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[Sunnydays]

Hi I've posted before about hair thinning - last August when my very fine hair thinned down. I had blood tests at the time to see if there might be underlying reasons but all ok.
It seemed to thicken up but zoom on 8 months later and it's thinned again! There's no hair on pillow etc but I can feel the lack of weight and there's not so much hair to put in ponytail!
My query is: does anyone know if sequential Hrt ie the progesterone part  might be having his effect? I just wondered as the withdrawal of progesterone each month can give side effects in terms of how you feel and I wondered if the stopping and starting it each month, as oppose to a continuous amount all the time, might be a side effect.
I have provera sequentially and I feel quite ok on it however I wondered if ‘my side effect' of it might be the hair thinning?i am thinking about changing to a continuous Femaston and I wonder if anyone has had hair thinning with this?
Thanks

[Hurdity]

Provera is one of the medium androgenic types of progestogen so it may well be that Provera is having this effect:

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php

Progestogens which can be used cyclically are of 3 main types:

    Testosterone derived - Norgestrel, Norethisterone acetate and Levonorgestrel.
    Less testosterone related - Medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA).
    Least testosterone related - Dydrogesterone and Micronised progesterone (Utrogestan).

Side effects are often experienced during the progestogen phase of treatment and can be reduced by using a product containing a different type or route of progestogen.

Having said that I have read on here that some women do even notice hair thinning when taking Utrogestan! I have a feeling you have tried this one but didn't like it for some reason? You can see that Dydrogesterone is least related to testosterone.

I presume you have been tested for thyroid function? Is it you that has had borderline high TSH? I apologise if not - I can't remember everyone's stories - sorry!

Not sure about the effect of stopping and starting and its effect on hair?

Hurdity x

[Dancinggirl]

Hurdity has given good feedback. My thoughts would be that if you change things you might be out if the frying pan and into the fire. I certainly wouldn't change to a Conti hrt regime as this would be more progesterone.
I do think as we age our hair changes and will often thin more. A shorter hairstyle might mean less strain on the scalp.
Perhaps discuss a new shorter hairstyle with a good hairdresser that will make the hair look thicker. If you like longer hair, then even a good structured bob that you don't tie up In a ponytail might be better and could frame the face nicely. 
It does tend to be more youthful to wear the hair shorter as we age unless one has lustrous thick hair you can arrange into a good style.
My hair is quite fine and I had a long bob style for many years but, like you, I felt my hair was falling out and thinning a lot; I now have my hair as short as possible and with a little hair gel applied to give more volume my hair looks much thicker - it's also much easier to manage but you do need six weekly cuts. DG x

[Sunnydays]

Thanks for replies. Good memory Hurdity - I am the one with borderline thyroid! Retest due again next week.
All your comments gratefully received and being pondered. Plus I've been googling weak hair follicles and there's some ideas that might help.
DG - moving away from hair thinning I know, but having looked at some of the Hrt doses, the amount of progesterin taken daily for day 14 days  can equate to the amount when taken every day. This is the case with Provera. I am reluctant to change to a tablet only form however the less testosterone based progestin element is appealing!!

[Robin]

My hair shedding has increased with the 3 types of progesterone I've tried so far. It still seems to grow quickly but is much thinner than it was.

[Dancinggirl]

Sunnydays - taking progesterone everyday is not the best idea as the body doesn't get a break from it - you can't equate the conti dose with the sequi dose really. Provera is a good progesterone and not too androgenic in comparison to other types - if you weren't on any HRT I do wonder whether your hair would be thinning anyway? Hurdity's comment about thyroid may be very relevant to the hair loss??? DG x

[Sunnydays]

Good point DG about whether hair would have been thinning regardless of Provera.
 I looked back at the very brief notes I made since first starting Hrt (yes saddo, I know! ) and the thinning started to notice about 3 months after starting Provera in April of last year. It didn't seem to be gradual (although of course may have been) but was a massive notice of it over 2 weeks. This is exactly what happened again a couple of weeks ago.
My thyroid was within the range at the time last year so unlikely to be the cause. Retest next week.
Interestingly I looked up side effects of Provera (never looked at them before)and it says hair thinning is common in 1 in 10 people.  Utrogestan patient info doesn't site hair loss as a side effect neither does femaston. Even in  Evorel hair loss is mentioned but not as the same fequecy as Provera.

[Optimist]

Hi sunnydays, my find hair grew thick and fast with femoston conti but I had to stop it due to my body not liking the progesterone & symptoms outweighed the benefits.
I'm now in Mirena and oestrogel and I noticed my hair falling out and thinning about 2 months in. I'm taking biotin 2000iug to see if it helps and it does feel a little bit better but only 2 weeks in yet.
Maybe worth a try. I've tried quite a few other combinations and my hair didn't thin on those.
It's not nice is it.
Good luck xx

[Sunnydays]

Thanks optimist. Do you think your present hair thinning could be the extra thick hair you got from femaston? A bit like when you're pregnant - extra hair growth and the extra comes out when your hormones are all of a jumble some time after the birth! I remember mine did!
Have you tried Utrogesta?

[Optimist]

Hi sunnydays, I hadn't thought about that! It makes sense. You could be right. It's slowed down a bit since I've been taking the biotin. I hope it will get a bit better too. It was the best it's ever been in the femoston! Have you made up your mind what you're going to do? X

[Sunnydays]

I think I'm getting to the point where I wonder about the benefits of HRT for me!
I'm really not sure what to do. I think I'll await results of thyroid check later this week and if it's not that, then I won't carry on with Provera. One of the side effects in fewer than 1 in 10 people is hair thinning. Plus where I'm taking it for 12/13 days of the month I can feel a build up of the progesterone side effects. As I write this I have a headache again.
So what will I do instead? I have a pack of Utrogestan I could try for the next months withdrawl, by which time I'd have had time to speak with the doc and ask for femaston.
Optimist - did you try Utrogestan and with femaston wahtbit continuous or sequentially?
I wonder if a lower dose of progesterone continually is no worse than higher dose for part of the month. I sometimes wonder if the short higher doses are like giving yourself body slams!!

[Optimist]

Sunnydays I've never tried utrogestan. I was told by meno specialist that the Mirena would be my last choice!!! She refused to acknowledge that I was getting worse the longer I was on any type of progesterone. She'd put me on femoston conti which after month 1 to 3 was working really well but by month 4 the side effects were intolerable. I definitely needed more oestrogen but she seemed very black and white, one size fits all. So I trialled Mirena. I've been using 4 pumps of gel with it but have put 2 x 50mcg Everol patches on yesterday as insomnia and sweats have kicked back in. (Whether it's a coincidence), I defo slept better last night first night in 5! I'll go to my gp Friday to ask for patches I think until I see a different meno specialist at a follow up clinic in August.
One thing I will say is to try and stick with one type for the minimum 3-4 months for side effects etc to settle. I did a lot of chopping and changing in the early days looking for that instant fix but realised gradually that hrt is not a wonder drug for all but if you can find the right combo it's worth the perseverance. If it's not your thyroid it could be you need a higher dose of oestrogen to counteract side effects. With the conti for me the gradual build up of progesterone into my system was too much.( some will dispute the “build up” but I know my own body).
As Mirena is mostly just at the point of delivery i can tolerate it with a higher oestrogen that's why I trialled oestrogel but again after 3/4 months I've needed more oestrogen or (which is very likely I wasn't absorbing the gel as well as I should). Gp refused bloods though.
Utrogestan is the more “body identical” progesterone so that may suit you better but a lot of women who have the sequential often get those pmt effects. Some have had success with 100mg vaginally and continuously with a 3 days break (I think it is) as on other sites.
Hair loss is not nice to deal with though regardless.
Let me know how you go xx

[Sunnydays]

Hi Optimist. I thought I'd wait for thyroid result before replying and Ingot it today - bang in the middle where it should be so it's not under active thyroid.
I know I'm digressing from the thin hair but I also have a very dry tongue! I drink plenty, don't smoke etc etc and the  past week I've woken up with a feeling of absolutey no saliva in my mouth. I start swallowing and then it's ok. In the day I'm conscious of some dryness and on Saturday I looked in the mirror as my tongue felt so strange  and I felt as if I had tiny tiny hairs on it and in my mouth. My tongue was covered in a green gunge! It was yuk. Since then it has eased and just looks a bit white. The pharmacist said it could be oral thrush although unlikely as no reason to have it. She said maybe low immunity .....
So back to Hrt - what do I do? I totally agree about giving any change a good 3 months. Initially I was inclined to chop and change. I am actually seeing a private gp later in week as first appt with my gp 11 July!
I've had a look on MM website for different Hrta and although it's the UK site it keeps going to the US preparations.  Aargh! I wonder if I could take femaston but not continually. Hair loss isn't cited as a side effect however just reading the patient instruction sheet on line scares me half to death!
I think I'm having my annual crisis!

[Katia]

My hair does better with continuous.  Hair often doesn't like fluctuations in hormones.  The progestegen in angeliq is anti androgenic and hair friendly.  I found provera made my hair shed. 

[Sunnydays]

Thanks Katia. I looked up angeliq and there's not much said about that type of progesterone. Is it as low testosterone based as femaston do you know? Sorry, I can never work out what adrofenic actually means with the old hormones! Any nasty side effects from it that you've experienced ? Thank you