Flaxseed and Pregnancy

Anonymous

Since quite a few of you girls are or will be trying to get pregnant, I wanted to share the following with you (as with any supplement or dietary change, it's probably not a bad idea to ask your doctor about it before starting):

Eating about an ounce of ground flaxseed each day will affect the way estrogen is handled in postmenopausal women in such a way that offers protection against breast cancer but will not interfere with estrogen's role in normal bone maintenance.

In addition to lessening a woman's risk of developing cancer, the lignans abundant in flaxseed can promote normal ovulation and extend the second, progesterone-dominant half of the cycle. The benefits of these effects are manifold. For women trying to become pregnant, consistent ovulation significantly improves their chances of conception. For women between the ages of 35 and 55 who are experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms such as irregular menstrual cycles, breast cysts, headaches, sleep difficulties, fluid retention, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, weight gain, lowered sex drive, brain fog, fibroid tumors, and heavy bleeding, a probable cause of all these problems is estrogen dominance. Typically, during the 10 years preceding the cessation of periods at midlife, estrogen levels fluctuate while progesterone levels steadily decline. Flaxseed, by promoting normal ovulation and lengthening the second half of the menstrual cycle, in which progesterone is the dominant hormone, helps restore hormonal balance.

So there you have some of it!

For more info go to http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81 and read about all the benefits of flax seeds.

If you have a coffee grinder/spice grinder you can simply grind the flax seeds up and add them to your smoothie or salads, veetables, etc. I think a tablespoon or so is enough.

Flax is also available in the form of an oil that can be simply poured into tea or smoothies.

Best wishes to all of you!