8: Seed Cycling: Your Guide to Improved Fertility and Hormonal Health

What if a simple tweak in your daily routine could restore your hormonal balance, address symptoms, and even improve fertility? Today, I'm spilling the beans on seed cycling - an easy yet effective strategy that I'm reintroducing into my life. After spending the past few years pregnant, breastfeeding and then waiting for my cycles to return, I've decided to embrace seed cycling again as we plan for another baby and my recent DUTCH test revealed low estrogen levels. 

This episode is bursting with information about how specific seeds can support your estrogen and progesterone levels during each phase of your menstrual cycle. Whether you're experiencing period irregularities, dealing with infertility, or just curious about seed cycling, this episode is your guide. 

Book a no cost 20-minute Happy Hormones Clarity Call:
tidycal.com/vanda/happy-hormones-clarity-call

Free Resources:

Minerals for Fertility:
www.wellnesswithvanda.com/minerals-for-fertility

Period Report Card Quiz: 
www.wellnesswithvanda.com/period-report-card

Follow me on IG @wellness.with.vanda

Need help with your hormones? Learn how we can work together: https://www.wellnesswithvanda.com/worktogether/ 

Sign up for my weekly newsletter: https://wellnesswithvanda.myflodesk.com/newsletter

*some links shared may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission from your purchase

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:02

Hey guys, welcome back for the eighth episode of the podcast. I am sitting down in a hurry, to be honest, to record this episode. I have just a few minutes before I have to head out the door to pick Anthony up to take him for his appointment that he has this afternoon. So we're going to get right into the nitty gritty of what I thought I would talk about today, and this worked out perfect, because this is a topic that I don't really have to talk a whole lot about. It's very simple, but it's also very effective for your hormonal health and balance, and that is seed cycling.

Speaker 1 0:38

Now, this is something that, to be honest with you, I have not really done over the past almost four years, because I've been pregnant with Kenley, breastfeeding Kenley, immediately got pregnant with Hollis, pregnant with Hollis breastfeeding Hollis, and then I've had like a year where I haven't been breastfeeding. I was waiting for my cycles to return. They haven't. They've been fine. So I hadn't really felt a need necessarily to seed cycle to try to support my estrogen and progesterone levels. But, as some of you guys might know, I did do a Dutch test over the summer back in it was probably July, I think, maybe August and my estrogen levels were pretty low on that test result and I do think, just based on like some signs and symptoms that I've had since then, that that is probably resolving from like other things that I'm doing. But as we enter a season where we are preparing to conceive again, I want to make sure that my estrogen and progesterone levels are sufficient and where they should be, which also greatly impacts the way that I feel day to day. So I wanted to introduce seed cycling and kind of tell you how to do it, because if you are someone that is listening to this podcast, it's probably because you're struggling with some type of symptoms or infertility or period irregularity, and this is something that you can easily implement. It's not expensive and it's pretty effective.

Speaker 1 2:16

So first thing we're going to talk about is what you should do during your follicular phase. So I first need to give the reminder that your follicular phase are the first one to 14-ish days of your cycle. So this is your very first day of bleeding up until when you ovulate. That is your follicular phase. During that time, you can consume one to two tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseed and one to two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds daily, and this is going to help support your estrogen levels During your follicular phase. Your primary hormone between estrogen and progesterone is estrogen. So that's why you want to do this during the follicular phase to help support those estrogen levels.

Speaker 1 3:05

Now, once you have ovulated and you are in that PMS leading up to your bleed phase, to your menstrual cycle, that's your luteal phase, and I always the way that I think about this in my mind and it helps me remember is, I think, late luteal. That is the second half of your phase. So it occurs later. L and L. That's just how I remember it in my mind. So during your luteal phase, you want to switch the seeds that you're consuming. The amounts are about the same, but you're going to be doing one to two tablespoons of freshly ground sesame seeds and one to two tablespoons of sunflower seeds daily, and these are going to support your progesterone levels, which is your primary hormone during that luteal phase.

Speaker 1 3:56

Now, I'm not saying that you have to do this perfectly. I don't do this perfectly and I'm not planning to do it perfectly right now. To be honest with you, I don't love the taste and texture of ground flaxseed. It's very bland, but it's, I think. For me it's more of a texture thing. I feel like I'm eating sawdust and that might be me being a bit dramatic, but I just don't like it. So I am doing whole flaxseeds and I'm like they're getting ground up a little bit in my mouth when I chew them. It is what it is, even if that is kind of defeating part of the purpose and it's not supporting my estrogen levels as much as it would if they were ground then. So what? I'm still getting healthy fats and some fiber and a little bit of protein there as well. I will incorporate the pumpkin seeds, because I do like pumpkin seeds, but then when we switch over to the Lidial phase, seeds again, that is, ground sesame seeds. I don't think I've ever had ground sesame seeds and I don't have any on hand currently. So I'm not doing that right now In this current cycle that I'm in.

Speaker 1 5:06

When I switch over to my Lidial phase, so after I ovulate, I will start to reincorporate sunflower seeds, which is super easy for me because I love those anyway. Like they're a great snack. I like them on salads. I just eat them by the handful. What I did this morning with my whole flax seeds was I put it on top of my yogurt, kind of as like a crunch instead of some granola. So, anyway, I think that is something that you could, like I said, easily implement. Give a try. You're not gonna notice immediate results probably. It's probably gonna take a full cycle or two before you can really say like, yeah, I think maybe that's making a difference. But, like I said, there's lots of other benefits to consuming these seeds as well Healthy fats, fiber, a little bit of protein. So that's really all I wanted to talk about today.

Speaker 1 6:05

There is a I don't really have anything prepared necessarily for mindset minute at the end, but there has been a I don't know if you would call it a meme, a post, a statement, whatever you wanna call. It has been circulating on my Instagram and even on my Facebook this past week and I've seen it numerous times, and maybe I've seen it because I need to see it. I've had a pretty rough week this week. It's just been, you know, it's just been a week, but it says on the days that you only have 40% and you give 40%, then you gave 100%, and I think, when we are in this season of life being so busy, with us being full speed ahead into the holidays, there is decorating to do there's shopping to do there's gifts to wrap, there's events to go to there's kids, christmas plays and Christmas presentations at school. Kids are gonna be off school.

Speaker 1 7:09

Our capacity is a little limited maybe and we might not feel like we have 100% to give to certain things to ourselves, to our work, to our kids, to our husband but when you know that and you're like I know that I don't have 100% today, but I've got 20% and that's what I'm gonna give then you are still showing up and doing your best and giving 100% because that's all you've got to give. So I just wanted to leave you that with leave. Wow, leave you with that today as we close out. So I'm gonna read it again On the days that you only have 40% and you gave 40%, you gave 100%.