Does menopause make your hair fall out

Posted by impostershop@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 40 comments

I didn’t know what flair to use… So I’m a 56yo menopausal woman who is starting to lose hair. Like, a lot of hair. Each strand is now really thin (it used to be thick and strong) I’ve lost about 1/2 the volume in the last year. My friends say they can’t tell (I think they would tell me the truth)

This is alarming.

I had taken zepbound… but I’ve been off of it for 4mo bc I was too nervous that it might be a cause. I’d rather be thick and have hair than skinny and bald. In those 4mo absolutely nothing has changed. Obviously I’m not looking for instant results but after 4mo I was hoping it would slow down.

Could it be hormones? Would HRT help? I lack experience here and don’t have many friends who are at my stage yet.

Thx

[-]

CoastRooted@reddit

56F. My hair fell out during perimenopause and didn’t get totally better even with (life changing) BHRT. I take oral minoxidil and Viviscal every day (and have for years now), and my hair is thick again and doesn’t fall out anymore.

[-]

LayerNo3634@reddit

Could be a lot of things. I had Covid real bad and 4 months later was losing chunks of hair. I had bald spots. Chopped it off in a short pixie (like Jaime Lee Curtis). Took a year for it to stop and grow back...I still have the pixie! Turns out I can rock it.

[-]

whiskeygirl@reddit

I'm a day late to this, but I can't stress the importance of having your doctor run a blood panel for you. My thyroid was discovered to be under active. Now that I've been on thyroid meds and iron supplements, I've stopped shedding everywhere.

[-]

Blrfl@reddit

I had taken zepbound…

According to my wife's endocrinologist, hair loss can be a side effect of losing a significant amount of weight. There are two examples of this happening in my household, one with a GLP-1 and one without, so how you lose it doesn't seem to matter.

[-]

thisiswonky@reddit

On the plus side it sounds like it reverses and grows back out after a year of starting the glp-1. At least, that’s something I read and am clinging to.

[-]

Blrfl@reddit

That definitely hasn't been the case with me. I started losing my hair in my early 30s after losing a lot of weight and it continued for many years after that. My wife caught some of that after losing a lot of weight on a GLP-1 and it hasn't come back.

[-]

thisiswonky@reddit

Dang it!! I’m sorry to hear that.

[-]

lastbeat-331@reddit

Perimenopause/ hormone changes can definitely cause hair loss and hair texture changes. Glp-1 do not cause hair loss but rapid or large weight loss can. I noticed increased shedding due to peri and started Nutrafol and it's helped stop the shedding and increased new hair growth. I started Zep a couple months later and no hair loss but I only had 15 peri pounds to lose which I lost slowly over 3-4 months.

[-]

herbwannabe@reddit

Im not on hrt but i have started an iron supplement twice a week. That stopped mine.

[-]

holidaycheese87@reddit

Yes. I thought HRT would help, but it just helped with hot flashes. I think it’s inevitable.

[-]

OkCalbrat@reddit

Thank you for asking this! I'm 51 and in perimenopause. I used to have to use the hair ties and hair clips for extra thick hair, now even the regular ones are too big! I've lost so much hair! 😭

[-]

holidaycheese87@reddit

I used to have such thick, curly hair. Now it’s flat, no body and fits it one little hair clip. 👵🏻😞

[-]

OutlandishnessFew773@reddit

I found an extreme loss of body hair when my thyroid started failing. I did not notice a significant amount of hair on my head but my eyebrows thinned out. I imagine everyone could be affected differently.

[-]

Majik_Sheff@reddit

Thinning eyebrows is one of the indicators for hypothyroidism.

[-]

Catnip_75@reddit

100%

[-]

Sinja_Minx@reddit

Side effect of critically low iron.

[-]

Catnip_75@reddit

Or thyroid dysfunction which is common in menopause

[-]

Catnip_75@reddit

Yes. Combination of multiple hormones. Strongly recommend you get your thyroid tested. My hair was falling out in clumps. I went on HRT as well as Levothyroxine for my thyroid. My hair has grown back significantly in the last 6 months

[-]

Baebarri@reddit

My hair thickened and almost curled during perimenopause, then fell out in clumps during menopause.

Now I wear it ultra short and try to ignore the small balding spot.

[-]

T7147@reddit

Happened to me! Same, lost half my hair and my friends said they didn't notice either. My hair stylist did.

Iron and thyroid levels all perfect. Getting hormone levels checked soon. Went back on birth control 2x a week and Weem and hair stopped falling out 3 days later and regrowth in full effect.

You're not alone. ❤️

[-]

MaudieLebowski@reddit

Big time.

[-]

This-Assumption4123@reddit

My dermatologist had me start Minoxidil pills and Nutrafol. It took 3-4 months but it’s really helping stop the shed and I have a lot of regrowth.

[-]

-----anja-----@reddit

Do you take the regular version of Nutrafol or the version aimed at menopausal women?

[-]

This-Assumption4123@reddit

Yes I do. I started on the prenatal one because I thought it would be better but talked to my doctor and he said use the other one so I switched to the menopause one. Walmart has a dupe that just came out that’s half the price I am going to order but just looking online the ingredients look alike.

[-]

Grand_Taste_8737@reddit

It does mine, and I'm the husband! :)

[-]

Head_Trick_9932@reddit

Haha dad joke.

[-]

BoneDaddy1973@reddit

Ignore the haters, this was a solid joke.

[-]

EnjoyingTheRide-0606@reddit

Yes initially mine did and thinned tremendously. My stylist said to take collagen and biotin but I never did. Went thru a divorce during the pandemic and my hair grew back thick and luxuriously!

[-]

Significant_Ruin4870@reddit

Ask your doctor to do a blood test for hormone levels including the various types of thyroid hormones. Low thyroid can present as usual hair loss and thinning. It's one thing that's easy to check and treat, or to eliminate from the possibilities.

[-]

SilverSovereigns@reddit

stop washing and combing your hair too much. Wash once a week. It's not an explanation, but a prophylaxis. Expect your hair to fall out faster than it grows back for the rest of your life. Minimize shedding by not messing with your hair as often as you used to.

[-]

impostershop@reddit (OP)

Yup, I’ve mastered this. I don’t even use hair elastics to put my hair up anymore, in an effort to be extra gentle.

[-]

JessieColt@reddit

Yes, menopause can cause hair thinning.

The change/fluctuation in hormone levels can result in a ratio change with androgen's, which can affect the hair follicles.

https://www.westsidewomenshealth.com/blog/hair-loss-during-menopausal-transition

https://www.goldenstatedermatology.com/blog/what-really-causes-menopausal-hair-loss-and-how-to-address-it/

[-]

Ok_Key_4731@reddit

Menopause sucks and it can affect so many things in our bodies. My short answer is that yes, it’s probably due to hormones and recommend you talk to your doc.

[-]

kittykatvictor2020@reddit

I have alopecia and it started when I entered menopause. It has fallen out and grown back 3 times in 5 years. When I started zepbound and was reaching goal weight it grew back. I thought it was the medication, but it fell out again. I don't have an autoimmune condition, so I now think it is estrogen. I've been on HRT for 3 months. I'm not seeing any change so who knows. It's helped with my brain fog and other issues.

I feel your pain I used to have the thickest hair. It was one my best features.

[-]