Testosterone Level Normal But Still Dealing W/ Hair Growth/Loss? This Could Be Why -- - Page 3

Matilda2 · 02-07-2004, 01:34 AM

Since this is a sticky, I thought I'd add to it. Dianette has both estrogen and a small dose of cyproterone acetate in it. Cyproterone acetate is an anti-androgen. It also acts like a progestogen (sp?) It also reduces DHT. Women with PCOS often have more DHT than normal women. I don't know whether that is because they have more androgens to begin with, or whether they actually somehow manufacture more DHT from the same given amount of androgen.

Smeggle · 02-28-2004, 08:13 PM

For me, this is the most annoying symptom, in fact downright degrading to my image and my health, no surprise there!?! One lady said that she was on BCPs for 10 years and has virtually no problems with her excess hair which was a beard! I think bcps take longer to work than just six months, eventually if they regulate your period, they probably would control or eliminate the excess hair growth. She was of mexican descent also, so I have no idea if she was testosterone sensitive or not, but she did have PCOS. Yet she wasn't heavy in the least. So that might be why the pills worked so well for her. I don't know what kind she was on though... I'm hopeful the pills will do wonders for me also. My free testosterone was the only thing elevated and even at that, it was only slightly above normal range, so I think i'm androgen sensitive.

However, I'm significantly overweight, about fourty or so pounds. I'm hopeful though that with continued use of BCPs and weightloss, I will regain my feminity, or atleast an appreciation for my body image. But my doctor said I will grow hair no matter what, even with the BCPs and there is really nothing aside from expensive laser that can help me! Will someone tell me that she might be wrong (But her medical company or whatever it is, also has a laser technician that removes unwanted hair, so she might have ulterior motives!?! I hope...), if even in a one in a billion chance. This has reeked havoc on my mental stability, I'm dying here folks!!

MeLsWeEtIe · 03-17-2004, 08:35 PM

I just went today to have my blood test to see what my testosterone levels are...amonst a bunch of other things. I've had it done before, and it came back normal. Yet, I still have hair on my face. I used spironolactone maybe a year or two ago, and I stopped taking it after a year. I never saw a change. I didn't even experiece any of the diuretic qualities. Maybe it helped in some way internally, but I really don't know. I used to have really thick hair on my head, then one day, I just started losing it in the shower. It scared me. Even to this day, if I wear my now shorter hair up, my boyfriend points out bald spots.

It doesn't really bother me that much. The thing that bothers me is that I have to shave my sideburns twice a day now if I stay at his house. During the rest of the week, I only shave once up there, and every day on my legs, when I'm there. I have noticed that since I've been off my BCPs, I do have to shave more than I used to. That stinks. Sunday, I will be starting back on the BCP again, for the first time in almost a year. Thank...GOD. lol

smokes · 03-31-2004, 10:16 AM

I took spirono, but it made me feel aweful!

melsweetie- your boyfriend doesn't sound too kind when you say he points out your bald spots!

. I mean, maybe he notices, but geesh does he have to say anything about them! I hope he's not rude to you like that all the time, especially since this is so hard to deal with as is!

I know how you feel about wanting to hide it all when around boyfriend, but sooner or later-once you get to know each other, he should really accept you for you. Have you ever tried to die your facial hair? It really seemed to make mine dissapear, and it doesn't leave it coarse/prickly like shaving does. I used sally hassens, but I'm going to try lemon juice this week.

zeozot · 04-02-2004, 08:19 PM

I was almost hairless until after taking the pill at age 21, then began growing male pattern hair. It got pretty bad, and after 20 years of electrolysis, my electrolysist said I had bigger problems, and she was not able to keep up with the new growth. She said it was getting worse the more she worked on me! It seemed to level out at the humiliating phase, but in the past few months has begun making up for lost time, and I am getting upper lip and facial hair that is becoming coarse, dark and long.

The accelerated growth is alarming. I did have a testosterone test done 2 years ago and the levels were 48 ('normal' ranges were 20-50) DHEA was 9.3 (normal range 3-10) and my Progesterone/Estradiol ratio was 115 (normal range 200-1000). I suspect things have got far worse, since I stopped periods a year ago, suddenly, at 42 (my mom went thru menopause at 55). I don't have the finances to get another test but if anyone else has had this problem, what did you do to make it better? My doctor must have been out to lunch, he said everything was normal!!!

Hezzer · 04-05-2004, 01:06 PM

I saw my endocrinologist last Wednesday. She went over my most recent bloodwork results with me.

She said my testosterone was normal, although I didn't find out the specific number.

Just curious as to what her explanation would be, I asked her why I still had the hair loss and hair growth if my testosterone was normal. She couldn't say.

So, I guess I'll just defer to the explanation at the beginning of this thread.

christyz · 04-05-2004, 07:38 PM

Another cause of excess hair growth when testosterone is normal, is high DHEA or androstenedione levels. These hormones can convert easily to testosterone and can cause the hairyness, when testosterone levels appear normal in the body.

Hope it helps.

smokes · 04-05-2004, 11:58 PM

zeozot-christy is right about the DHEA. Also, I noticed that even though your hormones are within normal range, they are still towards the high end of normal, and maybe for you, that is not normal. I'm not an expert, but it does sound like your kinda early for menopause given your family history. ANyhow, I would suspect that you still have pcos and to get all the work up for that (ultrasound, etc). Metformin, and carb watching may help. ALl of my numbers are normal, but I know I am still insulin resistant.

Smeggle · 04-06-2004, 01:35 AM

So how do you lower the DHEA? What supplements, nutrients, etc. or still a closed road to science and theory?

zeozot · 04-10-2004, 05:46 AM

christy is right about the DHEA. even though your hormones are within normal range, they are still towards the high end of normal, and maybe for you, that is not normal. it does sound like your kinda early for menopause given your family history. ANyhow, I would suspect that you still have pcos and to get all the work up for that (ultrasound, etc). Metformin, and carb watching may help. ALl of my numbers are normal, but I know I am still insulin resistant.

Hi Smokes,
I agree, those numbers are high. I am extremely early for menopause in my family, my mom went through it at 55! I have the belly hair, weight gain, hypothyroid (Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome) and several other PCOS symptoms. In my case it has pretty much destroyed my life and I am on Social Security because it has literally disabled me. I spend most of my time trying to find a way to recover so I can get off SSI, it is a night mare. I can't afford the workup for anything like ultrasound, etc. I have Medicare, but can't afford the copay or deductible.

What is Metformin? I suspect I am IR, in the past year I have put on almost 4 dress sizes and most all of it around my middle. Before that I had a small waist and no belly fat. I can't seem to lose weight no matter what I do, and it is so depressing as I know if I don't have diabetes I soon will and I can't seem to avoid it. I am becoming very angry and short tempered because of the frustration, and in fact it is almost 5am and I am online because I could not sleep. All I could think about was how fat I am becoming and I didn't want to spend another night bawling my eyes out about it. This is going to kill me if I don't find answers, if I have/get diabetes I won't be able to lose the weight. Low carb diets make me gain. Everything makes me gain. Ohhh I am soooooo mad/sad/frustrated.

The real kicker here is that I have noticed a co relation to my extreme depression and anger to new facial hair growth! My last severe bout of depression is just about the same time I started putting on the midsection weight, and my formerly extremely irregular (lifetime of this) periods abruptly stopped.

I think what makes me the maddest is that it isn't like I haven't tried to lose the weight, and the harder I try the worse I seem to get. I have always been an extreme person, and will go without for long periods of time to achieve a goal. Does this belong in the rant section??? Sorry folks. I'm just at the end of my rope. Thanks for your responses, it was nice to get some ideas on things.
Zeo

Friend · 06-17-2004, 09:19 AM

It's been a long long while since I"ve posted, but this conversation is familiar...

I, to, talked to my Endo about a yr ago regarding my hair growth, so he did the blood work done on me and we discussed it.. I am in the line of those who does not suffer from PCOS, my hormone levels are normal, but my hair folicals are sensative to testosterone and so I have facial hairs and hair growing on my chest..

I don't know if I can afford laser, but then, I am concerned how my skin will react to the laser and waxing.. I just had a threading facial hair removal done and I broke out... I was told the lady who did it should have been more clean about it before and after.. She just started doing the removal without cleaning my skin, and after she was done said that's it I didn't need any thing else... Well, threading is interesting, fast, no less painful than tweezy, but I don't think I'll go back to her.

Denise.

papricka · 07-29-2004, 10:04 PM

I want to say thank you to all of you for sharing great information. My testosterone level is normal but the DHEA is high, and I have the facial hair and didn't understand why.

I am learning so much from reading this great board.
You girls rock!

LovesFashion · 10-19-2004, 09:32 PM

whats everyones dhea? mine was 969! and my test was 65. 4 out of 5 doctors said normal. Meanwhile my hair has been falling out for 5 months!

ITs so hard to determine what is the cause - i also have very low iron, and i have no idea which is causing the loss, i guess it could also be a little ofeverything!

~X~ · 03-01-2005, 10:03 PM

Hezzer!

Thank you so much for this incredibly valuable link and information.

X

Chrissy84 · 03-08-2005, 02:41 AM

Before taking birth control pills, I had a male balding pattern, once I started taking BCPs, my hair line started to grow in and now it looks normal, has this happened to anyone ??