Flaxseeds for PCOS and irregular periods in women Guidance by Dietitian -

Every girl you meet daily somehow suffers from irregular periods, Heavy bleeding, PCOS, and endometriosis. You probably went to your gynecologist, and she prescribed you birth control pills. These pills give you fake periods. When you manage your periods with diet and a healthy lifestyle, then why do you take the risk of getting anovulatory periods?

Read this article to understand how flaxseed incorporation in your diet helps you balance your hormones and regulate your cycle.

Flaxseeds for PCOS

PCOS is a condition in which women may not ovulate, having high androgen levels and cysts in their ovaries. High levels of estrogen, testosterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH), along with a reduction in the release of follicle-stimulating hormones are the hallmarks of PCOS (FSH).

There are many natural remedies for PCOS, and flaxseeds are one of them.

Flaxseed is scientifically known as Linum usitatissimum, in Latin, which means “extremely beneficial” Because of its high concentrations of lignans, fibre, and α-linolenic acid (ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid), flaxseed is becoming a crucial functional food element (Islam et al., 2023; Rizvi et al., 2021).

Flaxseeds Reduces Inflammation

A meta-analysis study showed that supplementation with n-3 fatty acids can improve the inflammatory status of patients with PCOS by reducing high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and increasing adiponectin levels (Tosatti et al., 2020).

Consumption of foodstuffs containing phytoestrogenic compounds, such as lignan, can ameliorate symptoms of PCOS, for they reduce testosterone levels (Adlercreutz et al., 1987; Low et al., 2005).

Does flaxseed reduce androgens in females?

In PCOS, the ovary starts producing testosterone instead of estradiol. An increase in androgen levels is one of the main causes of PCOS. Flaxseeds help in reducing androgen levels.

PCOS patients have a low amount of SHBG and have high levels of androgens.

Flaxseeds have lignan. Lignans could reduce the level of testosterone by increasing SHBG levels. Sex hormone binding protein (SBHG) is protein made by liver. It binds with testosterone and estrogen and lowers their levels.

Lowering free testosterone, serum insulin, and elevation of serum SHBG levels are attributed to the phytoestrogen (SDG) present in flaxseeds.

Flaxseeds for insulin resistance

Too much insulin in blood can also impair ovaries and results in PCOS. This compels ovaries to make more testosterone which is why insulin resistance is a major cause of PCOS.

Meta analysis shows that flaxseed improves fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels. Thus, flaxseeds improve insulin sensitivity and decrease blood glucose levels. It is due to soluble fiber which has a great impact on blood sugar.

Can flaxseed cure irregular periods?

There are many natural treatments for irregular periods. You must find one based on your root cause. The causes may be PCOS, high-stress levels, disruption of estrogen and progesterone levels and increased insulin resistance.

Although the exact mechanism of flaxseed effect on menstrual regulation is not known. Evidence shows that phytoestrogens can regulate the menstrual cycle and ovulation by altering estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels.

Nadjarzadeh et al. Reported that receiving omega-3 for eight weeks could improve menstrual cycle periods.

Studies also show that consumption of 30g/day of flaxseeds for 3-5 months led to a more regulated menstrual cycle (Christodoss et al., 2021; Farzana et al., 2015; Haidari et al., 2020).

Flaxseeds for Hirsutism

You can detect PCOS by visible symptoms. Excessive hair growth on the chin, face and around the belly are signs of hirsutism. This is due to high levels of androgens in females.

For instance, it was reported in a patient suffering from PCOS that flaxseed supplementation has resulted in a clinically significant reduction in plasma androgen levels along with a reduction in hirsutism (Nowak, Snyder, Brown, & Demark-Wahnefried, 2007).

Flaxseeds reduced obesity

Obesity is also a cause of PCOS. It increases insulin resistance in the body, which further deteriorates PCOS. You should eat a high protein, low carbs and high fibre diet for weight loss.

A meta-analysis study of 45 trials reported that supplementation with flaxseed significantly reduced body weight, BMI, and waist circumference; moreover, subgroup analyses showed that using doses higher than 30 g/day and an intervention period of more than 12 weeks in subjects with BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2 improved the patients’ body composition (Mohammadi-Sartang et al., 2017).

This is due to the satiety properties of flaxseeds due to their high fibre content.

Flaxseeds ALA content can be converted to EPA and DHA, both of which have already been shown to exert anti-obesity effects (Buckley & Howe, 2009; Emamat, Yari, Farhadnejad, & Mirmiran, 2020; Naik, Srilatha, Sujatha, Sreedevi, & Prasad, 2018).

Are Flaxseeds good for hormone imbalance?

Flaxseeds are good for hormonal imbalance because of their phytoestrogen content, which includes lignin. Phytoestrogens are a special group of phytonutrients that exert a week estrogen like effect.

Phytoestrogens have anti-estrogen effects as well as estrogenic effects. Phytoestrogens bind to beta estrogen receptors and cause metabolism of estrogen in the body. Thus, lowering estrogen levels in premenopausal women. Lignan also decreases testosterone levels.

Flaxseeds also have anticancer properties due to their lignin content which inhibits cell proliferation and memory tumor incidence. Lignan also causes the body to produce less active form of estrogen. This also reduce the risk of breast cancer risk in women.

Further research is needed to study flaxseed effects on FSH, LH and DHEAS.