Hormonal Imbalance Hair Loss

Hormonal Imbalance Hair Loss: Affecting More and More Women Today!

Hormones act as messengers of the body to its different cells. It is one of the major ways that the body maintains its balance and proper functioning. Keeping these hormones in proper amounts is one of the wonders of the human body. However, there are times when certain factors, like stress, can make this unique communication system go awry, resulting to a lot of signs and symptoms, including hair loss.

Estrogen Dominance

Females have a different set of hormones from men. Two of these include estrogen and progesterone both of which are produced by the ovaries. Production of these hormones is mainly controlled by the anterior pituitary gland. Early in a woman’s menstrual cycle, the anterior pituitary gland stimulates the ovaries to produce estrogen. The estrogen, in turn, stimulates the ovaries to release an egg or ovulate. After ovulation the ovaries secrete progesterone. But sometimes the ovaries fail to release an egg or what those in the medical field call an anovulatory cycle. Without ovulation, there is no production of progesterone leading to estrogen dominance. Even though estrogen can promote hair growth in the scalp, once it is out of balance with progesterone, it can cause hair loss. In addition, hormonal imbalance makes a woman tired, irritable and depressed. Though a lot factors can lead to hormonal imbalance, one of the most common would be physical, emotional or psychological stress. Other causes include malnutrition, birth control pills, lack of physical activity and malfunctioning ovaries or pituitary glands.

Pregnancy

A lot of women are alarmed at the rate of hair fall after pregnancy, thinking it might mean a serious postpartum complication. However, in most cases this is a completely normal occurrence. When a woman is pregnant, the placenta produces a large amount of estrogen and progesterone to maintain the pregnancy. This not only increases hair production but also decreases the normal amount hair lost every day. In short, hair becomes thicker during pregnancy. After childbirth, the hormones go back to their pre pregnancy level causing the extra hair to fall off, returning hair to its thickness before pregnancy.

DHT and Androgenic Alopecia

Hair is produced by hair follicles present on our skin. However, in some people, these hair follicles are sensitive to the hormone dihydrotestosterone or DHT. For some reason, DHT causes these hair follicles to degenerate rendering them incapable of producing new hair strands, when the old ones fall off. This is termed androgenic alopecia.

DHT is basically a male hormone but can be present in small insignificant amounts in females. This is the reason why males lose more hair and start going bald earlier than women. In male pattern baldness, hair starts thinning at the hairline on the forehead and at the temples.

Like men, women also notice that their hair becomes thinner when they age, especially when they reach menopause. This is because the ovaries cease to function, decreasing estrogen levels in the body. Because of estrogen is low, it cannot anymore counterbalance DHT. This allows DHT to exert its detrimental effect on hair follicles, even though it is present in relatively small amounts. This leads to female pattern baldness, which unlike male pattern baldness does not result in bald areas and receding hairlines but only a generalized thinning of hair over the scalp.

Treatment

There are several treatment modalities available for hormonal imbalance hair loss. Here are some of the more commonly applied:

Minoxidil is a non-prescription drug that is used to deal with hair loss. It is available as shampoos, creams and oral tablets. Before using this drug, be sure to read the instructions. And if you’re taking prescription drugs, consult with a physician first because this drug has similar effects for drugs to control high blood pressure. It may take at least four months before any significant results are seen.

If a person does not have any endocrine or other medical disorders, preventing hormone imbalance should be very possible. Doing proper exercise, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep should keep the stress at manageable levels.

Malnutrition Hair Loss