Hormonal Changes and Hair Loss in Women
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009Q:
Dear Doctor,
I am a 26 year old woman with a hair loss problem. I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and thyroid malfunction 5 years ago. Prior to my diagnosis I suffered a mild case of hair loss mostly on the top around the hair line but after I received treatment my hair was better than it ever was long thick and strong.
when I stopped the thyroid and PCOS treatment and my hair started falling like never before. I started treatment again for PCOS a year ago but nothing happened. My hair is still falling particularly at the front and my scalp is showing. I’m middle eastern and my mom had a severe case of hair loss but she never had a problem such as PCOS! Now I’m taking Glucophage and oral contrasiptives to treat PCOS. Could it be my thyroid again? Does thyroid malfunction cause hair loss? Could it be the PCOS or could it be genetic? And how can I treat it?
A:
It seems like you have significant family history for female patterned hair loss. Obviously, you need to be under care of a good endocrinologist due to the extent of your hormonal imbalances. Polycystic ovary disease can often alter your sex hormone levels. You need to make sure your sex hormones are not out of range. You also need to have your thyroid hormone levels checked on a regular basis and treat any abnormality accordingly.
Having said that, your condition might be only an exaggeration of a typical female patterned baldness secondary to your other medical conditions. This is not a typical condition and we see it in our offices on a regular bases. Hair loss could be seen in association with many other medical conditions in men and women including the two conditions that you experienced.
In normal individuals who are not prone to hair loss, the condition is generally reversible only after correction of medical disorders. However, patients who are genetically susceptible to patterned baldness may never gain their lost hair back even after complete treatment of the underlying medical condition.
