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[karab]

Hi all,

I've been on Slynd for about 5 months and am experiencing progressive hair and muscle loss, even after raising my dose of estrogen.  I would stick with it longer, but I have lost a ton of hair, with hair line recession and bald spots, and I am pretty horrified about it.  I was having two full periods a month on micronized progesterone, so I think my next option is the Mirena.

For those of you who have Mirena,  did it cause hair loss or negatively affect sleep?  I see some comments online about this.  Sleep and hair loss were two of my main peri issues, and Slynd was terrible for both (although otherwise great). 

I was also curious if anyone takes micronized progesterone on top of the Mirena IUD.  Maybe too much progesterone, but since Mirena is more local, I wondered if it would be possible to take the two in combination and that would help with sleep and bleeding. 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Kara

[CLKD]

MayB look at 'mirena coil' threads in the search box?  Make notes ;-)

[karab]

I did but didn't see any real information about hair loss, or sleep, which were what I was most wondering about.  I also didn't see any discussion of taking micronized progesterone along with it.

Kara

[bombsh3ll]

Absolutely it is fine to take micronised progesterone and the mirena.

I am not sure if you would have difficulty getting both funded by the NHS but that's a cost issue not a safety one.

I can't comment on their impact on hair loss though, I have frontotemporal alopecia since my teens which isn't related to anything I have taken or done.

You might like to look into lace front toppers - Jon Renau and Rene of Paris are my favourite brands.

[karab]

Thanks Bombsh3ll.  I'm still hoping the hair will come back if I stop the Slynd, but that is the worst area of it, at the temples. 

I'm curious if anyone struggling with hair loss switched successfully to Mirena without hair issues, and if it improved or worsened anyone's sleep.

Kara

[shrosphirelass]

I had the mirena fitted in March and it hasn't affected my hair or sleep.
My hair had always been very thick and coarse and I have always had difficulties with sleep which hasn't changed.

[Ana21]

Hi karab,

You mention hairline recession and bald spots.  Have you spoken to your doctor about your hair loss?  Has your doctor run blood tests to rule out possible causes?  Have you seen a dermatologist for a diagnosis?

The hairline recession concerns me.  I don't know whether you mean your hairline has actually receded, moved further up your forehead, or whether you're describing frontal thinning.  If your frontal hairline is actually receding and creeping up your forehead, I would be concerned about frontal fibrosing alopecia, a scarring alopecia.

Are you still taking testosterone?  That could cause hair loss if your follicles are sensitive to androgens.

I have female pattern hair loss (aka androgenetic alopecia) due to hormonal imbalance.  I'm sensitive to androgens and any change in hormone therapy. You've been on Slynd for 5 months.  For me, that would trigger temporary hair loss. Anything that has the potential to alter the hair growth cycle can cause shedding.  Even treatments that are beneficial to my hair will cause an initial shed.  It's not unusual.

When I was on continuous progesterone, I bled every two weeks and then the frequency increased.  Switching from continous to cyclical (12 days per month) stopped the unscheduled bleeding.  Because of the FPHL/AGA and my sensitivity to androgens, a Mirena was not recommended in my case.

[karab]

Hi Ana21,

Yes, I've already been to dermatologists and had blood tests for everything that might be related to the hair loss, and supplemented with any potentially marginally low vitamins.  Originally I was diagnosed with androgenic alopecia, which seemed initially to improve with HRT.  I did have to increase testosterone when I was taking Slynd, maybe having a lower dose without the Slynd will help. 

 I appreciate your sharing about hormonal changes causes hair loss.  Yes, I definitely experience this when I change my HRT, but never as severe as when I started Slynd, or as continuous.  I quit taking Slynd and went back to micronized progesterone this week and I'm going to see if things improve.  Also appreciate you sharing about Mirena -- that was my concern, since some online talk about hair loss.  I wonder if there is a way for me to cycle my progesterone.  I did once try to take 200 mg for the first 12 days, 300 mg for 12 days, and then a break, to see if that would help me have a cycle, but I couldn't tolerate the 300 mg -- I was super spacey and so bloated I couldn't wear pants. 

I went up to .15 estradiol patch on the Slynd, so I'm not even sure 200 mg continuous progesterone is enough now, so maybe I will try 300 for the second half of the month again.  Thanks for sharing what worked for you; I do wonder if I should have been given continuous to begin with.  I was still having regular cycles, but given continuous progesterone because of sleep.

[karab]

Thanks Shrosphirelass.  I think I may try to figure out a way to cycle my HRT like Ana21, and if I can't manage that move on to the mirena. 

Kara

I had the mirena fitted in March and it hasn't affected my hair or sleep.
My hair had always been very thick and coarse and I have always had difficulties with sleep which hasn't changed.

[Ana21]

Hi karab!

When you were diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia, did your dermatologist prescribe any treatment? 

I'm currently using topical minoxidil foam 5% and finasteride 5 mg (DHT blocker).   My hair loss was stable at 1 mg but it did nothing to improve density.  At 2.5 mg, I had good regrowth and increased density.  At 5 mg, I've had a further increase in density and the individual strands have increased in thickness.  I was initially prescribed spironolactone but was unable to continue due to side effects, so finasteride was the next step.  My blood pressure has always been on the low side, so spironolactone wasn't the best choice for me.  I've had no side effects with finasteride at any dose.  I now have normal looking hair.  I've been too busy to have it trimmed, so it's 10 inches below my shoulder.  You'd never know there was a time when my scalp was so visible that I couldn't leave the house without a head covering.

Another contributor to your hair loss could be seasonal shedding.  I've been experiencing this for the past 6-8 weeks.  It's a common type of telogen effluvium.  We shed less in the winter and more in the summer.  Studies suggest two peak sheds, a main one in the late summer/early fall and a minor one in spring.  I experience both.  If you already have hair loss, seasonal shedding is particularly noticeable (and stress inducing).  And another reason why it takes so long to figure out what's helping/harming.

I wish I could take progesterone continuously but I have to settle for 12 days a month.  I do notice an improvement in sleep quality.

[karab]

Hi Ana21,

Yes, I was advised by my dermatologist to take nutrafol and get PRP injections for the hair loss, both expensive and ineffective.  When I started HRT, hair loss initially improved substantially as I got to higher doses, then worsened again when I started Slynd.

I did start using minoxidil recently, but I'll look into finasteride.  I've been using a laser cap too, think this might have helped before the slynd.
 Thanks for all this information, so helpful!

In case others with questions find this thread, my sleep immediately improved when I quit Slynd and got back on micronized progesterone.  My problems with body aches and muscles also seem to be improving.  I will monitor the hair loss, but the shedding has already reduced dramatically!  It's been less than a week, pretty amazing.  I would say that identifies Slynd as the culprit.  I know others haven't noticed these symptoms on Slynd, so it could be a combination of being in perimenopause and my own sensitivities. 

Thanks again for taking the time to respond Ana21, this is really helpful.  Grateful for everyone on this forum!

Kara