The Seed Trend Doctors Say Could Fix Your Hormones (And Why You Haven’t Heard of It)

I’ll be honest with you: until recently, I had no idea what seed cycling was. As a corporate wellness specialist who runs workshops on women’s hormonal cycle syncing for a living, that felt a little embarrassing to admit. But every time I scrolled past someone sprinkling flax and pumpkin seeds into their smoothie, I had the same thought as probably half of you do — “does that actually do anything?”

So for this episode of my podcast, 9 to 5 Wellness, I brought on two people who could actually answer that question: Terri Chang and Dr. Ulrike Kaunzner, co-founders of Two Moons Health. I walked away from that conversation genuinely rethinking how I talk to my clients — and my track athletes — about hormonal health. Here’s what I learned.

What Cycle Syncing Actually Means

I’ve always known, in a vague biology-class way, that my cycle has phases. But I don’t think I’d ever heard someone lay them out as clearly as Dr. Kaunzner did on the show: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. Estrogen rises through the first half of the cycle, peaks around ovulation, and then progesterone takes over for the second half.

Seed cycling, it turns out, is a simple way to work with that rhythm instead of ignoring it. 

Dr. Kaunzner explained it this way: 

Quote- “Seed cycling is the practice of using seeds during each half of the female menstrual cycle.” 

During the follicular phase, you eat flaxseed and pumpkin seed to support estrogen. During the luteal phase, you switch to sesame and sunflower seeds to support progesterone. I loved how unfussy that sounded — this isn’t some complicated new biohack, it’s an old practice that’s just now getting its moment.

Okay, But Does Science Back This Up?

This was the part I really wanted to dig into, because I don’t like recommending things to my clients without evidence behind them. What I learned is that flaxseed contains lignans, which your gut bacteria can convert into estrogen receptor modulators — meaning they can help support estrogen when it’s low, or help clear it when it’s too high. That connects to something researchers call the “estrobolome,” the part of your gut microbiome responsible for processing and clearing estrogen. I had genuinely never made that gut-hormone connection before this conversation, and it’s stuck with me since.

Pumpkin seeds add magnesium and zinc, sesame seeds may support progesterone, and sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E — which, as I mentioned on the show, is probably why my nails have been so strong lately. Two Moons Health also ran their own third-party clinical trial, following 40 women across two full cycles. The numbers surprised me: 74% fewer period-related sick days, 72% less premenstrual and menstrual pain, and 67% less bloating and cramping, along with real improvements in skin, mood, and sleep.

Terri Chang, who started seed cycling herself after years of difficult periods, shared not to expect an overnight fix. 

By the end of the second month, for the people that it benefits, they should start seeing some effects,

Although plenty of women notice changes within the first month.

My Favorite Reframe From the Whole Episode

As someone who spends a lot of my career inside Fortune 500 companies talking about hormonal health, one thing Terri said completely shifted how I think about this. I asked her how women can better manage their energy at work throughout the month, and she pushed back on the question itself.

I think the issue doesn’t lie with human bodies, but rather with the way that workplaces are structured today,” -Terry

Her point: we all run on a 24-hour circadian rhythm, but women also run on a roughly 28-day infradian rhythm — and the modern workplace was never built with that second rhythm in mind. Her suggestion is to lean into higher-energy days for pitches, presentations, and client-facing work, and use lower-energy days for writing, admin, and planning.

This actually confirmed something I’ve been doing with my own track athletes for years without fully having the language for it. I schedule my girls’ most important meets during the first two weeks of their cycles, and I time my own marathon PRs the same way. It’s anecdotal, sure, but we won a state championship doing it — so I’m a believer.

Who Should Try It (and Who Shouldn’t)

I always tell my clients to run any new supplement by their healthcare provider first, and seed cycling is no different. From my conversation with Terri and Dr. Kaunzner, it’s generally not recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, on hormonal birth control (pills, hormonal IUDs, or implants), managing fibroids, or on dopaminergic medications. A copper IUD is fine, since it doesn’t interrupt your natural hormonal cycle.

Where it seems to help most: coming off hormonal birth control, post-breastfeeding, very young women whose cycles are still regulating, and as a gentler bridge for women in early perimenopause who aren’t ready to consider HRT yet. For PCOS — or polymetabolic ovary syndrome, as Dr. Kaunzner pointed out it’s now more accurately called — the picture is murkier. There’s some evidence that the chasteberry (vitex) in Two Moons Health’s capsules may help normalize hormone ratios, but Dr. Kaunzner was upfront that it isn’t a targeted PCOS treatment, and it often comes down to trial and error.

How I’d Suggest You Start

If this conversation has you curious the way it left me, here’s how I’d ease into it:

• Follicular phase (roughly days 1–14):

  Add flaxseed and pumpkin seed to your smoothies, oatmeal, or salads.

• Luteal phase (roughly days 15–28):

  Switch to sesame and sunflower seeds.

• Pay attention to your energy, not just your symptoms:

  Notice which days feel outward-facing versus which feel better suited to quiet, focused work.

• Give it two full cycles:

  Before deciding whether it’s working for you — that’s the benchmark from Two Moons Health’s own research.

• Talk to your doctor first:

  Especially if you’re on hormonal birth control or have a personal or family history of estrogen-sensitive cancer.

You can get started on your hormonal health journey today by ordering two moons health here – https://twomoonshealth.co/products/seed-cycle-capsules-bundle

Get $25.00 OFF with the code “AESHASUMMER25 ” at the checkout.

My Takeaway

The line that’s stuck with me most since recording this episode came from Dr. Kaunzner, when I asked her for one piece of advice for anyone listening: 

Listen to your body… really be in tune with your body, and then also explore certain symptoms, because I think this is always the best one to really learn about you.

I went home after that interview and started reading every study I could find on seeds and hormonal health. I’m still learning. But I can tell you this conversation changed how I think about my own cycle — and how I’ll be talking about hormonal health with my clients and my athletes going forward.

This post was originally a 9 to 5 wellness podcast.