I have had hair loss for the last couple of years. It was very mild until last year when I had abnormal periods and the GYN put me on Loestrin 24. I started taking the pills and by the 4th month I started losing alot of hair. I checked the side effects of this pill and it said it could cause scalp hair loss. I immediately stopped taking it and expected to continue to lose hair for awhile thinking it would eventually stop falling out and grow back. It seemed to slow down for awhile but now the last few months it has started back. I went to my doctor and he did bloodwork. My DHEA level came back high so she sent me to an endo. They retested my DHEA and it had lowered from 485 to 270. She also tested my thyroid and other things. She said everything was within normal range. I got copies of my labs and am concerned about 2 things. My ferritin level is 22 (normal range 10-291) and my testosterone is 45 (normal range 14-76). Can these levels cause hair loss? My endo just tells me everything is fine and I should not be losing my hair. I feel like screaming "I know I shouldn't be losing hair so what is the problem! " I feel like you have to diagnose yourself because doctors don't see hair loss as a major problem. But it is making me so depressed not knowing what is causing it or how to fix it. I am not ready to wear a wig yet but it is noticably thin on top and now starting at the crown...... any ideas?
Deep breath - many on here are dealing with hair loss and it may very well be your testosterone level. Go to the top of this forum and read some of the "stickys" about hair loss and search through this forum - there are plenty of threads on this subject.
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I feel like you have to diagnose yourself because doctors don't see hair loss as a major problem. But it is making me so depressed not knowing what is causing it or how to fix it. I am not ready to wear a wig yet but it is noticably thin on top and now starting at the crown...... any ideas?
Remember that there are a lot of factors may be involved -- not just your absolute levels of testosterone but your estrogen levels and your SHBG levels. And that great imponderable -- to what extent your skin has been sensitised in the first three months of your fetal life, to respond to testosterone. If your ring fingers are longer than your index fingers, it may well simply be that your scalp is sensitised to respond in the same way as the scalp of many males responds to even realtively small amounts of testosterone.
We don't want it this way, but for many of us the reality is that for quite a number of those of us who have PCOS, one of the characteristics is that our hair growth patterns are effectively much the same as that of most males.
Your ferritin is low. Did you also have an iron study including : CBC w/ Diff, iron Saturation, TIBC, and iron serum?
I have low iron issues. When my ferritin is below 100 I get an I.V. iron infusion! Your doctor is not concerned with the low number??? I am now seen by a knowledgeable Hematologist for my low iron issues. Please follow up on this. Low iron can cause hair loss, but I've had lower numbers recently and didn't experience hair loss when my Testosterone levels were lower. (with help of meds)
Are you having symptoms of low iron: Pale skin, Exhaustion, dizziness, shortness of breath?
I'm concerned for you. I had such a difficult time getting a diagnosis by regular doctors, because my Hemoglobin was "normal". It was stealing for my ferritin (iron storage) to appear normal. It's not so tricky that a regular doctor can't diagnosis it, but you know how that goes sometimes...
I treat my hair loss with Flutamide. It works on the DHT part of Testosterone. It keeps my Testosterone levels below 25, where my body does well. Good luck
__________________ Allison
I have to exercise in the morning, before my brain figures out what the hell I am actually doing To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . Traditional PCOS - Anovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance
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No, my endo was not concerned with the ferritin. She said "your number is 22 and normal range is 10-291 so there is nothing wrong". She is going to retest me next month for diabetes because my A1C levels were high. What should I do about the ferritin? I do have shortness of breath and dizziness from time to time but I always just thought that was because I was overweight and out of shape. I am kinda at a loss. My regular doc sent me to an endo to get more tests done and this endo just doesn't see any problems with me regarding the hair loss. I have not been diagnosed with PCOS but I fit all of the symptoms.
You can do a web search on "digit ratio" -- if you're using Google then remember to include the inverted commas. Basically, the theory is that the ratio of the length of the ring fingers to the length of the index fingers gives an indication of the level of exposure to testosterone in the first three months of fetal life. Exposure to high levels of testosterone during that period also sensitizes the body so that it can respond to stimulation by testosterone if it's exposed to high levels of testosterone in later life. In a nutshell, women with "male" pattern digit ratio can develop male pattern hair growth later in life -- whether the do develop it depends on their testosterone levels in later life. Other women who haven't been sensitized to the same extent can have the same levels of free testosterone in later life but don't respond to it to nearly as great an extent as do those who have been sensitized in early fetal life.
You can do a web search on "digit ratio" -- if you're using Google then remember to include the inverted commas. Basically, the theory is that the ratio of the length of the ring fingers to the length of the index fingers gives an indication of the level of exposure to testosterone in the first three months of fetal life. Exposure to high levels of testosterone during that period also sensitizes the body so that it can respond to stimulation by testosterone if it's exposed to high levels of testosterone in later life. In a nutshell, women with "male" pattern digit ratio can develop male pattern hair growth later in life -- whether the do develop it depends on their testosterone levels in later life. Other women who haven't been sensitized to the same extent can have the same levels of free testosterone in later life but don't respond to it to nearly as great an extent as do those who have been sensitized in early fetal life.
Thank you for explaining. I do have the longer fingers and it makes sense. This is all so depressing!!
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No, my endo was not concerned with the ferritin. She said "your number is 22 and normal range is 10-291 so there is nothing wrong".
What should I do about the ferritin?
I do have shortness of breath and dizziness from time to time but I always just thought that was because I was overweight and out of shape.
I am kinda at a loss.
My regular doc sent me to an endo to get more tests done and this endo just doesn't see any problems with me regarding the hair loss. .
I would ask to see a Hematologist, or at the very least get a second opinion. Shortness of breath and dizziness are symptoms of depleted iron stores.
Hair loss is a symptom of something. Your Endo doesn't feel it's a problem? Time for a new doctor.
__________________ Allison
I have to exercise in the morning, before my brain figures out what the hell I am actually doing To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . Traditional PCOS - Anovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance
Medications and Supps listed on my profile.
Chould this be the cause of my hair loss??? 
