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Posted

I have been losing hair for about three months. A lot.

It is not a question of perception, but a very real thing. I would think I must have lost about (almost) half - no patches, just thinning out all over...

The stats: 41, definately not in menopause AT ALL (all women in the family EXTREMELY late in menopause - think late 50s), but irregular cycles for the last months, due to important weight loss, caused by stress...which puts me in the inderweight catagory now. I am working towards getting a hold on the stressors...and the weight...

I have been as careful as possible in the process, about getting the necessary vitamins & minerals, but must be missing something...

What could be causing this kind of hair loss? I have the impression it has stopped over the last couple of weeks, and the hairdresser told me, she sees new "sprouts".

I am worried she (and I) might be wrong, and I'll actually be bold in the near future...ðŸ™

I had periods of hairloss before (after each pregnancy, for example), but no-where that severe...

 

Please share your stories - above all those, that "ended well", instead of bald...!

 

Any tips?

Thank you so much! ...I am starting to freak out a bit...

Posted

I was losing a ton of hair... like a handful whenever I brushed! For me the main problem seemed to be wearing my hair pulled back.  In my 40s my hair just wasn't strong enough to take that constant stress.  I also read that sulfate-containing shampoos can cause hair loss for some people.  (Here's a link about that:  http://www.hairlossinwomen.org/hair-loss-causes/sodium-lauryl-sulfate-cause-hair-loss/)  I ended up getting my hair cut short, handling it very gently, and switched to a sulfate-free shampoo.  It's been about 6 months, and my hair is much stronger and I'm only losing what I would consider a normal (small) amount.

 

Good luck finding what works for you!  I know it's very stressful!  

Posted

Hugs sahm99!

 

I,ve lost hair by the handful twice in my life (other than associated with childbirth). Once was associated with stress. The other was when I was trying soy pills to try to mitigate migraines. Both times, it grew back. Perhaps not all the way to the original thickness, but much better than it was. I have a long braid. For a long time, you could see a spot where the braid went from thinner lower down to suddenly much thicker higher up, so I am dead positive about this. You aren,t taking any soy suppliments, are you?

 

I hope the stress resolves itself soon.

 

Nan

Posted

For me, there are three things:

 

Stress (which shows up in other ways, too)

Low iron

Low vitamin D

 

Last round of hair loss was fixed by a high dose 6 week regimen of vitamin D. If you haven't recently had bloodwork done, you might consider scheduling a checkup and request a general screening.

 

As someone said above, wearing ponytails a hundred days in a row eventually catches up with me. I spend some time with it banded lower (not tight) or completely down.

Posted

Get your thyroid checked. The fact that it also happened after pregnancy indicates a possible hormonal issue.

 

Be warned that you might need to research for a good specialist for answers if it is a thyroid thing. PCPs and even many endocrinologists are notoriously ineffective.

  • Like 2
Posted

Stress combined with weight loss (especially if it's rather quick, and if it involved a marked reduction in fat intake) can take a huge toll on hair.  So that's probably the most obvious cause.  But I agree that it would be a good idea to get your thyroid, iron and Vitamin D levels checked just in case.  With my thyroid issues I had minimal loss of hair on my head (thank goodness!) but I did lose the outer third of each eyebrow and needed to shave my legs and pits much less often than usual.  Also brain fog, marked fatigue, super dry skin (even on the inside of my ears).

Posted

Yup. First thing to check is thyroid. And you may have to battle your doctor to get a complete thyroid panel rather than just TSH. In addition to TSH, you'll want Free T3 and Free T4, plust ferritin, iron saturation, sex and adrenal panel (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol).

 

If you are successful in getting your doctor to run even Free T3 and Free T4, do NOT let him tell you that your results are "normal" and that he sees no reason for your hair loss. Require him to give you a print-out of the results. Then come back here and check with me. :-)

  • Like 6
Posted

Definitely get the medical stuff check.

 

After a big weight loss due to GI problems, I lost a ton of hair. It did come back, but it was very scary while I was losing it. I've heard of other people going through that, too.

Posted

The stress alone, if it was significant enough to cause weight loss, could be the primary cause of your hair loss. I was losing a lot of hair and that was the first thing the doctor asked about. I wasn't under any unusual stress at the time, however. For me, it's a thyroid, vit D, and iron issue that I finally have been able to treat. Treating the iron and Vit D w/out thyroid was not helpful. 

  • Like 2
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

If you're underweight (especially if you've been losing weight rapidly due to stress-related undereating) that can do a real number on your hair. As I recall hair tends to depend on what your nutrition was 3 months ago -- so if you've only recently gotten a handle on the undereating, it may take a couple of months to resolve. The new sprouts that your hairdresser is seeing are a very good sign.

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