Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Amber45]

I would like to ask a question regarding HRT and hair

I was on the combined pill Millinette 20/75 for 2.5 yrs.   While on the pill I was losing a lot of hair every few months so decided to stop taking it in October 2018.  In December ( 3 months after I stopped) I lost half of my hair.  Since then it has been growing however it is very dry and it will grow for a while and then it falls out.  Lost hair mainly on the top of my head. 
I also have had vaginal dryness which is getting worse, bad acne skin, joint pains, fuzzy head, waking up at 3 am, tiredness, nausea, low mood.  Those symptoms come and go and I manage with them, I exercise a lot but I don't seem to make any progress with my hair.  I have been taking VIVISCAL hair tablets for 9 months and my hair grows and then falls out.    Is it due to fluctuating hormones?
I have been referred to a Gyno by my GP,  the specialist concluded I had peri symptoms, she said they started earlier but were masked by my contraceptive pill  and prescribed me HRT initially Femoston 1/10 (I had very bad nausea lasting all day) so took it for 5 days and now Estrogel with Ultrogestan.  I have no hot flashes and regular but lighter periods now.  My Estradiol was 404 and FSH 5.6.
Has anyone taken HRT to help with hair problems and did it help, please? Would you try taking HRT.         

[7dwarfs]

Hi Amber... I've suffered from thinning hair for the past couple of years. I have very fine hair anyway so don't have a lot to loose, I seem to have gone through periods of hair loss then it's been ok for a while and so on. I am the same age as you and am hoping the hrt will prevent it getting any worse . My mum had a similar problem , taking hrt prevented her hair loss getting worse and once she stopped taking hrt she had to resort to wearing a wig. She didn't want to stop but was refused by her GP! She's not around to ask unfortunately so I don't even know what she took. Although she had severely thin hair prior to the menopause it helped her  greatly. I know everyone has a different reaction to hrt so I know this doesn't really answer your question but it is worth sharing I guess 😊

[jillydoll]

Hi Amber45
 
Before I got my dosage right, my hair was dry, very dry, and then after a few months on hrt, it started to go back more soft. Had to get it cut, because it had dried out, but after went back to normal.
I do have a problem with the one side of my hair, which seems to be thinner than the other side, but since using hrt it seems to be correcting itself now. Albeit slow, but I can see a difference. I'm on femoston conti, been on it for around 17 months now, so things havnt got worse, In fact, it's better.
I can't really say wheather you should try hrt or not as I'd be mortified if you posted back and said it'd got worse. I can only tell you what's happened to me....it's your call really, but I know it must be terrible for you losing your hair like that, and I've read its happened to a lot of ladies on here.
Sorry I can't be any more helpful, but I think it's something you have to decide as everyone is different and each hrt will effect us in different ways...hopefully, they'll find out why you've lost your hair, and yes hormones can do it, but there could be other reasons too like , vitamin deficiencies and stuff like that....hope you can find out the cause, and I really hope it starts growing back for you....good luck.xxxx

[Katejo]

Hi Amber45
 
Before I got my dosage right, my hair was dry, very dry, and then after a few months on hrt, it started to go back more soft. Had to get it cut, because it had dried out, but after went back to normal.
I do have a problem with the one side of my hair, which seems to be thinner than the other side, but since using hrt it seems to be correcting itself now. Albeit slow, but I can see a difference. I'm on femoston conti, been on it for around 17 months now, so things havnt got worse, In fact, it's better.
I can't really say wheather you should try hrt or not as I'd be mortified if you posted back and said it'd got worse. I can only tell you what's happened to me....it's your call really, but I know it must be terrible for you losing your hair like that, and I've read its happened to a lot of ladies on here.
Sorry I can't be any more helpful, but I think it's something you have to decide as everyone is different and each hrt will effect us in different ways...hopefully, they'll find out why you've lost your hair, and yes hormones can do it, but there could be other reasons too like , vitamin deficiencies and stuff like that....hope you can find out the cause, and I really hope it starts growing back for you....good luck.xxxx

Mine has been dry for a long time but I recently started HRT so perhaps it will make a difference. I don't have a problem with losing hair. Mine is still very thick and fast growing.

[jaycee]

I am sorry to read your post about your hair falling out, i have the same problem, but i am a lot older than you, and it is a strange time for mine to be falling out, as it would normally happen much earlier, maybe at the start of menopause, as fluctuating hormones can cause it,
I think mine could be down to stress, bur re,your question about HRT helping with it,
My Dr has given me  HRT PATCH, AND SAYS IT SHOULD HELP WITH HAIR LOSS TO BRING IT BACK ,
tO LOOK AT ME FROM THE FRONT YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT STATE MY HAIR IS AT THE BACK,I HAVE A FEW BALD PATCHES,WHICH IS VERY DEPRESSING SO I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL
wHAT PATTERN IS YOUR HAIR COMING OUT IN, IS IT AT THE FRONT[HAIRLINE ] OR PATCHES IN VARIOUS PLACES,OR JUST GENERALLY GOING VERY THIN
So sorry caps were on by accident, i would just say go and talk to your Dr,it most likely is loss of oestrogen, can be thyroid related, but at your age i would think hormones

[Amber45]

Hi ladies

Thank you for your kind support and quick reply.
I always had very thick hair, I remember my hair before starting the pill when I was 43 years old and I had loads of it.  Then every few months when on the pill I would shed hair in the end I lost a lot hence I stopped taking it.

I would say it is thin on the top, you can see the skin in places but no patches but it is also thinner all over so there is definitely less of it.  My ends are very dry, too.  It's got to be something inside my body because I spent so much money buying various hair products with minimal progress.  I try to be kind to my hair and not to use straighteners, etc.
I had my thyroid checked, it says all fine.  Went to see my GP and her answer was you still have hair and when you get older you lose some.   

What I worry about are the side effects of Estrogel, the leaflet mentions hair loss in side effects.

I just don't know if hair loss is good enough reason to take HRT it would help with other issues as well I guess but nothing else so far has worked since October 2018   

       

   

[MicheleMaBelle]

Hi Amber- I'm older than you and post menopause now ( aged 58) been on HRT for 4 years now. Came off it for a while and once I noticed significant hair loss, went back on it again and have continued with it for the past 2 years as I believed that oestrogen was good for the hair. I know that some progesterones can contribute to hair loss, so It's swings and roundabouts.
I'd like to think that it's the HRT that's causing mine to shed, I've been to a trichologist who has diagnosed telogen effluvium ( overall hair thinning ) and quite often this is caused by nutritional deficiency ( I'm low on Ferritin and B Vitamins although they're still within normal limits )
I'm trying supplements, but he says it's not a quick fix , can take up to a year to rectify and sometimes it's a chronic condition, the hair falls out before the new one pushes through and more of the hair is in a shedding phase rather than growing or resting. I sometimes think it's improving and other times, I think I'm kidding myself on.
I have become somewhat fixated by checking out the hair of middle aged and elderly women and am astounded by the number who have poor,thin hair with scalp showing through. Not all of these women are on, or have been on HRT ,so there is something else going on here...maybe it's just a consequence of getting older and although not every woman will suffer hair loss, I understand that around 40% will do. We all react differently to the effect of hormones or lack of on our bodies so there is no way of saying if HRT will make it worse or better. I wish I knew the answer. I could have saved myself hundreds of pounds on useless hair products over the years.

[jaycee]

My Dr has given me steroid lotion to try, have you thought of asking about anything that could help,
I am well past meno now, and although my hair did thin a bit, mainly at one side ,over the last 7 to 8 months it has gone almost bald in patches, it seemed to happen very suddenly really
It seems to tie in from when i went onto vagifem and livial, about 18 months ago,
Although i had been on livial in the past and had no side effects at all
I at first thought it might be thyroid as i also put weight on around this time,but had tests ad thyroid ok,
It seemed everything i searched connected with hair loss said low iron, or ferritin was often to blame,but i have Haemochromatosis which means iron overload, but my ferritin is never high, although i am told it is within normal range, but that could still be low where hair loss is concerned,
Apparently ferritin should be around 70 to 80 for hair health
I am now taking Spatone as i was told it has helped others with hair loss,
I had to go to my Dr in the end as the patches are very noticeable, or would be if my hair wasn't so thick from my crown down, the bald patches are sort of under that ,at the back, very little loss on top,
I am hoping the steroid lotion works,or the iron,
My Dr has now put me on Evoral Conti, but again the side effects say hair loss could be one of them
 so just hoping something works,although Dr thinks they will help
It is strange because to look at me from the front i look to have very thick hair
I have also been taking Biotin, as that has been also recommended for hair growth, i think that is working for the hair i have as it growing very fast
I hope you can find out what is causing your hair loss
I have been told by several people on gransnet that the steroid lotion worked for them and 2 ladies said they had steroid injection in the scalp, and their hair came back, sounds painful but i would have them if neccessary







 

[Alicess]

I also started to loose my hair while on BCP, I was 42 at that time. Hairloss can be caused by hormones or low ferritine. It's not easy to determine
which hormone though. BCP''s surpresses testosterone by raising SHBG and low testosterone can cause hairloss. Conversion from testosterone to DHT can also cause hairloss and of course low oestrogen and/or high progesterone.  Maybe you can do a blood test for oestrogen, SHBG and free and total testosterone ( or Free Androgen Index I believe it's called in the UK)  so you may have some guidance as it is complicated.

[jaycee]

*Alicess* i do not understand about testosterone, some say high testosterone causes hair loss and others say low i was wondering if it was the livial as they have testosterone in them, but it puzzles me, how can i find out,?
I would have thought it was high that caused it, as it is a male thing and oestrogen is a female thing, although i know of course females have some testosterone too,and as some progesterone is an androgen ,like the one in Evoral, why does it say that particular one can cause hair loss,it is Northeristone
My Dr told me that the oestrogen would make hair grow and it would help me

[Alicess]

Hi Jaycee, I do not know either, I just found out after reading a lot of research, experiences from other people and from my own experience that it is not as clear cut as it seems. And science is still in its infancy when hormones are concerned. From my own experience; my SHBG is extremely high, my free, unbound testosterone is non- existend but I lost half of my hair, I grew hair on my belly and my pubic hair falls out. f I take a more androgenic progesterone like levonorgestrel my hair stops falling and is less dry. Women seem to have way more testosterone than previously assumed.
Some progestins are more androgenic than others  and can lower SHBG like Livial, Levonorgestrel and Norethiisterone,and are also more or less progestogenic. Urtogestan has no androgenic action but can increase SHBG. Almost all progestogens have more or less anti- estrogenic properties.
It's still not clear if testosterone is the one that's causing all the androgenic side-effects or if it's the conversion to DHT which is a way more powerful androgen. It is even suggested that DHT can be surpressed by taking more testosterone. SHBG binds most thighly to DHT, than testosterone and than estrogen. I could go on and on and make you as confused as I am....
Our own chemistry is what determines how we respond. I think that a blood test for SHBG can give some answers so you will know it is or isn't high testosterone. Livial has only weak estrogenic properties so it could be your estrogen was to low and hence the hairloss?

[jaycee]

Alicess , thank you for your explanation, still confused though as i have no idea what SHBG is, i have not had any tests at all for hormones, i have read about DHT and i have seen shampoos with something in that is supposed to suppress it,thought about trying that
I really liked livial, but i seemed to feel tired on it eventually, but no other side effects, i am not sleeping as well on Evoral, and also having to get up at least once in the night for a wee, didn,t on livial
I have more energy on this, but had some headaches and upset stomach
It is strange that you grew belly hair and pubic hair fell out isnt it, as i thought if you had high testosterone it caused body hair to grow while head hair fell out, but you say yours was almost non existant
I think my testosterone naturally was quite high, so maybe it just didn't balance out with oestrogen,
I will have to question my Dr when i see him, i have to give this steroid lotion 3 months trial
I sometimes look and think hair is growing back, but white, but it could just be the surrounding roots growing,as the normal hair growth would be white
Not sure if i have got this right,or misunderstood what you said about Northeristone,i thought that was kind of testosterone ,
[Edited], to add just looked up Noretheristerone, which says it has androgenic properties, which is what i thought, but it is this in Evoral which it says can cause hair loss

[Alicess]

Hi Jaycee, SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) is a proteine produced by the liver. It binds to hormones so there are no longer available for the body to use..It binds DHT, testosterone and estrogen with different affinity. SHBG binds most strongly to DHT, than testosterone and than estrogen It acts like a kind of gatekeeper I guess. Estrogen raises SHBG and testosterone lowers it. So if your SHBG is high than there will be less DHT and testosterone ( and estrogen to a lesser extend) for your body to use. In other words, even if a blood test shows testosterone in your blood is high that doesn't mean your body can use it if your SHBG is also high. If you should test your SHBG and testosterone you will know how much total testosterone your body is producing and how much testosterone is available for your body to do it's work ( free testosterone) This measurement is called Free Androgen Index.
Total testosterone minus SHBG gives free testosterone. Furthermore; DHT sensitivity depends on each person. Some have low affinity for DHT and its actions and others high. I hope I made some sense, my mind is kinda fuzzy.
According to wiki Norethiisterone has weak androgenic and estrogenic properties; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norethisterone

[MicheleMaBelle]

I got my free androgen index checked privately to see if it was causing the hair loss ( female pattern baldness )
It was well within normal limits and is not a cause of my hair loss and overall thinning.
Truth be told, I think there is so little known about the effect of menopause on hair loss that trying to find the cause is looking for a needle in a haystack.
Trichologist told me that for optimal hair health, Ferritin levels should be between 80-100.

[jaycee]

Michelemabelle.i have been told that too, and as i explained in my earlier post,i am supposed to have iron overload, my consultant argues that my ferritin is within normal range, but i know mine is not as high as it should be for hair growth,i have been taking extra iron, whatever he says, as i know my ferritin has definitely been lower than 80 all last year especially, i see him again in August, and will argue the point with him, some of these Drs think they know everything and go by the book,
There is a lot about Haemochromatosis that isn't yet known,it was deemed to be a rare condition, but it is still being researched, and a lot to find out about it yet, [ in fact been as low as 8]
Just because he says it is in range means nothing, it could be 20 and still be in range, some countries say the highest it should be is no more than 250, here it was 50, now it is at 100, so they dont really know,
My twin sons ferritin was over 3000, which is far too high, but their hair is strong,and can hardly cut through it, so at least it proves that higher ferritin is better for hair than low, [not that high of course] but higher than 70