How To Balance Your Hormones Using Seed Cycling {Guest Post}

How To Balance Your Hormones Using Seed Cycling

At one point or another one of my female kin has suffered from hormonal imbalance. Maybe I should begin by admitting that I learned about seed cycling after suffering for a while. I was not ready to try chemical medication but the hormonal acne I had gotten was giving me grief. Just imagine my relief when an old friend mentioned that she tried seed cycling to balance her hormones.

But let’s start from the very beginning. Are you having irregular and painful periods? Could you be having acne just before or after you have your menses? These are just some of the symptoms that are associated with hormonal imbalance as I came to learn. It is one of the most common ailment that plagues women.

What is seed cycling?

The basic concept is eating different seeds at different phases of your menstrual cycle. How easy is that? All you have to do is consume flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds as part of your daily diet. These seeds have healthy nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids and Lignans that are beneficial to you. But what exactly can seed cycling do for you and more importantly for your hormonal imbalance?

What is hormonal imbalance?

You have probably heard about Estrogen and Progesterone. As a woman you have these two key hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle. The levels of estrogen in your body are higher during the first half of your cycle while progesterone rises during the second half. If this occurs then you have a hormonal balance. The opposite of this is an imbalance of hormones.

A hormonal imbalance can be caused by several factors including stress and hormonal contraceptives. When this occurs, you start getting symptoms such as hormonal acne. Unfortunately, hormonal disorders can escalate and cause other issues. Did you know that hormonal imbalance is one of the leading causes of infertility? Fortunately, hormonal imbalance can be treated using a variety of methods. These include hormone balancing creams and supplements. However, most women like me prefer a natural method that has the benefit of being healthy. This is where seed cycling comes into play.

See also: Using Essential Oils for Hormone Balance 

Seed cycling and hormonal imbalance

Seed cycling is a natural remedy to hormonal imbalance. Why? It helps your body to naturally rebalance its hormone levels at each phase of your menstrual cycle. That’s your goal, right?

The concept is fairly simple:

• Seeds such as flax are rich in Lignans. These are chemicals that bind up excess hormones.

Do you remember what we said about a hormonal balance? In the first phase of your cycle your estrogen levels rise. This is because this hormone is needed to build up your uterine wall. However when it comes to the second phase of your cycle, estrogen levels must decline to allow progesterone to thrive. This is where Lignans come into play by helping your body to eliminate the excess estrogen. If this was not done, you would have a hormonal imbalance.

• The four seeds also contain essential fatty acids.

Yes. Our hormones love fats. More so in facilitating the production of progesterone in the second phase of your menstrual cycle.  You probably know that progesterone is needed to support implantation and maintain a pregnancy. But have you ever wondered what role progesterone plays in the menstrual cycle? Progesterone helps in thickening the endometrial lining of your uterus. The use of seeds during your cycle hence helps your body to produce this essential hormone and detoxify estrogen at the right time. In so doing, seed cycling alleviates the symptoms of hormonal imbalance such as:

• Heavy and painful menstrual bleeding
• Acne
• It is worth noting that PCOS is a serious effect of hormonal irregularity which you need to consult your doctor about. Seed cycling however will help you in managing the symptoms.
• Irregular cycles

Having said that, it is important to discuss how you go about cycling these four seeds.

How to do seed cycle

This is pretty simple. All you have to do is divide your cycle into two halves. For instance if you have a 28-30 day cycle, take the first set of seeds up to the 14^th day then switch to the second seeds. So what makes a set? A set of seeds depends on the phase of your cycle.

• During the first half of your menstrual cycle:

This is the estrogen dominant phase of your cycle. Take a tablespoonful each of flaxseed and pumpkin seeds on a daily basis. You can simply add it to your cereal or smoothies.

• During the second half of your menstrual cycle:

This is the progesterone dominant phase of your cycle. Take a tablespoonful each of sesame seeds and sunflower seeds daily to give yourself a progesterone boost. How easy is seed cycling as a natural method of balancing your hormones?