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[Carol]

I am 54 years old and started taking HRT last year because I was feeling moody, irrational and down. I was put on Femoston conti ( low dose ) but I didn't feel any different. I was then put on Activelle and again I didn't really notice any change so I was then put on Livial. Three weeks after taking Livial I noticed an alarming amount of hair loss in the shower. It was very upsetting to say the least ! I tried to think what might have caused it and had a google to try to find out the cause. I had tested positive for covid back at the beginning of May. I was sick in bed for over two weeks, nauseous, vomiting, fever and extreme tiredness. When I googled covid and hairloss I found other people saying they too was experiencing hair loss 2-3 months after having the virus. So, this would tie in. Also, on the 17th July I had my second Pfizer vacc, I wondered if this might have caused the shedding ? Then, on the same day as I took my first Livial (1st July ) I changed my hairdresser and had highlights. It is a reputable salon and she actually used Olaplex with the bleach to help the condition. I have blonde curly hair and it looked really good. I don't think three weeks after having my hair done the highlights would cause my hair to shed, it isn't breaking, it's coming from the root. So, I decided that wasn't the cause. I went to see my doctor and she said " her gut feeling " was it wasn't the Livial and to take it for two more weeks and monitor the hair loss. It kept falling out - so bad it was getting tangled in the curly length and forming big knots. I went back to the hair salon and she cut off a couple of inches. I used to use John Frieda moisturising shampoo for blondes and conditioner but she persuaded me to try Alfaparf shampoo and conditioning reparative mask for damaged hair. Thats another thing - it went very static and frizzy when I started losing hair. Could it have been the very hot weather we had had ??  Anyway, short of it being hot weather, covid, covid vaccine, the only other thing is the Livial. I read that it's androgenic and also may increase free circulating testosterone. I had had my testosterone levels checked before and it was low but not seriously low so could this be the reason for hair loss ?  It's been two months of losing it and I'm relieved to say that the hair loss is minimal now compared to the past few weeks. I have been taking "hair gummy supplements " with lot's of biotin in and also I have been using The Ordinary Multi Peptide serum for hair density. In the past my doctor mentioned Utrogestan and oestrogen gel because " it's gentle on the body " but I have been reading about women complaining of hair shedding/loss while on this combination ! It has got me thinking that all HRT can cause hair loss and I'm scared now. I will admit to wanting to use HRT for vanity purposes too, I thought it would help keep me young looking ( who want's wrinkles ) but now I'm wondering if I'm better off just not bothering with it at all. My husband says I've been even tempered while off it and I feel ok. Any thoughts and advice would be gratefully received. I am from the UK but now live in Ireland. I don't have any close friends to chat about this and my sisters are older than me and aren't much help ! PS - I have had blood test to check for ferritin, B vits and D but I'm awaiting results. I eat very healthily, I'm not overweight and I lift weights and run. Kind regards Carol.

[CLKD]

I am 54 years old and started taking HRT last year because I was feeling moody, irrational and down. I was put on Femoston conti ( low dose ) but I didn't feel any different. I was then put on Activelle and again I didn't really notice any change so I was then put on Livial.




   when was your last period?  How were your moods during your menstrurating years?  (pity I can't spell  ). 

Three weeks after taking Livial I noticed an alarming amount of hair loss in the shower. It was very upsetting to say the least ! I tried to think what might have caused it and had a google to try to find out the cause. I had tested positive for covid back at the beginning of May. I was sick in bed for over two weeks, nauseous, vomiting, fever and extreme tiredness. When I googled covid and hairloss I found other people saying they too was experiencing hair loss 2-3 months after having the virus. So, this would tie in.
.  Did U report the hair loss on the Yellow Card system re the vaccine? 


 I don't think three weeks after having my hair done the highlights would cause my hair to shed, it isn't breaking, it's coming from the root.
.   If it is shedding from the root, it is probably hormonally triggered?  I would have thought that if the highlights/treatment were the cause, it would have happened sooner as well as breaking all the way up.    It may be that you are using too many products on your scalp which may be sensitive during The Change.  I have noticed that ladies who have had hair colourants over the years end up with very brittle, thin hair which no longer 'takes' up dyes particularly well.

If your hairdresser is qualified in the various types of colour choices, she should know what is causing the hair loss.  My hairdresser goes on various Courses during the year to keep up2date with technology etc..  It surprises me that there is that much info. out there.

I had a friend with hair below her waist, the ends would curl prior to heavy rain  .  In the 1990s I would colour my own  it looked like murder had been committed in our bathroom  - then I had hi or low lights by a hairdresser.  After a few years I decided to 'go natural' and love it.  Being brown with grey over-tones, which get cut off at the hairdressers ...........

HRT - hormone replacement therapy - replacing what our bodies were making, as oestrogen in particular drops off symptoms may become troublesome.  HRT protects bones and heart.  Not all produces hair loss nor does hair loss on particular regimes cause it for every lady.  (clear as mud  ). Ovaries continue to niggle away even if they have been removed, a small piece may be left behind ;-)

Some find that The Pill suits them better.  Let us know how you get on?

[Carol]

Thank you for your reply, firstly I hadn't had a period for years and years. When I started my periods they were light and I didn't suffer from PMT or anything. Then when I went on the pill I rarely had a " period " because I just went from packet to packet without taking a break. Then, I had a Mirena coil fitted. After that I was prescribed a POP pill and happily took that right up until a year ago. My moods had always been good and very even tempered.
Secondly, no I didn't report the hair loss re the vaccine. I live in Ireland, I wasn't aware of anywhere I could report it and to be honest it wasn't until recently I thought it might be connected. I had the second  pfizer on the 19th July and my hair loss started a week later. I didn't put two and two together at the time. It's probably too late to report it but I will look in to that.
Thirdly, re my hairdresser - Interestingly enough I did wonder about hair products. I changed my hairdresser because my new one advertised the fact that she did " curly cuts " This involved cutting it dry then washing it and showing me the best way to dry it " the curly girl method ". I'm well aware of what I'm doing with my hair but thought it wouldn't harm to pick up some new tips. She put on an awful lot of product while wet. She used Boucleme Super Hold styler gel and a pantene curl mousse at the same time. I told her that I used Moroccan Oil curl cream and she said that was too heavy for my hair which I disagreed... anyway, she then diffused it and then put me under a heat lamp. I didn't like the finished style and told her that my hair didn't respond well to lots of product. I bought some of the Boucleme Super Hold styler online because it had great reviews. It claims to be gentle on hair and it isn't cheap. However it dries to a cast that you scrunch out when dry. I had wondered if this was harsh on my hair but the hairdresser said absolutely not and that is a product with lots of good natural stuff in. I drove myself mad looking at the ingredients online to see if I could find anything offensive. Anyway, I stopped using it. I will say though my scalp appeared red and tender to the touch and a bit itchy, I thought it might have been sunburn....
As for the pill, do you mean a mini pill like I had been on before, it was cerazette. I am " in menopause " according to blood test.
Thank you for the questions and the interest.

[CLKD]

I'm nosey, me 

'natural' aint necessary good, digitalis for example (foxglove).  Natural .  However.

It sounds like they use product in order to charge the client.  My hairdresser knows that I let it dry: due to neck problems I wash my hair prior to attending, she sprits it with warmed water if necessary and cuts it to shape: without a dryer or product as it won't get anything more than a cheap or baby shampoo, no conditioner and it is rubbed gently with a towel then allowed to dry .  Usually outside.  I rarely brush or comb it, merely putting my fingers through gently.

MayB give your scalp a rest for 6 months?  Gentle brushing and wash when necessary?  Unless your hair is very thin, any redness is unlikely to be due to sun, more likely a reaction to the dye/shampoo etc..  When I had mine coloured regularly my scalp would burn initially, fortunately it settled within 10 mins. and once washed through, the feeling disappeared. 

Menopause means 'last monthly period'.  However, we don't know when the last 1 might be until at least 12 months bleed free: even then    .  Blood tests are reliably unreliable in letting us know how hormones might be. 

[Joaniepat]

At my hairdressers, they won't colour a new client without having patch tested 48 hours beforehand. It was the same at my previous place, and when they started using a different brand we all had to be patch tested again.
JP x

PS. We used to have at least one hairdresser on the Forum a while back. Perhaps they have left now.

[Carol]

She did a patch test 48 hours earlier and my hair looked in fab condition in the week or two after it had been highlighted. Then it started to become static and frizzy/dry. It's a mystery. I think I wanted someone else to say Livial had caused massive hair shedding, that way I could blame the HRT. It's unnerving not knowing what brought it on in the first place. I have read that having a virus or being ill can cause hair to go in to Telogen Effluvium when stress causes roots to prematurely go in to the resting state. It says this happens two to three months after illness and this again would tie in with me being very sick from Covid. I was in bed for a fortnight with it. It's actually hair shedding not loss and to be honest I don't have any bald patches, it's just thinner and I'm not surprised given the amount that has come out. My husband is kind and says he truly can't tell and my hair does have a natural volume.

[CLKD]

How long does each hair take to grow ?  Each has it's own life style, i.e. we don't lose all our hair at once under normal circumstances.  I feel that mine is thinner, especially when it requires washing, though I am not noticing any extra hair on the pillow or when washing it.  My hairdresser did explain how long hair takes to grow.  Also, a friend several years ago went for some colouring: she was asked which shampoo she used regularly and the stylist wouldn't do it.  I can't remember which shampoo but apparently the hair wouldn't absorb the dye, it was 3 weeks B4 she was able to have the colour put on.  Having used a different shampoo.

Overall health as well as our environment will make a difference too.   

[Mars62]

I’ve had hair shedding for years, it all started after I took omeprazole for reflux problems about 15 years ago, I only took it for a few months then stopped it. Alopecia was listed as one of the very rare side effects. About 3 months later half my hair fell out over a few weeks, I was “lucky” in that my hair was extremely thick and coarse beforehand. It eventually slowed down and stopped but every autumn I’d lose quite a bit but it would eventually grow back around January very strange!
When I started menopause I went on Elleste duet conti and began to lose  more hair especially at the temples and sides. Reading up about it I found HRT containing norethisterone was notorious for causing hair loss in some women. I changed to Femeston conti and now it’s pretty much under control, I’ve got nowhere near the amount of hair I once had but not loosing huge amounts either.
I read somewhere that hair loss shows up about 3 months after the thing that caused it, in my case the omeprazole and then the Elleste.
I think some women are just prone to hair loss and some medication or illness can trigger the start if it. I know quite a lot of women on different types of HRT and none have hair loss that I’ve noticed. We all react differently to HRT.
If you’ve had Covid and the loss started about 3 months after I’d guess that Covid was the trigger and it should settle down. Make sure your iron levels are good, mine were quite low and that didn’t help so I take a multi vitamin with iron now.

[CLKD]

...... and don't use a hair dryer!