Menopause Discussion > All things menopause

HRT and hair loss

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Cazraline:
Hi alll

Hope you’re all ok. Has anyone got experience of quite sudden hair loss while on HRT? I’m 54 and have been taking Utrogestan (100mg daily) and 2 pumps of Estradiol (0.6% gel daily) since the end of January this year. No real side effects to speak of until 10 weeks in when the hair loss started along with sluggish digestion 🤨. Thinking that it could be a reaction to the progesterone I asked my gp if the balance of hormones could be to blame, she then advocated trying 3 daily pumps of Estradiol to try and counteract the daily progesterone. Anyone else had similar experiences, what has worked for you? Increased Estradiol not helping ☹️!

Thanks for your suggestions 💫

Jillyboo:
Hello there.

My story is slightly different in that I had already been diagnosed with Telogen Effluvium (where the shedding cycle of the hair speeds up) before I first started taking HRT.  Unfortunately my GP initially prescribed a tablet that contained Norethisterone which is notoriously bad for people with pre-existing hairloss conditions and it was terrible. I left a trail of hair everywhere I went.  I then swapped over to vaginal Utrogestan which was much better but even then the shedding didn't slow down dramatically until I hit my 60s, a decade past menopause. Presumably this is because my own hormone levels had then finally plateaued.

Could you bear to stop taking your HRT for a while just to see if it makes a big difference? Alternatively you could ask to try a synthetic progestin eg Provera.

I would add that I never took progesterone on a daily basis, always preferring to maintain a cycle. That way it became obvious when the hair shedding increased.

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