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[abbyH]

Thanks all, very helpful.. I think mine is probably reacting to DHT... but, as has been said, who knows.. it's all so complex

[babyjane]

it's very random.  I no longer shave my arms or legs and have lost about 50% of pubic hair and yet I now have to borrow husband's nose trimmer and regularly pluck my chin but not my eyebrows

[CLKD]

How helpful is the testosterone abbyH?  Would it be worth while stopping it to see what happens to your hair?

In the mean time, go to a good hairdresser who sells wigs or have a look at [I think] Philip Sorbeis web-site (will do a search and bump). 

EPO also stands for the drug that professional sports people take and shouldn't ;-).

[CLKD]

"mynewhair" web-site is where I want to direct you to ......

[Annie0710]

"mynewhair" web-site is where I want to direct you to ......

 

I've just found a salon near me that could help me x

[Night_Owl]

As mentioned above, hair loss is so individual and complex.

Sympathies to anyone with hair loss - it is hard to deal with on top of everything else and affects self esteem and one's confidence as a woman.  It's not a vanity thing, it's more scary as it makes you feel as if you're disintegrating and old before your time with a very obvious sign for all to see.  I have genetic Female Pattern Hair Loss and long bouts of Telogen Effluvium (shedding) which all started when my periods stopped 10 years ago.

Abby, do/did your parents have thin hair - other family members?  Often it's genetic and there's nothing we can do about it, as you know it's all hair on the body, not just head hair.

I've been on HRT for c.10 years now and it hasn't stopped my hair loss - my mother had a hyster at 40 and never took HRT and had hair loss.  On or off HRT, I think for some women it will happen anyway, maybe it's the about hormonal imbalance (and other multiple factors, digestive health/absorption, adrenal function etc etc).

In the past I've seen two Trichologists - recommended various things which I'm sure you've heard about, eg. Minoxodil.  Nowadays I use Neutrogena shampoo every other day in an effort to remove the scalp DHT and use Nanogen hair fibres at the parting and clip the front section back over the parting, make sure I have adequate protein, take supplements and probiotic and recently started on Kelp (not sure if okay to take with thyroid med?) which seems to have helped a tad - but it could be anything, more daylight, who knows.

[By way of comparison, my last hormone blood test results showed T level as virtually zero - however hair loss is ongoing - it's all so confusing.]

Maybe leave off the T and see how it goes - for your individual biochemistry it may be having a strong androgenic/DHT conversion effect.  I only used T for a short period of time as it made my menopausal self even more bad tempered and ratty!

Sorry I don't have anything more positive to say - can only sympathise.  I find longer hair with subtle, thin tint (not bleach) highlights helps somewhat.

[CLKD]

   Night_Owl ....... we are a Mine of Info. 

[abbyH]

Thanks everyone, sorry for the delay popping back to reply!

Yes hair loss is frightening, and not because of 'vanity' do i want to restore my locks....

It's also a big indicator of self-esteem for a lot of us, and that is not vanity either, but more about the way we see ourselves and what things we like about our appearance. Having said that, of course identity is not totally about how we look, but it is a big part..

I have felt so much better on HRT I'm loathe to stop, and of course being in Surgical meno, cant' really ...
I've settled on a low dose of both Oestrogen and T.. and I feel ok, my hair is no where near how it used to be, but I'm living with it.. The way it's settled now is the partings are very big, you can see where I've lost chunks of hair and the remaining hair is very thin and brittle... When I wash it and dry it looks fine, but after a day or so goes very stringy and thin again..

I've had extensions but I'm not sure those are so good either..
i would say to anyone who could, see a specialist, a trichologist as NHS are not interested (of course, they have more pressing things to sort out)  I'm sure there might be things you can do before you get to the stage where you've lost a lot of hair

I guess it's all part of menopause (for some, not everyone)..

In answer to someone's question was it hereditary? My mums hair also got finer and thinner, but then she had chemo, lost it all and it grew back very thick and curly! so go figure...

Thanks again for all the answers and support. Best of luck to anyone else who is struggling xxx

[CLKD]

Could you have it shaved close over-all?  Then tinted 

[abbyH]

i'd really rather not! - it wouldnt' suit me...

the idea of shaving it off is not attractive - see earlier post about my mum having cancer, think it would be triggering

I'm just going to wait a few months more and then cut it into a more bob style.. there is hair growing on my head now which there wasnt' before, but the quality of the 'old' hair is rather poor, plus you can see the gaps where it's fallen out

Abby xx

[Rockgurl]

I have noticed my hair has been thinning at the parting for a while and yes it is distressing. I can recommend a product that will cover it, even if it won't help regrow it. It's called Hair Illusion and is tiny real hair fibers that you sprinkle on the thinning parts. They have a website and also sell on Amazon. It actually works really well. It looks completely natural and stays in place really well. I've been using it daily for months now and will continue to. It makes me so less self conscious. It doesn't solve the actual problem but can make it more bearable. I have shoulder length hair and only use this in the parting but it's undetectable.

[Night_Owl]

SJ, same here with the TE worse when taking (any) progesterone - and mine too (and other issues, hideous migraines etc etc) is all down to the ghastly hormonal imbalance which, 10 years post last period, is still way out of whack - there's no 'settling down' going on here!  The hair loss improves slightly during the estrogen only phase but it's in recovery from the all the loss during progesterone.

Think I remember reading somewhere that estrogen levels of 500+ pg/ml are best for hair growth - however who can or would want to achieve that with the resulting heavy withdrawal bleed when well post-meno.

Every single time I take the vile Utrogestan, it creates so much upset in my biochemistry (intolerance seems to be getting worse as I get older?) I ponder again whether it's all worth it.  Then I know I'll be worse off HRT altogether.  Round and round in circles, for years on end.  Madness?  Yes.

Do you think that HRT post meno (for some women) can create MORE hormone imbalance, too much disruption? 

[I'm speaking from the highly progesterone intolerant perspective though - how I long just to be 'in a straight line' ... sigh]

[hoping4best]

My hair has been coming out since shortly after my ovary failed four years ago, and has only gotten worse. I've lost at least half my hair or more. I have been on continous patch + daily prometrium (oral) for 3 years (Crinone vaginal progesterone gel more recently, I was hoping it'd affect my hair less; still no change.) I have been wondering for a while if progesterone makes my shedding worse. I've just switched to cyclical HRT so am only on the patch right now, and will take Crinone for 12 days every other month. It might be a little better on the patch alone, but I'm not yet sure.

Right now I'm considering a hysterectomy because I've got adenomyosis and an enlarged uterus, and to be honest the idea of not having to take progesterone...if it's the main cause of my intense shedding, it'd be great to not have to take it. I feel crappy enough as it is.

[Annie0710]

I've suffered like you ladies but I don't take progesterone.