Meta

This is my first post.

I'm not sure that I have PCOS, my ND doesn't think so... But I have very high androstenedione. However, my DHT & testosterone are well within range. My progesterone is a bit on the low side, as is my estrogen. So my andros is just sitting there, out of range & not dumping out into any pathway.

I've never exercised in my life & just started this past June. I don't feel good doing cardio exercise but I LOVE toning stuff - like step aerobics with free weights & resistance bands. So by only working out an average of 3 times a week for an hour each day doing these aerobic-toning classes, my muscles have gotten huge! I guess this is because of the high androstenedione (since body builders take this hormone for this purpose.)

BUT, for the first time in my life, my hair is thinning. It's only noticeable at the very front-center. I think it's also thinning a bit above the temples too. Every time I wash my hair, I have GOBS coming out. I'm constantly pulling loose hairs off of my clothing & I just can't believe there's any left on my head.

My question is: can exercising (perhaps specifically weight-lifting) cause an increase in androgens thereby causing hair loss?

Something triggered this sudden hair thinning. It started around August/September which would be 3-4 months after I began my exercise routine. It's the only thing that changed.

I should also mention that I have fairly severe adrenal fatigue which can explain my whacked out hormones. My ND (who specializes in endocrinology, specifically adrenal insufficiency) thinks this is all from severely depleted adrenals. I can understand how this makes sense since our adrenals regulate our stress & sex hormones. So he wants to stick with supporting the adrenals & try to push through this high level of androstenedione. He wants me to take huge doses of pantothenic acid & pantethine. He said a lot of patients are able to even out excessive androgens with this method alone. We've also discussed saw palmetto & I started taking it a few days ago - 4.4g/day, in two doses.
I take pregnenolone & glandulars to assist my adrenals. (Pregnenolone is the first hormone our bodies make from cholesterol & is at the top of the hormone cascade. Pregnenolone is then converted to various sex hormones & stress hormones.)

Symptom-wise, I've been really hairy since puberty. My cycles have always been a little long. When I first started menstruating, they were a little unpredictable, but I've read that's normal. I'm super fertile, even got pregnant on the pill. In between babies, my cycles were pretty regular, but long - about 33-35 days. Ever since my third child, they've been coming every 31 days almost like clockwork. I know I ovulate because I can tell by physical signs.

I've always been thin, even underweight at most times. I took gluten out of my diet about 1.5 years ago & my weight has finally evened out at about 123 lbs (I'm 5'9.) This is also when my cycles evened out the most (after removing gluten) & all PMS symptoms disappeared - no bloating, cramping, moodiness & bleeding is pretty light & only 5 days - love it!

I had a vaginal U/S once & nobody said anything about my ovaries.

Trying to think of other PCOS symptoms..my blood glucose & fasting insulin are perfect. I tend to feel icky with carbs or sugar, so I avoid them. I eat mostly Paleo, just meat & veggies & feel really good eating like this. I know the adrenals play a big part in regulating blood sugar, so I like to make it easy on them.

That's me in a nutshell. Any ideas on the hair thinning/androstenedione/exercise connection would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Meta

Oh and my DHEA is also really, REALLY low. My 17-OH progesterone is within range, but on the lower side.

MotorGirl

I have never known exercise to cause loss of hair, but I know stress can. I know several people that has happened to. I personally don't have that problem, but I think there is a forum here for hair loss. I would ask someone there, if you haven't yet.

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TheBumbler

You might want to check out Robb Wolf's site. He's been struggling with adrenal fatigue and posted about what he's been doing for training and lifestyle modifications to help him out. You could likely also email him and ask for advice. He owns NorCal Strength and Conditioning and is CrossFit's nutrition guru (he used to be a cancer researcher before hanging up his labcoat to open a gym) so you'll be in good hands.

I'm not an expert, so please take my advice with a huge grain of salt. From my understanding, you can still exercise but you'll need to do some things differently (no more hour long cardio sessions with light weights... this can just make adrenal fatigue worse). Stick to the three days a week but replace the long cardio with short but more intense workouts. You'll get the benefits of regular physical activity but it should be easier on your system. And if you feel yourself getting more tired and drained, back off to even shorter sessions.

Cardio
Two days a week, go for 15-20 minutes of high intensity interval training or something like Turbulence Training or a CrossFit style metcon. Between your warm up and cool down and workout, you should be in and out of the gym in about 30 minutes.

Weight Lifting
One day a week do a short but heavy weight lifting workout. Each week, alternate your workouts between 3 sets of 5 reps of squats, bench press and pull ups one week and squats, deadlift and shoulder press the next. I'd suggest you also find a trainer to help you learn these basic barbell movements.

No worries about this kind of training making you HEEEEUUUUUGGGE. This kind of training doesn't really promote hypertrophy (increasing the size of your muscle's cells, making them look bigger) but instead functional strength (here's part one and part two of a series of articles that explain why). You'll be fine, even with elevated androgens.

Lifestyle
As for lifestyle, again from what I gather, you don't want to mess with making this worse. Lots of rest, try to get into a regular sleep cycle, figure out some methods to help control and reduce stress. And if you aren't already supplementing with fish oil, I'd suggest doing it to help reduce low grade inflammation. Start at 1 gram per 10lbs body weight and then titrate down to 0.5/10lbs bodyweight once your health improves. And paleo freaking rocks.

I hope this helps!

Edited to add:
A bit more reading for you
All About Cortisol
A Case Against Cardio

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Meta

Bah, it's not letting me quote you guys because I can't post outside URLs until I have 15 posts (but they're not my links!)

It could be physical stress because for a short time I was also doing spinning classes along with the toning classes & my body quickly let me know it was too much - so I stopped.

Ah, interesting blog - love his description of the BS surrounding cholesterol - so true!

He links to my ND's website (chronicfatigue.o r g) under the ASI link.

The hour long workouts aren't cardio - they're aerobics with free weights thrown in. Honestly, my heart rate rarely gets noticeably higher. What I do notice is stretching & resistance training. We're not moving around a whole lot, we stay next to our steps/mats. Squats are probably the most aerobic we get. I feel really good with this level of working out. I had tried cycling for a couple of weeks (45 minute sessions) & THIS was definitely WAY too much.

I'll definitely read more on Robb's site. I think I'll stick with my toning classes (now only twice a week) & I signed up for step interval which is a combo of free weights & step aerobics & then circuit training. I'll see how both go & go from there.

I'll have to read why I won't get huge in those links - but I'm skeptical! My arms are ripped just from these low impact aerobics classes.

Yea, I've been working with my ND for almost 3 years now. I definitely feel better now but it's slow going (as can be expected.) I'm still nursing my youngest & I know that takes a lot out of me. I sleep pretty darn well & I think my diet rocks.
I've been taking cod liver oil for years & years & recently switched to the fermented stuff since it's the only kind now with naturally occurring vitamins.

Oh, and I LOVE Mark's blog!

Thank you!