Seed cycling: Regulate your menstrual cycle hormones with seeds

Do you experience any of these symptoms?

• Acne
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Irregular menstruation: amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea
• Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
• Infertility
• Low libido
• Sudden mood swings
• Sleep problems

These symptoms may be due to an imbalance in your female hormones during the menstrual cycle.

Female Menstrual Cycle

‍According to the Mayo Clinic, it is the series of changes that a woman’s body goes through every month to prepare for a possible pregnancy. Each month, one of the ovaries releases an egg in a process called ovulation. At the same time, hormonal changes prepare the uterus for pregnancy. If ovulation occurs but the egg is not fertilized, the lining of the uterus is shed through the vagina—this is the menstrual period.

How can you regulate your menstrual cycle?

‍Your hormones aren’t “crazy”—they’re just deregulated due to inflammation caused by a leaky gut!

The first step is to heal your gut through Immunonutrition:
When your gut is inflamed from consuming “enemy foods” that cause sensitivity and are hard to digest, it fails to absorb the key nutrients needed for your hormones and menstrual cycles.

That’s why the solution is NOT to cover the symptoms with birth control pills, but to heal the root cause by removing inflammation and recovering your gut health.

Steps to support hormonal balance:

• Evaluate your hormone levels.
• Personalize and apply your 3R Protocol.
• According to your food sensitivities, determine which seeds you can use for Seed Cycling.

What is Seed Cycling?‍

Seed Cycling primarily supports the function of two hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle: estrogen and progesterone. It has been proposed as a natural way to support female hormonal balance.

How does it work?

‍Seed Cycling consists of consuming specific nutrient-dense seeds at certain times of your menstrual cycle. During ovulation, estrogen decreases and progesterone increases—and the opposite happens during menstruation.

How to do it:

• Start taking seeds on the first day of your period:‍
• From day 1 to day 14 or 16 (the day ovulation occurs):
• Take 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds + 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds.

These two types of seeds and their nutrients (lignans, omega-3 and 6, zinc) support healthy estrogen production and help control any excess, promoting hormonal balance and fertility.

From the day of ovulation, switch your seed intake:
From day 15 or 17 to day 28 or 30 (until your next period):
Take 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds + 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Both seeds are rich in vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and lignans, supporting the increase of progesterone—a hormone that helps prepare the uterus for a possible pregnancy or, alternatively, the arrival of menstruation.

Another benefit of this phase is that it helps the liver detoxify the estrogen produced in the first phase, preventing its excess and potential side effects.

Repeat the Seed Cycling process until the symptoms that led you to start it disappear or until your specialist recommends otherwise.

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What to Consider When Doing Seed Cycling

• Consume the seeds raw and activated (previously soaked).
• Store them in cool places.
• It’s important to chew them very well or, preferably, grind them.
• They can be eaten at any time of day, whole or added to meals.
• You can start either on the first day of your menstrual cycle or with the seeds corresponding to the current phase you’re in.
  Example: if you are on day 11 and want to start, you should begin consuming 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds until the day of ovulation.
• Do not replace them with other types of seeds.
  Example: sunflower seeds cannot be replaced with chia seeds.
• If you have a sensitivity to any of the seeds, double the amount of its partner seed in that phase.
  Example: if you’re sensitive to sesame, double the amount of sunflower seeds.

Who Can Benefit from Seed Cycling?

• Women of reproductive age who experience period-related discomfort, irregular cycles, strong premenstrual symptoms, or who are stopping or have recently stopped taking birth control pills or other contraceptive devices.
• Women in premenopause and postmenopause, as this practice helps support hormonal production, which fluctuates significantly during this stage.

Many menopause-related symptoms are due to estrogen dominance; therefore, Seed Cycling can help balance and buffer these effects.

Who May Not Benefit from It?

‍Women currently taking or using hormonal contraceptives, as these alter the menstrual cycle entirely.
Remember, the solution isn’t to take external hormones but to address the root of hormonal imbalance.

If You Don’t Have a Menstrual Cycle (Amenorrhea or Menopause), How Can You Do It?

‍It’s recommended to follow the lunar cycle, using the new moon as the start of phase 1 of Seed Cycling (15 days of flax and pumpkin seeds), and switching to sesame and sunflower seeds at the full moon.

You should know that hormones are highly vulnerable to various factors:

• Inadequate detoxification _processes at the liver level
• Chronic stress
• Presence of intestinal dysbiosis
• Excess body fat—especially abdominal fat
• Exposure to or consumption of hormone disruptors such as plastics, pesticides, herbicides, etc.
• A pro-inflammatory diet
• Genetics

At NutriWhite, we recommend that, in addition to applying this natural tool known as Seed Cycling, it’s important to identify the root cause of your hormonal imbalance through an immunonutrition consultation and specialized testing.

This way, you’ll know how to improve your hormonal health and determine whether or not you’re a candidate for Seed Cycling.

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Bs. Valeria Rizzo
Nutritionist-Dietitian & Consultant
NutriWhite Ambassador

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References:

• FullScript. Seed Cycling: How to do it and why your hormone. (2020) - Michelle Lauer, CNP.

Seed Cycling: How To Do It | Full

• HealthLine. Can seed cycling balance hormones and ease menopause symptoms? (2019) - Elise Mandl, BSc, Msc. APD.

What Is Seed Cycling? Effects on Hormones and Menopause (healthline.com)

• Herbal Academy. Seed cycling for hormonal balance. (2014) - Annie Hall.

Seed Cycling For Hormonal Balance – Herbal Academy (theherbalacademy.com)

• Wholistically Hannah. A beginner´s guide to seed cycling (2020) - Hannah Schimitt.

A Beginner's Guide to SEED CYCLING — Wholistically Hannah

• Nutri Soul. Feed your mind, Body and Soul. Seed cycling guide for hormone balance. Lisa Hodari, BSc, DipCNM, mANP, rCNHC.

Seed+cyclingJan22.pdf (squarespace.com)

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