Hair loss

[LividAngel29]

I think my hair is falling out faster than it should. I have to clean my brush every couple of weeks, and my bath tub drain was so clogged, I have only lived there for 6 months, and the anmount of hair I got out, and I didnt get all of it freaked me out. I have been letting my hair grow for about 2 years, it was pretty short before so I guess i really didnt notice, and I always have hair all over my shirt during the day. Do you think this is normal hair shedding??

[mahjab]

Is there hair loss in your family? If there is then i would get on treatment soon...The sooner the better. Birth control like Yaz or Yasmine can stop the loss. I have hair loss too but I haven't been able to treat it because I'm ttc.

[sharilynn]

I'm having the same problem. Everytime I squeeze the water out of my hair during my shower, about 5-10 strands come out with the water. I always notice lots of hair on my shirt. I'm also cleaning my brush out all of the time. The area where I am noticing the loss is right in the front. I have bangs and they are thinning and you can see my scalp more in front. It's really freaking me out. I also deal with facial hair, but I think I'd rather shave everyday (which I do) than have thinning hair. I'm thinking about going on Yaz and I just started a low carb diet today to help get my PCOS under control. When I lose weight, my symptoms are always better.

[LividAngel29]

No it doesn't run in my family except for some of the men but no women. I have to shave under my chin and above my lip daily also, I am like you sharilynn I would rather have to shave than lose my hair too.

[joyblack]

No it doesn't run in my family except for some of the men but no women. I have to shave under my chin and above my lip daily also, I am like you sharilynn I would rather have to shave than lose my hair too.

The fact is that for many of us with PCOS we have the same sort of hair growth / hair loss pattern as the males in our families, rather than the females. Like you I have to shave my moustache and the part of my beard around my chin every day. The rest of my beard growth is much lighter but I run my electric razor over it anyway when I'm shaving the areas that certainly need it every morning. My hair is definitely receding in a male pattern at the temples. The way I look at it is my hair growth and loss follows the male pattern, but more slowly than in the case of my male relatives. My hair loss is not as severe as theirs at the same age and my beard growth is not as heavy as theirs.

[Peaches3]

LividAngel29, I have the same exact problem as you and have for over 2 years! Everytime I take a shower, the drain is always clogged! I am so afraid of losing even more hair so believe it or not, after I shower is the only time I comb my hair. I wont brush or comb it again until its time to take another shower. I just put it in a pony tail and wear it like that! Before I found out that I might have PCOS, I was diagnosed with something called Telogen Effluvium! The doctor said that it has to do with stress and weight loss occuring at a faster rate than normal! The normal range is about 100 hairs a day and he said I was losing about 500 a day. My hair used to be so thick and now it is very thin. I was put on clobex shampoo and lotion for it and while using it, I did notice a difference. I couldnt continue it because I didnt have insurance. However, at that time, I was getting even more hair on my body that I already had so if my hair loss really was due to stress or weight loss(which i did have at the time) I am unsure about! But, my hair loss is a major thing for me and I right now at the moment am trying to find something to stop it or slow it down some!

I know that some girls on here take BC pills(I just made a post a few minutes ago actually asking if BC pills really help to redue the amount of hair lost on the head and reduce the amount of exess hair on the body) but I found this thing online, called thymuskin, it is expensive but it deals with androgenic alopecia and the other types. I havent ordered it yet because I was waiting to see if there was something I could get that was a little less expensive, but from reading the reviews, it looks like it works!

So just know that you arent alone! I am dealing with the same thing myself!

[SEPerez]

I am lucky to not have the excess hair but very sad that I am thinning on the top of my head. I am so frustrated b/c I went to the doctor a few years ago asking about why this could be happening and they said it was stress and sent me on my way. It irritates me that nobody caught on to the PCOS. Any way I am hoping I can slow/stop the thinning on top of my head b/c it is ugly.

[SEPerez]

I have tried different shampoos etc... but not a lot has worked. Anybody find something that has worked well???

[mahjab]

I lost half my hair at 22. It happened at the same time I got acne. I'm almost 27 now and I haven't tried to to treat it yet, other than with the lasercomb. My testosterone is slightly elevated and I know that birth control will help but I'm trying to get pregnant right now. If you are not trying to conceive then you might want to try birth control like Yaz or Yasmine, and other anti androgens. And Rogaine. Remember if your hair loss is due to PCOS then it is genetic hair loss. Our imbalanced hormones trigger it earlier than in most women. It's easier to stop hair loss rather than regrowing it so you should start treating it right away.

[joyblack]

Remember if your hair loss is due to PCOS then it is genetic hair loss. Our imbalanced hormones trigger it earlier than in most women. It's easier to stop hair loss rather than regrowing it so you should start treating it right away.

All very true. We'll probably respond much like our male siblings.

[SarahF]

Hi,

I don't have PCOS...I came across this website when I googled "flutamide". I am a 29 year old female that has been diagnosed with androgenic alopecia ("female pattern baldness"). As I'm sure you've read from the other replies, women can inherit this from either their mothers OR their fathers (yep, my father went bald at 21 years of age...thanks for passing it on dad!).

So, being very sympathetic to the subject of female hairloss, I just wanted to let you know about the treatment I've started. My dermatologist (a specialist at Wake Forest) has me on 125 mg of Flutamide twice daily, and the MALE strength of Rogaine. I've only been on the Flutamide for 6 weeks and I am already noticing a MAJOR difference!

There are plenty of possible side effects so you have to be monitored (some that can be serious, especially if you are of childbearing age). My MD told me it could take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year to see progress. In just 6 weeks I am noticing that most of my hair has stopped falling out. (I was finding a lot of hair on my clothing, tons coming out in the shower, etc.) I'm also seeing a little bit of it starting to grow back. Even my husband has noticed a huge change.

I hope this helps you...it's a horrifying thing to suddenly start loosing your hair and not know why or how to stop it. It took over a year of testing and MD visits to get a proper diagnosis and start treatment. Meanwhile, the hair kept pouring out, and I kept freaking out. The main thing my MD said is that it's very important to start treatment as early as possible. Good Luck!