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[Captain]

Hello everyone,

Although not new to the menopause, I was so so happy to find you all as I looked to the internet recently to try and work out what on earth was happening to me. I am 51 and I took the peri-menopause, and the first year of the real thing in my stride. Then around April of this year I started to get aches and pains, diarrhea, became increasingly tired and somewhat emotional, and very forgetful to the extent that I was wondering about early onset Alzheimers. Then my always thick and glossy hair started to fall out. I think I would have coped ok with everything else. But never would I have guessed that approaching the hairbrush in the morning could strike such fear and dismay in me!

Off to the GP I went. My bloods showed my ovaries were going for a last hurrah and FSH levels had spiked. Also, my vitamin D was low. My GP worked through the pros and cons of HRT. I'm finding the hair loss devastating so I decided to give it a go to see if it helps. Three days ago I started on femoston-conti 1/5 and a vitamin D supplement. I also started to use alpecin caffeine shampoo.

The hair loss started with two patches of alopecia areata at the top of my head which I can disguise with a pulled back half pony tail. My GP says this is coincidental to the menopause. However about a month after the alopecia appeared I started to have diffuse hair loss all over which the GP does attribute to the menopause. I'm not sure how much longer I'll have enough hair to disguise the alopecia.

I know there have been threads on here before about menopause and hair loss which have been really useful. If anyone has any success in halting hair loss with my current mix of femostin conti and vitamin D I'd love to hear about it.

Thank you one and all who have ever posted on here, especially the hair loss brigade!

[dazned]

Hi 

Can't help with the hair situation I'm afraid but someone will bound to be along soon with words of wisdom for you 
Just wanted to say glad to have you on board!

[CLKD]

 

As oestrogen levels drop off the muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  Be ware of drying skin/vagina/eyes/nostrils/ears etc.. 

Have a look at Philip Sorbies web-site, he supports ladies with hair loss and makes wigs apparently but of course, the name of his web-site isn't at the front of my brain right now  - did you find out Doing Stupid Things thread ;-)

[dahliagirl]

Hi

The only thing I can add is ferretin levels? thyroid levels?

There is female pattern baldness (which is one I worry about  ) where the hair follicles atrophy so the hairs get thin and then stop growing.  This is mainly genetic.

Then there is hairloss through hormones, which should come back again, hopefully.

One thing to do is to use olive oil or argan oil, and massage your head so that your scalp relaxes and  moves, then cover and leave overnight, then wash in the morning.  This is good if you are having dry hair problems with it.

[CLKD]

I now have visions of the old fashioned nappy liner, hair net covered with a swimming cap 

[dahliagirl]

My grandmother used to use a polythene sandwich bag held on with a clothes peg 

[CLKD]

Hopefully she didn't have sandwiches inside, unless she got peckish in the night? 

So far my hair has remained where it should be! although other parts of my body (under my arms) don't need as much attention, My Chin however 

[Captain]

Well if laughter helps, you have just made me giggle with your replies. I'd like to swap the growth on my chin for some on my head. Its like my hair got lost on the way to my scalp.

Dahliagirl, thanks for the input. Iron and thyroid all ok. There is no female pattern baldness and even the males in the family sport thick heads of hair into their dotage. But my teenagers are beginning to be freaked out, more about their own hairlines than having a bald mum.

Remaining hair is not too dry and I'm trying not to wash it every day, much and all as I think I could really rock the plastic bag on head (sandwiches optional) look. But massaging the scalp sounds good, I'll try that.

I'm off to look up the stupid things thread and feeling better already, thanks all.

[dahliagirl]

The massage should help - it is about improving circulation.  I have seen nizoral shampoo (for dandruff/seborrhoeic dermatitis) mentioned for that too, but I expect the caffeine shampoo is doing the same thing.

So, with circulation in mind,  does one wear a hat in the winter to maintain a warm head, or will it rub the hair off? 

Hope you get lots of lovely new growth soon, Captain.

[Annie0710]

I suffered thinning from menopause and was already on hrt for years, mine hit when I became post menopause. 

Remedies to disguise:

Nanogen hair fibres
Hair toppers
Wigs
Lucinda Ellery mesh system extensions

I've tried a few lotions and potions and honestly, if it's not a deficiency of any kind, and not hereditary it's unlikely anything will work, sorry but that's my experience

I introduced testosterone and that seems to have stopped the shedding so perhaps that was my missing link but I'm not expecting my hair to go back to how it was but I do disguise mine

[CLKD]

we have a funny 'room' too 

[Captain]

Thanks Annie0710, I didn't realise there was anything between a hat/scarf and a wig. Hair fibres look the business. I'll investigate the testosterone angle when I'm next in with GP.

[Annie0710]

Nanogen hair fibres are the business, seriously, they hide the gaps and make the hair at scalp appear thicker plus they do trial sizes so you can work out your perfect shade x

[Hurdity]

Hi Captain

 

I too had a giggle at this thread - especially the prospect of granny sleeping with sandwiches and argan oil under a plastic bag on her head!!!

Hurdity x

[onion relish]

Well Marge Simpson keeps just about everything in hers 

My hair is thinning at an alarming rate, too - almost as fast as it's growing on my face. If I'm not careful I'll end up with a Mexican bandit type moustache. Hmmm, maybe I can let that grow and hide the thinning with a sombrero