Can Sea Moss Help with Menstruations, Fibroids, PCOS, & Others?

Last updated on October 12, 2022

Nowadays, more and more women use natural treatments to regulate their menstrual cycles. Sea moss is the new buzz. 

This very nutrient-rich edible seaweed is showing great promise for menstruation issues, including hormonal balance, period cramps pain relief, and mineral supplementation.

Special focus on sea moss and menstruation: all your questions answered here!

Related article: The Top 10 benefits of sea moss for women

What Is Sea Moss? 

Sea moss, also known as Chondrus Crispus, Irish moss, or Jamaican moss is a type of red alga that grows along the Atlantic coasts.

While it contains similar nutrients as other seaweeds like nori or wakame, you don’t want to use Irish moss to make sushi. Instead, it’s commonly found in edible gel, supplements, pills, or gummy forms. 

Irish and Jamaican traditional medicines have used sea moss for centuries to prevent and treat a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, gut issues, mucus buildup, infertility, weight loss, immune deficiency, and others. Chondrus crispus is also widely used for its skin benefits and mood-boosting properties. 

This extraordinary versatility of use comes from the 92 minerals and vitamins found in sea moss. That’s more than 90% of all the minerals your body needs to function! Very few natural ingredients contain that many nutrients, which is why nutritionists and dietitians consider sea moss as one of the best and most potent superfoods. 

Related article: Can sea moss improve fertility in men & women?

How Can Sea Moss Help With Menstruation?

Menstruation issues are varied and include anything from heavy or prolonged periods (menorrhagia) to irregular bleeding, painful menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea), premenstrual syndrome (PMS), infrequent periods (oligomenorrhea), or no periods at all (amenorrhea).

Many causes can be involved, including stress and lifestyle, pregnancy, birth control pills, certain medications, PCOS, hyper or hypothyroidism, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, pre-menopause, and others.

The effects of sea moss on the menstrual cycle and period cramps depend on the causes. In most cases, sea moss’s micro minerals, phytonutrients, and vitamins have a positive impact on women’s menstrual issues. It’s a great mineral-boosting food that supports healthy and pain-free menstruation.

To understand how sea moss can positively (or negatively) affect a woman’s natural cycle, here’s a series of FAQs our team of experts answers about sea moss’s benefits for menstruations, and ovarian or uterine disorders. 

Related article: What are the sex benefits of sea moss?

What are the Benefits of Sea moss During Menstrual Cycle? 

If taken regularly, sea moss can positively affect a woman’s menstrual cycles in many ways: 

• It supplements the body with essential minerals during menstruation
• It helps combat anemia and brings high levels of iron during heavy bleedings
• It helps lessen period cramps and PMS symptoms
• It has relaxing, stress-relief, and mood-boosting effects
• It increases energy levels
• It may help regulate thyroid function and reduce hormonal impacts during menstruations

Related article: Can you take sea moss while pregnant or breastfeeding?



Organics Nature Sea Moss Gel: Pure, Organic, and Wildcrafted

Does sea moss help with period cramps?

Period cramps (dysmenorrhea) are extremely common and may have different causes like simple uterus muscle contractions, hormone levels (prostaglandins), endometriosis, uterine fibroids, PCOS, pelvic inflammation disease (PID), and others.

There are as many treatments as there are causes. Some women find relief in placing heating pads on their wombs, while others use essential oils, over-the-counter pain medicines, or acupuncture for example. 

Numerous women suffering from menstrual cramps report that drinking sea moss gel every day helps lessen the pain. While there's no scientific evidence available on this exact topic, it makes sense in the light of sea moss’s proven benefits for pain[1].  

Another explanation lies in the fact that sea moss participates in supplementing the body with the minerals it needs to go through a complete menstrual cyclewithout deficiencies. Mineral deficiencies are highly involved in period cramps and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Does sea moss help with premenstrual syndrome?

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects as many as 3 of every 4 women in the days before their period starts. Symptoms depend on the individual. They’re diverse and may include mild discomforts, mood swings, painful breasts, food cravings, bloating, acne, fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, abdominal cramps, headaches, and others. The causes of PMS are still unclear, but it’s believed to be related to fluctuations in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. 

There are several ways to efficiently manage premenstrual syndrome and reduce the symptoms, including essential minerals supplements such as vitamins, calcium, and magnesium.

Taking sea moss naturally helps correct PMS by counteracting mineral deficiency and providing the body with essential nutrients to end its menstrual cycle with strength. 

Can sea moss delay your period?

No, sea moss should not delay your period. But Irish moss is a very potent natural ingredient that contains high levels of iodine. Too much iodine can be dangerous for your health and may negatively impact your menstruation. Make sure not to exceed the recommended daily amount (1-4 tbsp of Irish Sea Moss Gel per day).

Can sea moss reduce heavy periods?

Heavy periods (menorrhagia) are characterized by abnormally heavy or long bleeding during menstruation. Many causes may be involved, including hormonal imbalance, fibroids, endometriosis, PCOS, or other ovarian and uterine disorders.

In some cases, sea moss may help with heavy periods by restoring hormonal balance and improving thyroid function thanks to its high iodine content. 

Its exceptionally high level of iron can also help prevent or treat iron deficiency caused by anemia during heavy periods. Sea moss contains about 10 times more iron than chicken!

Does sea moss help with fibroids?

Fibroids are benign muscular tumors that grow in the uterus. While some women don't notice any signs, fibroids may cause heavy menstrual bleeding and painful period cramps in others.

While sea moss may help reduce these symptoms, it may also help shrink fibroids. Traditional Irish doctors have successfully used sea moss to treat their patients’ fibroids for centuries. The most probable reason it works is that sea moss’s high iodine content would help regulate estrogen and progesterone, two hormones responsible for fibroids.

Is sea moss good for PCOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex ovarian disorder happening when the ovaries produce too much androgen, a male sex hormone. It may lead to cysts in the ovaries. Symptoms can include severe disruptions of the menstrual cycle.

While the minerals contained in sea moss can definitely help reduce and manage PCOS symptoms, claims about natural treatments for PCOS must be taken with caution. Many “experts” claim that sea moss can help you ovulate normally if you have PCOS. PCOS is a serious condition and we do not recommend experimenting with natural treatments without your doctor's supervision.

Does sea moss help with endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a major cause of abnormal menstruation. More than 10% of women are estimated to have endometriosis and about half of them suffer fromsevere menstrual pain. While conventional treatments include painkillers, hormonal therapy, or even surgery, natural alternatives are proven to be effective too. 

Sea moss and seaweeds in general are currently being studied for their benefits for endometriosis. One study[2] found that dietary bladderwrack (fucus vesiculous), a seaweed close to sea moss, has anti-estrogen effects. Estrogen is a hormone excess can cause endometriosis and cancers when produced in excess. Japanese women who eat seaweed daily have a much lower incidence of endometriosis, and breast or ovarian cancers than in the USA. 

Sea moss and its high iodine content also participate in proper thyroid function which is essential for hormonal balance and healthy menstrual cycles. 

Organics Nature Irish Sea Moss Capsules are enriched with Bladderwrack and Burdock Root

Warning: Sea moss is mostly considered a safe ingredient, but overconsumption can be dangerous for your health. Make sure to stick to the recommended daily amount. 

 

References: 

[1] Beniamino Palmieri1, Maria Vadalà2, Carmen Laurino3  Clinical effects of overwintered-stressed Chondrus Crispus and non-overwintered-stressed Chondrus crispus dietary supplementations, Asian Journal of Medical Science. DOI:10.3126/ajms.v9i6.20978 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e738/03c0c048b63e0f6119ccdfd4bd93c5ad3e37.pdf

[2] Skibola CF. The effect of Fucus vesiculosus, an edible brown seaweed, upon menstrual cycle length and hormonal status in three pre-menopausal women: a case report. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2004 Aug 4;4:10. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-4-10. PMID: 15294021; PMCID: PMC514561. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15294021/