found a pattern in my hairloss-maybe someone can shed some light

strongernow · 02-18-2006, 12:25 AM

It just recently dawned on me whats been going on with me and the pattern I've had with my hairloss and PCOS symptoms. I just recently (2 months in a row now) have started getting my AF on my own. The month before I induced it with Provera and the 3 years previous I had no had any AF, maybe a spot here or there. Well my hairloss started abruptly about 5 months ago during which I thought it was winter shedding-but continued..now it has stopped and came back again many times with the intense itching/burning. Every time it has stopped I notice it is about 3 days after my AF ends up until about a day after I start my cycle again. I am wondering why this is, and I have not been able to locate any information thats similar on the net related hairloss to menstruation. I know estrogen and progesterone play a part in it, my testosterone is not high and I am on Spironolactone..
has any other person here noticed a pattern with hairloss along with menstruation? I was told by my doctor its telligen efluvium(sp?)..but when it starts and stops abruptly related to my cycle I have to wonder whats causing it.

StarMaiden · 02-18-2006, 12:35 AM

I'm interested to see what kind of responses you get. This is very intriquing.

I myself have never noticed any cyclical pattern at all. Probably because I am just not paying attention.

soopergal · 02-18-2006, 04:50 AM

I see a pattern as well. When I'm above to get periods and during I shed more.

strongernow · 02-18-2006, 03:30 PM

I hope I am on to something..it would be nice to see if anyone else has noticed this pattern..I brought it up to my Endo before but he said he didnt know why..maybe it is time to switch doctors. It definitely is bad during my period and then stops for 2-3 weeks.

Elaineno10 · 02-18-2006, 08:17 PM

Well Like with my cycles that are anywhere from 35 days to 45 days(I am on no meds) I shed worst from day 28 or 29 til I start. I take an extra vitamin to try and go against that but I am into Alt. Rem. so... None of the Doctors I know even want me to take the andronic drugs. Hopefully someone else will have more info.

Sincerely,

Elaineno10

Keilygal · 02-19-2006, 03:45 PM

hi there! i'm so glad you posted this - i have definitely noticed a pattern in myself w/respect to my cycles. except my situation was kind of the opposite - my hair would shed as my body increased its estrogen and then taper off before my period and during my period. so when i had a drop in estrogen during my period - the hair loss would slow down until a week or so into my new cycle when estrogen would increase.
i thought it was just me - but i have really paid attention to what i eat and how it affects my hair the next day. one example - i would eat soy products for lunch/dinner and the next morning experience a massive shed. so i thought the soy increased the estrogen in my system - which i probably already have too much of. either that - or i don't have enough progesterone to balance out the estrogen. which i think is very common in PCOS. which makes sense in my case b/c i can go months w/out a period when i'm not on the pill - probably not enough progesterone.
BUT - some women don't have enough estrogen - which sounds like the case with you. when you have a drop - you experience a hair shed. in that case - i'd think you would want to eat soy products and take supplements that mimic estrogen in your body (EPO, FlaxSeed Oil, etc.) I have tried these supplements and they made my hair come out by the handful.
Anyone else have thoughts on this??

guineapig · 02-22-2006, 08:50 AM

Yep, I was shedding badly during my high-estrogen times (when it was unopposed by Progesterone)...mostly from right after my dysfunctional AF ended until a few days before she starts again. High dose estrogen without anything to balance it causes hairloss in rats, they know now. When the rats were treated with aromatase inhibitors (like Armidex) the hairloss stopped. Makes sense in my patterns. Now that I'm on DCI, and Clomid, and (I think) ovulating, I don't shed nearly as much. Similar when I used to add Prometrium to my cycles just to temper my estrogen some.

Spironolactone seemed to help it for about a year, but when I went on metformin it got so much worse--quickly. Of course, metformin shoots my DHEA (estrogen!) through the roof and did not make me ovulate to balance. Even after discontinuing the metformin, my spiro never seemed to work again. I came off it to ttc, and haven't noticed any huge worse sheds--yet.