How to seed cycle for hormone balance

How to seed cycle for hormone balance

A natural way to support your body all through different stages of your menstrual cycle

Day 1-14 Follicular Phase

1 Tbsp Flaxseeds raw – grind 

1 Tbsp of Pumpkin seeds raw – grind

Day 15 – 28 Luteal Phase

1 Tbsp Sunflower seeds – grind

1 Tbsp of Sesame Seeds – grind

Seed cycling is diet supplementation with four different seeds: pumpkin, flax, sesame, and sunflower. The seeds 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. you can add them to other foods like smoothies and salads.

This recommended addition has 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 1 should be about two weeks for most people.

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 of ovulation until the day before the first day of your period. Phase 2 should also last about two weeks for most people.

Why supplement with seeds? These seeds contain specific vitamins, nutrients, and fatty acids that can support hormonal function.

Pumpkin and flax in Phase 1 can help to support the estrogen-dominant follicular phase when the ovaries increase estrogen levels in the body.

Sunflower and sesame seed supplementation in Phase 2 can help to support increases of progesterone in the luteal phase.

 

References:

• • Phipps, W. R., Martini, M. C., Lampe, J. W., Slavin, J. L., & Kurzer, M. S. (1993). Effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 77(5), 1215–1219. doi:10.1210/jcem.77.5.8077314

 

• • • Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Current clinical irrelevance of luteal phase deficiency: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2015Apr;103(4).
  • Hutchins, A. M., Martini, M. C., Olson, B. A., Thomas, W., & Slavin, J. L. (2001). Flaxseed Consumption Influences Endogenous Hormone Concentrations in Postmenopausal Women. Nutrition and Cancer, 39(1), 58–65. doi:10.1207/s15327914nc391_8

 

• • National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements – Zinc Internet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; cited 2020Jan19. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

 

• • Eby, G. A. (2007). Zinc treatment prevents dysmenorrhea. Medical Hypotheses, 69(2), 297–301. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2006.12.009
  • Kelly RW, Abel MH. Copper and zinc inhibit the metabolism of prostaglandin by the human uterus. Biol Reprod 1983;28:883–9.

 

• • • National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin E Internet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; cited 2020Jan19. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/

 

• • Westphal LM, Polan ML, Trant AS, Mooney SB. A nutritional supplement for improving fertility in women: a pilot study. J Reprod Med 2004;49:289–93

 

• • Mutalip SM, Ab-Rahim S, Rajikin M. Vitamin E as an Antioxidant in Female Reproductive Health. Antioxidants. 2018;7(2):22.

 

• • Sharaf, A., Gomaa, N. Hormonal properties of vitamin E and its synergism with gonadal hormones. Plant Food Hum Nutr 22, 91–98 (1972) doi:10.1007/BF01099740

• • Wu W-H, Kang Y-P, Wang N-H, Jou H-J, Wang T-A. Sesame Ingestion Affects Sex Hormones, Antioxidant Status, and Blood Lipids in Postmenopausal Women. The Journal of Nutrition. 2006Jan;136(5):1270–5.