The benefits of Seed Cycling for women experiencing heavy or painful periods

I’m going to make a big unsubstantiated claim right now - Seed Cycling is the bomdiggitedy!

The menstruation silver bullet if you will.

The hormone balancer all-rounder.

The quick fix you’ve been looking for!

Oops! Now you know I’m selling rainbows!

You already know there is no quick fix to supporting your menstrual cycle – it’s a big process of understanding your blood sugar, improving your digestion and supporting your liver.

It can be a big lifestyle change as you prioritise sleep, move your body more and add some new foods to your diet. Plus an even bigger cognitive shift as you begin to change your workflow according to your menstrual superpowers and truly take care of yourself.

But.

Don’t let that scare you away.

You can kickstart the process and achieve some early wins through seed cycling.

Sounds too good to be true?

I thought so too, so in the name of research and not really expecting anything, I put seed cycling through its paces.

Back in 2018 at the tender age of 41 (well before I was a certified Women’s Hormone Coach) I was peri-menopausal with a 29 year history of severe menstrual migraines, heavy bleeding, painful cramping plus 3 years of fibrocystic breasts with a side of excruciating galactorrhea, and a new symptom of a very short cycle and spotting.

I’d read that it would take about 3 months of seed cycling before I saw significant change – pffffttt. I was so skeptical after decades of painful and heavy periods.

But I quickly noticed significant shifts in my sleeping, and it took just 4 cycles to deliver a period that was 28 days with no spotting.

Just 4 cycles to resolve 2 years of a 19-24 day menstrual cycle, and 3-4 days of spotting beforehand? #smugness

My personal results after 4 months of trial:

• From a 19 day cycle (not fun), to a 28 day cycle today (#winning).

• No brown spotting 3-4days before my red blood actually starts.

• Falling asleep more easily.

• Less waking up at 3am and not being able to get back to sleep (Full Moons notwithstanding).

• Reduced night sweats.

• Reduced intensity in migraines / headaches at ovulation and menstruation.

• Significant reduction in breast pain and lumpiness (thank you flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds).

• Increased libido in the pre-ovulation and ovulation phase (wowsers! I’ve NEVER experienced this kind of sustained zing before. Likely thanks to the zinc in pumpkin seeds that supports healthy testosterone production).

• Increased energy throughout my cycle – not just at ovulation or at my progesterone peak in the luteal phase.

• Increased awareness of my menstrual superpowers and when they shift from one to the next.

• New motivation to take care of myself

Disclaimer: these are my personal anecdotal results and your results may vary. This is not medical advice.

So how do you do seed cycle?

It’s absurdly simple. Buy yourself organic, raw seeds, plus a new spice grinder or coffee grinder and each day, grind these hope peddlers up as you need them. (They will lose their freshness, oxidise and lose their magic if you grind in advance). And then:

• From Day 1 to the day after Ovulation, eat freshly ground pumpkin seeds and/or flaxseeds – about 2 tablespoons per day.

• In the days after Ovulation and before you start seeing the red blood of menstruation, eat freshly ground sesame seeds and/or sunflower seeds – about 2 tablespoons per day.

You can add these wonderous seeds into smoothies, blissballs, soup, broth or sprinkled on salads. These seeds don’t actually contain estrogen, progesterone or testosterone – instead, they provide specific nutrition so that your body can make your hormones in the levels that support your unique needs.

And that’s how you seed cycle. But what if your cycle is irregular or MIA?

As always, eat according to the cycle you have. Start with pumpkin seeds/flaxseeds on your Day 1 - this is the day you see red blood, not brown spotting. Then, the day after you ovulate (even if it's only Day 8), switch to sesame seeds/sunflower seeds. When you start to bleed again (red blood, not the brown spotting), switch back again to pumpkin seeds/flaxseeds (even if it’s only Day 22).

When you seed cycle according to the cycle you have, this will support your hormones and like me and so many women around the world, you just might start to notice your cycle changing as your hormones become happier. That’s because these seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which can help lower inflammation and the effects of prostaglandins - one of the culprits of painful periods.

Plus the nutrients and lignans (flaxseeds) support the elimination of the used-up estrogen from your bowel, so it doesn’t keep circulating and wind up as painful symptoms of estrogen dominance (I’m looking at you headaches/migraines, painful period cramps, clotting and heavy bleeding).

If you are trying to coax back your cycle, or it’s often MIA, or if you are in menopause (yes, seeds still have benefits in menopause!) then consider starting your own 28 day cycle by eating pumpkin seeds/flaxseeds Day 1-14 and then switching to sesame seeds/sunflower seeds Day 15-28.

If you are not in menopause, not pregnant but haven't ovulated by Day 14, stop eating the pumpkin seeds/flaxseeds and switch to sesame/sunflower seeds for the next 14 days. Your period might not be coming that month regardless of how many seeds you eat! So switch now to a 28 day process - 14 days of pumpkin/flaxseeds, followed by 14 days of sesame/sunflower seeds until your period returns.

If you are on hormonal contraception and starting to think about what it might be like to live in harmony with your natural cycle, seed cycling could be an ideal place to start.

You could start seed cycling 2-3 months before you transition off hormonal contraception. This will supply your body with some handy hormonal nutrition, plus get you into the rhythm of eating different foods for each cycle phase.

Like with anything new, I invite you to start slow - perhaps just 1 teaspoon of each seed a day for the first month, and then build up to 2 tablespoons per day by the 3rd month.

Trust how you feel doing it and wind back/increase as you feel you need to.

So there we have it – the introduction to seed cycling and a sharing of my own results. Will you give it a try? Please let me know how you go!

May seed cycling be your sort-of silver bullet and the glorious start of your own menstruation smugness!

If you’d like 1:1 support for your hormones and how to incorporate Cycle Superpowers into your life, please explore my Services page.

(Disclaimer: this website is for education purposes only and does not replace the advice of a healthcare professional).