of women turn to birth control to fix them.
However, if you are trying for a baby or want to stay away from synthetic hormones, your options become limited.
Seed cycling for PCOS is probably the most gentle and effective way to support your hormones.
This easy practice not only helps with PCOS but keeps your hormones balanced, boosts fertility, reduces PMS symptoms, and regulates timely menstruation.
Perhaps this is why seed cycling has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue lately – it’s a great way to take advantage of the healing powers of food.
Read on to learn about seed cycling for PCOS and how it works!
Seed Cycling For PCOS – What Is It And How Does It Work?
What Is Seed Cycling For PCOS?
Seed cycling involves the rotation of certain types of seeds throughout your 28 to 30+ days menstrual cycle.
This practice has helped to balance progesterone and estrogen levels in women.
Women with balanced hormones have high estrogen levels in the first half of their cycle and their progesterone levels rise during the second half of the cycle.
When there is a misbalance in the hormones, the natural rhythm gets disrupted and causes problems like PCOS + period irregularities.
The health benefits of seed cycling are numerous!
Seed cycling for PCOS is a wonderful treatment that can regulate periods, reduce acne problems, infertility, endometriosis, and ease PMS symptoms like abdominal cramps, mood swings, breast tenderness, and fatigue.
Research also says that regular seed cycling has improved hair health, thyroid problems, weight loss, and cellulite appearance.
For seed cycling your period cycle is divided into two parts:
- Phase 1- follicular. This phase begins on the first day of the menstruation cycle.
From the 1st day till the 14th (ovulation day).
- Phase 2-Luteal. This phase begins right after ovulation.
From the 14th day till the start of the next period.
The method of seed cycling for PCOS (or other period problems) is seed supplementation with four different seeds:
- Pumpkin seeds;
- Flax seeds;
- Sunflower seeds;
- Sesame seeds.
These seeds are eaten every day but the best thing to do is to grind these seeds because solid seeds don’t break down in your stomach.
When you grind them, your body can extract more nutrients from the seeds.
It’s up to you to eat the raw ground seeds on their own or add them to your smoothies, yogurt, salads, or desserts.
You can find many tutorial videos online on making delicious, healthy recipes with these seeds.
You can combine these seeds with other nutritious ingredients, avoiding too much sugar, caffeine, and carbohydrates.
That way, you can maximize the health benefits of these seeds and other nutritious foods to help manage your PCOS.
Why Seeds?
Supplementing with seeds has many benefits, they are loaded with vitamins, fatty acids, and nutrients that are good for hormonal functions.
Flax seeds and sesame seeds also contain particular plant nutrients that have the ability to naturally control estrogen and progesterone levels to keep them in balance.
Pumpkin seeds have beneficial omega-3 fatty acids for insulin and cholesterol regulation.
In PCOS, the insulin and cholesterol levels are elevated.
Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce excessive androgen to reduce PCOS symptoms, such as acne, hirsutism, and weight gain.
Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E, fiber, protein, and selenium, which help balance estrogen and progesterone levels.
These seeds also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help manage PCOS symptoms.
On the other hand, sesame seeds are a rich source of zinc that may help boost the production of progesterone levels in your body and induce menstrual periods in PCOS.
Sesame seeds bind into estrogen to remove excess levels to balance hormone levels in PCOS. (PhableCare, Oct. 2022)
Incorporating these seeds into a woman’s diet can help support healthy menstrual flow and treat PCOS.
Mix one to two tablespoons of each of these healthy seeds daily to manage PCOS.
The Process Of Seed Cycling For PCOS
The most common regimen for seed cycling for PCOS and other problems has two phases.
1. Phase 1 or the follicular phase
In this phase, you have to eat 1 tablespoon each of raw ground pumpkin and flax seeds from the first day of your period until the day you ovulate.
For most women, stage 1 should be around 14 days.
Both pumpkin and flax seeds are rich in omega-3 acids which encourage healthy cell membranes and uterine blood flow.
Pumpkin seeds contain mineral zinc that promotes progesterone production whereas flax seeds have special properties called lignans that help to regulate estrogen that is present in our bodies.
2. During Phase 2 or the luteal phase
In this phase, seed cyclers are supposed to eat 1 tablespoon of raw ground sunflower and sesame seeds per day until the first day of their next period, when the cycle begins again.
Sesame seeds also have lignans that help in the blockage of excess estrogen and reduce inflammation whereas sunflower seeds help to detoxify hormones in the liver.
*I heavily recommend tracking your cycle and ovulation dates.
It helps to make sure that you are syncing the correct seeds with each phase of your cycle.
How Long Should You Do Seed Cycling For PCOS Or Other Period Problems?
Like most things natural, seed cycling for PCOS and other problems takes time to work with your body.
It can take at least three months of regular use to notice a difference.
The best thing to do is to note down your symptoms throughout seed cycling – this can help you identify the changes happening over the months.
Or work with a health doctor to help and support you while you rebalance your hormones.
Do you have to stick to seed cycling for life to maintain your hormonal balance?
Well, it’s totally up to you.
Seed cycling for PCOS and other hormonal issues is so gentle and so natural without any side effects to use daily; you might want to consider doing it forever.
Once you get into the habit, it’ll become an important part of your daily regimen.
For the best results of seed cycling for PCOS, make sure to choose seeds in their raw form, not roasted or seasoned.
Organic seeds are the best.
Store them in a cool dry place to maintain their freshness and prevent oxidation.
Don’t cook the seeds as they will lose most of the nutrients and healthy fats.
Can Seed Cycling For PCOS Help Fertility And Conception?
Seed cycling balances hormones that cause problems like PCOS and difficulty getting pregnant.
Seed cyclers increase their chance of getting positive results because seed cycling controls levels of progesterone.
Progesterone is also found in men, but this hormone has a high ratio in the female body which can become a cause of failed conception, PCOS, and miscarriages.
With seed cycling for PCOS, your progesterone levels get controlled and a healthy balance between estrogen and progesterone is maintained.
Remember – seed cycling for PCOS is also beneficial for those who don’t want to get pregnant but are looking for something to treat PCOS naturally.
Seed cycling also:
- Helps with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance in a women’s body can lead to high blood sugar levels which can be an underlying cause of a lot of problems.
These problems, later on, cause infertility.
With seed cycling for PCOS, you can naturally and effectively decrease insulin resistance.
- Helps in the production of healthy eggs. All the natural goodness like zinc, omega 6, iron, fibers, and fatty acids present in the seeds improves the quality of the eggs and also helps the growth of follicles during the period.
Following seed cycling during the second phase of the period strengthens the endometrial lining.
Keep in mind that seed cycling for PCOS isn’t the only fix for every problem there is.
Hormone imbalances are often a result of other issues like blood sugar imbalance, stress, digestive issues, lack of sleep, and environmental toxins.
If you want seed cycling to work, you need to prioritize good sleep, manage a healthy diet, stay hydrated, and relieve stress as much as possible.
As with most natural healing methods, it can take some time to see results, so continue seed cycling for PCOS for about 3 months at least to allow your body to show some changes.
Seed Cycling For PCOS Is Gentle And Effective!
However, the method of seed cycling for PCOS has proven to be helpful for a lot of women, even those who don’t have PCOS at all.
Hormone imbalance is a pretty complex thing since there are so many factors that can lead to it.
It is best to work with your health practitioner to test your hormone levels so that there is a proper diagnosis of your condition.
Nonetheless, eating seeds is a great way to stay healthy and improve the quality of your diet.
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