Can Seed Cycling Ease Menstrual Cycle Symptoms

One of the most common reasons women test their hormones is due to “period problems”. They may be irregular, painful, or heavy. They may have PMS or fatigue at different times in their cycle. They may just want to make sure their hormones are “normal”. And many women are looking for gentle, natural support. One technique that is discussed in the field of functional medicine is seed cycling. 

WHAT IS SEED CYCLING? 

Seed cycling is the practice of consuming ground seeds in two, 2-week phases. The first phase uses flax and pumpkin seeds, and the second uses sesame and sunflower seeds. The phases are timed according to the two menstrual cycle phases: follicular and luteal. The follicular phase is characterized by higher estrogen and the luteal phase is progesterone dominant. Ground seeds are believed to support the dominant hormones of each phase. 

SEED CYCLING AND HORMONE PRODUCTION 

Seeds have been rumored to provide the steroid backbone for the estrogen and progesterone made in the ovaries, but this is not true; hormones are made from circulating cholesterol¹, not dietary fats. Some of the nutrients found in seeds play a role in the production of estrogen and progesterone, but there is no solid evidence that seed cycling helps balance hormones. The practice has not been studied, so whether it works for the wide variety of complaints it claims to help is unclear. 

Nevertheless, there are several research-backed reasons why seed cycling might have an effect for some women: 

BENEFICIAL OMEGA-6 FATTY ACIDS, MORE SPECIFICALLY LINOLEIC ACID, ARE FOUND IN SEEDS ^[2-5] 

These fats convert into GLA and DGLA which help build prostaglandins and are essential for ovulation. Prostaglandins (PGEs 1 and 2) modulate inflammation, which may lower cramping, fatigue, and moodiness. Low PGE1 contributes to menstrual irregularity, menstrual cramps, premenstrual dysphoria, and moodiness. Excess of pro-inflammatory PGE2, which competes with PGE1, may also cause these issues. In either case, tipping the dietary balance towards anti-inflammatory fats and PGE1 by taking seeds may help lower inflammation and promote more regular ovulation. 

SEEDS PROVIDE PHYTOESTROGENIC LIGNANS ^{[3, 6-13]} 

Phytoestrogens are plant steroids that look like and act like weak estrogens in the body. They may also block stronger estrogens from acting at the receptor. Phytoestrogens may improve hormone symptoms caused by high or low estrogen. Flaxseed and sunflower seeds provide the most phytoestrogenic lignan content. 

Flaxseed consumption has been shown to reduce anovulatory cycles and improve progesterone production by increasing ovulation regularity. Flaxseeds may slightly increase the length of the luteal phase, which is often seen as reflecting healthier progesterone levels. Flax is also beneficial in inducing CYP1A1, an enzyme that promotes healthy phase 1 estrogen detox in the liver. 

Flaxseeds can also increase sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds and deactivates estrogen and androgens. When these hormones are too high, they can interfere with cycle regularity and increase negative period symptoms like pain and heavy bleeding. By raising SHBG, flaxseed may lower estrogen (counter to the theory that the seeds are used to make hormones). This may be why it appears to have more evidence in reducing symptoms of high hormones in cycling women, such as breast tenderness ^[3].