What to ask the Dr about hair thinning?

[raingirl]

I have an appointment with my family doctor in two weeks and I'm going to bring up my hair thinning. Is there anything specific (question wise) I should ask her to look into or test?

The reason I'm going is actually about my chronically low body temp, but I suspect that it's all tied together (low iron, low ferritin, chronically cold, thinning hair). I'm thinking and endocrinologist is who I need to see first. My low iron could cause thinning, but low iron can also mask low thyroid issues which can affect hair as well. I also have very high estrogen (found out in my fertility treatments) which can cause hair loss. High estrogen is also a marker for hypothyroid and can block it showing on tests.

I know it's not genetic as everyone else in my family has thick hair both in the strand and in the volume of actual follicles/hair. My mother had waist length black hair for 20 years! Mine has just worse and worse since I was 18/19 and I've tried everything I can think of to make it better:

- went SLS free a year ago
- CO wash only started 2 months ago
- 1000mg Biotin daily for the last 3 months or so
- stopped almost all heat styling 6 months ago (except rarely for special occasions and just the blow dryer on warm)
- high protein/low carb diet for 3 years
- 3X the RDA of iron daily via liquid supplements (doctor recommended)
- oiling/treating hair weekly
- protective styling and braiding at night since at least the summer (but this more protect the ends and no so much helps with grown/scalp)

If there is anything I'm missing I should bring up, let me know! I really really suspect I have hidden thyroid issues that is the source of it all. Two of my sisters have low thyroid, as does my niece.

[Othala]

Yes, ask to be tested for PCOS.

A question for you: Are you taking vitamin A supplements? If so, they could be a factor or the factor in the hair loss you are experiencing.

[raingirl]

Yes, ask to be tested for PCOS.

A question for you: Are you taking vitamin A supplements? If so, they could be a factor or the factor in the hair loss you are experiencing.

I've already been tested for PCOS through my fertility testing and it was negative.

I'm not sure if you are saying I should have Vit A or I should not. But no, I'm not taking Vit A except the RDA in my pre-natal vitamins. It's not recommended to take Vit A supplements while trying to conceive as it can cause birth defects in larger doses.

[ravenreed]

I have been taking biotin for a few months and if anything, my hair is shedding much more than normal. I was taking them to try to deal with my terribly thin fingernails, but alas, it didn't help them either. I am thinking of stopping the biotin. My hair is also thinning, but it could either be my hormonal IUD, my throid meds, or just the fact that I am now 43. I am chronically low in B-12 and often have to get shots. My body temp. is a point lower than everyone else, and I have always had low blood pressure. When I gained a lot weight, it finally normalized, not a treatment plan I recommend... *sigh* I have no idea if I should even bring it up to my doctor because there are other more important issues that I am trying to deal with.

[jojo]

I have hypothyroidism and anaemia and it cause me to shed something bad, my hair tends to thin in an inverted V on the hemline when my levels are low. Id ask him for a THS including T3 and T4, full blood count including ferritin levels.
Things to also look at are your diet, is it varied?
Look at your skin does it look dry? Is your hair more dry and brittle? Are you drinking enough water? Getting enough sleep; if not why not? Stressed?
These are the questions id ask a patient as a RN.
Try not to worry too much, i understand how distressing it is but it is fixable.
If your bloods come back as anaemia, i highly reccomend hema plex, my hair has come on leaps and bounds since taking this. I took it the recommended 3x a day for 2 months and now take just one a day, my HB and ferritin levels are now back to a normal range.
Heres the ingredients http://www.evitamins.com/hema-plex-natures-plus-429

And some reviews http://reviews.vitacost.com/4595/27501/natures-plus-hema-plex-30-tablets-reviews/reviews.htm

Hope this helps somewhat and you get some positive answers, good luck hun x

[raingirl]

Thanks Jojo.

My ferritin is already low, as is my iron. Last time my Ferritin was checked it was 11 I think, considering the normal range is 50-300 I think. My blood iron (hemoglobin) levels are always below 20 as well, and I believe 20 is the cut off on the low end. My iron has been this low for 15 years. I've had my THS/T4/T3 tested an they always said "normal" but never gave me the numbers.

I've read up on Hema Plex but they don't sell it in Canada that I've found. I did some research and this is the best supplement I've found for Iron available here:

http://www.platinumnaturals.com/easyiron.html

I take 2-3 of those a day as well as one of their prenatals:

http://www.platinumnaturals.com/prenatalproducts.html

I love Google Scholar and I found this article the other day:

http://www.drtsoukalas.com/uploads/file/Thyroid%20deficiency.pdf

It outlines all the issues I have and they all fit with thyroid. I'm exhausted all the time (sleep 14 hours each night if I can), I constantly have to fight off depression/low mood, brain fog for years (which is why I think I didn't do all that well in school), cuts that take longer than normal to heal (a paper cut can take 2 weeks to close on my hands which is abnormal and cuts get infected very easily on me), puffy eyes, weight gain/fluid retention (and it's extremely hard for me to lose weight), hair loss, pale complexion, blotchy skin, (chronic yeast issues...down there), low body temp (avg 95/96F which is almost hypothermic), and one other which I didn't know could be related which is high estrogen/hormonal imbalances.

I try to eat healthy but the exhaustion doesn't help. I am also extremely picky because I'm a super taster. The healthy things like vegetables and fish/seafood are almost non-existent in my diet. I try to eat something daily, but I'm bad I know. I don't like cold food so no salads really, and I don't like many cooked vegetables. I will put lettuce on things though like tacos or sandwiches. I don't mind carrots, onions, mushrooms, and tomato sauce, but that's about it really. I used to eat potatoes but I try to avoid them as much as I can now. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower I will eat as well. I know I could get better with my diet, but everything is so bitter or overpowering as a super taster so I try to stick to plain meats and lots of dairy. At least I like pizza and tacos so I sneak in vegetables there frequently.

[renia22]

Good luck with your test results, raingirl. Have you ever had your blood sugar tested? Sometimes undiagnosed type II diabetes can cause some of those symptoms, including hair loss. If you are seeing an endocrinologist they will probably check for that anyways. Also food intolerances/ candida overgrowth/ leaky gut syndrome can oftentimes be a culprit. The absorption of nutrients can be hindered, so even when a person is taking adequate supplements, it can be hard to get the levels up to where they should be. Not sure if you have gone through all of that already or if that pertains to you, but doctors don't always look for that.

[raingirl]

Yeah, I've had my sugars tested as well before and they were normal. That's the frustrating part. I will add that to the list though.

Do endocrinologists look at/test for Celiac? One of my other sisters who also has iron issues is being tested for that by her family doc. I asked my doc about it but she said with our health system she can only make referrals for the test when she strongly suspects it's an issue, which she doesn't in my case. Hmm... something to ask/think about.

[northernsky]

Many of your symptoms sound like what I have gone through recently, and after 8 months of doctor visits I was finally diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. My future mother-in-law still thinks I have hypothyroidism though, because she went through almost the same exact set of symptoms as well. Her TSH levels were not far enough off for the doctor to agree to treat her and she bugged them for years until they finally agreed to remove half of her thyroid. She immediately felt better, her symptoms went away, and she dropped a ton of weight. She has to take thyroid hormone pills for the rest of her life though. I have had chronic fatigue, irritability, inflammation, muscle tightness and twitches, elevated liver enzymes, weird cholesterol results, high triglycerides, hormone imbalance and infertility, hair loss, hot and cold flashes... The list goes on. The nurse felt my thyroid and told me she was pretty sure that was the problem because it felt enlarged but then my TSH tested at 2.4 so they wouldn't treat me, because my doctor does not prescribe synthroid unless it is 4.4 or above.

I have changed my diet and eat tons of greens (chard, spinach, dandelion, kale...), eliminated dairy and switched to almond milk (oh, how I miss cheese!!!), use good oils like olive oil, eat only whole grains, cut way back on refined sugars, rely on lean fish and turkey for protein, make much of my food from scratch instead of using prepackaged food loaded with additives, drink lots of filtered water... I also take a multivitamin, magnesium supplements, krill oil, and a milk thistle supplement for my liver. I feel SO much better!

I would agree with the previous posters to have them check your thyroid levels and ask for the specific numbers instead of them just telling you if it's in the "normal" range. It is quite possible to have a thyroid problem and still be in what they call the "normal" range.

[renia22]

Yeah, I've had my sugars tested as well before and they were normal. That's the frustrating part. I will add that to the list though.

Do endocrinologists look at/test for Celiac? One of my other sisters who also has iron issues is being tested for that by her family doc. I asked my doc about it but she said with our health system she can only make referrals for the test when she strongly suspects it's an issue, which she doesn't in my case. Hmm... something to ask/think about.

The endocrinologist probably wouldn't test for celiac's. When I was going through something similar a few years back, it was a Naturopathic physician who tested me for food allergies. I suspected celiac's, but it ended up being an allergy to yeast & soy for me. Very frustrating, even my regular MD & GI doctor weren't all that helpful.

Also you may be doing this already, so please pardon me if you already know this, but another thing my Naturopathic suggested was to take iron (high quality capsules or liquid, no tablets -tablets may not break down & absorb as well- but with vitamin c, which it looks like you have) on an empty stomach, separately from other vitamins or minerals. Apparently iron is best absorbed this away, and certain vitamins/ minerals (like calcium/D) hinder absorption. My ferritin levels went up much quicker when I started doing this, taking iron/c right before bed with nothing else in my stomach. Prior to figuring this out, when I had the extreme fatigue, I was instructed to take lecithin granules (Now Foods is the brand I took). That helped a little.

[happybear]

ok so you sound like me.

I am seeing a naturopath as for the same issues (i have completyl given up on the Canadian health care system). Doctors are legally obligated to give you your test results if you ask for them. Some docs get all douchy about it and make you pay a fee, but it is better that you keep track of your own tests results.

Secondly, the normal range for thyroid stuff is 0-5 in north america. However, according to my naturopath, the College of thyroid doctors (or endocrinologists or something) in the states, are currently revising those numbers to be between 0-2. When i had my doc test my thyroid, it was at 4, but still in the normal range so she did nothing despite my many symptoms. When i took those results to my naturo, she told me that i def am hypothyroid. she put me on homeopathic thyroid drops, these are not thyroid hormones, but natural plant extracts(?) that help your thyroid fix itself. I have also been tracking my body temp and it rarely gets to 37, so now my naturo has given me iodine pills, because apparently most people in NA are iodine deficient and if you are, your thyroid won't work properly. since being on the iodine and thyroid drops my body temp has been improving.

My iron has also been super low for years. my doc put me on Palafer for a year. it got up to 50, and she told me to stop taking it. I gave the results to my naturo and she said, optimal iron level is supposed to be 80, you don't get many symptoms until it gets below 40. she said that Palafer and any other pharmaceutical iron supplement never absorb properly because they are full of fillers, so it takes forever for your body to get stores back up, and in the meantime you get awful stomach problems.

So she put me on RBC by Enzamatic, a high potency iron pill with heme iron and the veggie iron too, a week after starting on it, i noticed a huge rise in my energy level, in just one week! and i don't get stomach pains or constipated.

Anyway, i have had thin hair since i was 14, i think my iron got realy low as a teen due to heavy periods, and i think my thyroid has been off since my very first period. My hair before this was beautiful, now, my ponytail is the circumference of a pencil, it has been 15 years of untreated low iron and hypothyroid...no doctors ever helped me. I now have new hair sprouts growing, i hope to recover some of my old thickness, but i am realistic, 15 years of thinning hair due to undiagnosed conditions wrecking havoc on my body...I don't know if my hair will ever be really thick again. But that's ok.

So, if you can afford it, maybe take all your test results to a naturopath, if your doc diagnoses you with thyroid probs, you will spend a lifetime on synthetic hormones...scary!

[happybear]

but another thing my Naturopathic suggested was to take iron (high quality capsules or liquid, no tablets -tablets may not break down & absorb as well- but with vitamin c, which it looks like you have) on an empty stomach, separately from other vitamins or minerals.

This is interesting, my naturo never specified if i should take the pills with/without food, but the pharmacist who dispensed the pills told me to take them with food. i try to avoid taking the pill when i eat a meal with calcium in it. I will ask my naturo next time i see her to be sure

[Xi]

:grouphug: I went through a period of hair thinning a few years ago -- it's scary, no matter what the cause (mine was due to stress).

I'd recommend bringing in all the natural supplements/products you're taking to show your doctor -- sometimes they can get a lot of information from actually seeing the products. I looked up EasyIron -- it seems to have a lower amount of elemental iron than the standard supplements (only 18mg, and the dose needed for treating iron-deficiency anemia is around 150-200mg of elemental iron per day). You might consider taking more than 2 or 3 a day, especially if your anemia is not improving. Or anyway, something to chat with your doctor about -- why the anemia isn't getting better, should you be taking more iron. Just my :twocents:

I hope things get better soon! :blossom:

[renia22]

no doctors ever helped me

Same here. And like you, it wasn't until I saw a Naturopath that I finally got some answers. I was on those crappy, constipating iron tablets for years & they did nothing. My ferritin levels were at 5-7 for ages, and I was very sick. When I finally figured a few things out & made some changes I got the levels up to 78, and I am still working on it. Yeah iron is better absorbed on an empty stomach, but they do sometimes tell people to take them with food since so many people get nausea from taking vitamins on an empty stomach. But when taking them before bed it's a non-issue since you are going right to sleep. I'm pretty much used to them though & don't get nausea at all.

Another thing mine said to do is to cook on a cast iron skillet. I have a smaller & larger one and use them almost exclusively for cooking.

[Natalia]

Sending good thoughts for you :). Not trying to be discouraging but be mentally prepared in case that dont take you as seriously as you wish. I pushed and pushed changed doctors kept pushing and no one gave a crap about my thinning hair, they found it vain and petty. Hopefully you have more caring providers than that but be ready to stand your ground that this isnt normal for you. I agree and endocrinologist would be best if you can get a refferal hopefully some simple blood tests is all it will take.

[jojo]

Thanks Jojo.

My ferritin is already low, as is my iron. Last time my Ferritin was checked it was 11 I think, considering the normal range is 50-300 I think. My blood iron (hemoglobin) levels are always below 20 as well, and I believe 20 is the cut off on the low end. My iron has been this low for 15 years. I've had my THS/T4/T3 tested an they always said "normal" but never gave me the numbers.

I've read up on Hema Plex but they don't sell it in Canada that I've found. I did some research and this is the best supplement I've found for Iron available here:

http://www.platinumnaturals.com/easyiron.html

I take 2-3 of those a day as well as one of their prenatals:

http://www.platinumnaturals.com/prenatalproducts.html

I love Google Scholar and I found this article the other day:

http://www.drtsoukalas.com/uploads/file/Thyroid%20deficiency.pdf

It outlines all the issues I have and they all fit with thyroid. I'm exhausted all the time (sleep 14 hours each night if I can), I constantly have to fight off depression/low mood, brain fog for years (which is why I think I didn't do all that well in school), cuts that take longer than normal to heal (a paper cut can take 2 weeks to close on my hands which is abnormal and cuts get infected very easily on me), puffy eyes, weight gain/fluid retention (and it's extremely hard for me to lose weight), hair loss, pale complexion, blotchy skin, (chronic yeast issues...down there), low body temp (avg 95/96F which is almost hypothermic), and one other which I didn't know could be related which is high estrogen/hormonal imbalances.

I try to eat healthy but the exhaustion doesn't help. I am also extremely picky because I'm a super taster. The healthy things like vegetables and fish/seafood are almost non-existent in my diet. I try to eat something daily, but I'm bad I know. I don't like cold food so no salads really, and I don't like many cooked vegetables. I will put lettuce on things though like tacos or sandwiches. I don't mind carrots, onions, mushrooms, and tomato sauce, but that's about it really. I used to eat potatoes but I try to avoid them as much as I can now. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower I will eat as well. I know I could get better with my diet, but everything is so bitter or overpowering as a super taster so I try to stick to plain meats and lots of dairy. At least I like pizza and tacos so I sneak in vegetables there frequently.
You sound exactly as i was before diagnosis, get tested and get this sorted for the record vegetables such a cauliflower and broccoli inhibit thyroid production as do soy products. I take seleum which is good for thyroid function and i also eat coconut oil on toast each morning to help it.
Low ferritin levels also cause thinning and slow growth but can also mask thyroid problems.
Good luck, i really feel for you i was in that place not so long back and it sucks but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, keep positive, this is reversible but it will take time, patience is your friend. Feel free to inbox me if you need to talk or just want a shoulder to cry on x x

[jojo]

This is interesting, my naturo never specified if i should take the pills with/without food, but the pharmacist who dispensed the pills told me to take them with food. i try to avoid taking the pill when i eat a meal with calcium in it. I will ask my naturo next time i see her to be sure

You can also swallow it with a glass of milk, same affect!

[raingirl]

The endocrinologist probably wouldn't test for celiac's. When I was going through something similar a few years back, it was a Naturopathic physician who tested me for food allergies. I suspected celiac's, but it ended up being an allergy to yeast & soy for me. Very frustrating, even my regular MD & GI doctor weren't all that helpful.

Also you may be doing this already, so please pardon me if you already know this, but another thing my Naturopathic suggested was to take iron (high quality capsules or liquid, no tablets -tablets may not break down & absorb as well- but with vitamin c, which it looks like you have) on an empty stomach, separately from other vitamins or minerals. Apparently iron is best absorbed this away, and certain vitamins/ minerals (like calcium/D) hinder absorption. My ferritin levels went up much quicker when I started doing this, taking iron/c right before bed with nothing else in my stomach. Prior to figuring this out, when I had the extreme fatigue, I was instructed to take lecithin granules (Now Foods is the brand I took). That helped a little.

Yep, I take my iron pills on an empty stomach, and sometimes with OJ. You can take them with food, but the receptors of calcium are the same as those for iron and the body will accept calcium more readily. Taking on an empty stomach is slightly better because the stomach acid is perfect for iron absorption.


ok so you sound like me.

I am seeing a naturopath as for the same issues (i have completyl given up on the Canadian health care system). Doctors are legally obligated to give you your test results if you ask for them. Some docs get all douchy about it and make you pay a fee, but it is better that you keep track of your own tests results.

Secondly, the normal range for thyroid stuff is 0-5 in north america. However, according to my naturopath, the College of thyroid doctors (or endocrinologists or something) in the states, are currently revising those numbers to be between 0-2. When i had my doc test my thyroid, it was at 4, but still in the normal range so she did nothing despite my many symptoms. When i took those results to my naturo, she told me that i def am hypothyroid. she put me on homeopathic thyroid drops, these are not thyroid hormones, but natural plant extracts(?) that help your thyroid fix itself. I have also been tracking my body temp and it rarely gets to 37, so now my naturo has given me iodine pills, because apparently most people in NA are iodine deficient and if you are, your thyroid won't work properly. since being on the iodine and thyroid drops my body temp has been improving.

My iron has also been super low for years. my doc put me on Palafer for a year. it got up to 50, and she told me to stop taking it. I gave the results to my naturo and she said, optimal iron level is supposed to be 80, you don't get many symptoms until it gets below 40. she said that Palafer and any other pharmaceutical iron supplement never absorb properly because they are full of fillers, so it takes forever for your body to get stores back up, and in the meantime you get awful stomach problems.

So she put me on RBC by Enzamatic, a high potency iron pill with heme iron and the veggie iron too, a week after starting on it, i noticed a huge rise in my energy level, in just one week! and i don't get stomach pains or constipated.

Anyway, i have had thin hair since i was 14, i think my iron got realy low as a teen due to heavy periods, and i think my thyroid has been off since my very first period. My hair before this was beautiful, now, my ponytail is the circumference of a pencil, it has been 15 years of untreated low iron and hypothyroid...no doctors ever helped me. I now have new hair sprouts growing, i hope to recover some of my old thickness, but i am realistic, 15 years of thinning hair due to undiagnosed conditions wrecking havoc on my body...I don't know if my hair will ever be really thick again. But that's ok.

So, if you can afford it, maybe take all your test results to a naturopath, if your doc diagnoses you with thyroid probs, you will spend a lifetime on synthetic hormones...scary!

I wish I could go to a naturopath but they are so friggin expensive. Usuallt $300-$500 for initial assessment and that's way out of my budget sadly. It's the same for me though, it started when I was a teen due to heavy periods (8days of flooding for me usually, even still in my 30s). I suspect iodine might be an issue as well (can't remember if I stated that already). Several family members of mine are allergic to sea food and fish so I never had it ever until a few years ago. It still grosses me out and I rarely eat it. I also only buy non-iodized salt. I don't think anything I eat regularly has iodine really. I also have acid reflux which just makes it worse too because I have to schedule out my iron pills so they don't mix with the acid reflux meds.


:grouphug: I went through a period of hair thinning a few years ago -- it's scary, no matter what the cause (mine was due to stress).

I'd recommend bringing in all the natural supplements/products you're taking to show your doctor -- sometimes they can get a lot of information from actually seeing the products. I looked up EasyIron -- it seems to have a lower amount of elemental iron than the standard supplements (only 18mg, and the dose needed for treating iron-deficiency anemia is around 150-200mg of elemental iron per day). You might consider taking more than 2 or 3 a day, especially if your anemia is not improving. Or anyway, something to chat with your doctor about -- why the anemia isn't getting better, should you be taking more iron. Just my :twocents:

I hope things get better soon! :blossom:

Thanks. That's a good idea to bring them along. So far 3 is the max iron I can take per day as per my family doc, plus my prenatal has about the same amount so it's almost like 4 a day. Anything above that and I get stomach pains. Plus...they are expensive and I can barely afford them as is.


Same here. And like you, it wasn't until I saw a Naturopath that I finally got some answers. I was on those crappy, constipating iron tablets for years & they did nothing. My ferritin levels were at 5-7 for ages, and I was very sick. When I finally figured a few things out & made some changes I got the levels up to 78, and I am still working on it. Yeah iron is better absorbed on an empty stomach, but they do sometimes tell people to take them with food since so many people get nausea from taking vitamins on an empty stomach. But when taking them before bed it's a non-issue since you are going right to sleep. I'm pretty much used to them though & don't get nausea at all.

Another thing mine said to do is to cook on a cast iron skillet. I have a smaller & larger one and use them almost exclusively for cooking.

Yep, I do the cast iron skillet thing too. I use it for almost everything unless it's a sauce or something I need to boil like pasta.


Sending good thoughts for you :). Not trying to be discouraging but be mentally prepared in case that dont take you as seriously as you wish. I pushed and pushed changed doctors kept pushing and no one gave a crap about my thinning hair, they found it vain and petty. Hopefully you have more caring providers than that but be ready to stand your ground that this isnt normal for you. I agree and endocrinologist would be best if you can get a refferal hopefully some simple blood tests is all it will take.

My doctor is very good so I hope she is going to help me out. I've never really brought this up to her and she knows my iron is always low on my yearly physicals because she calls to make sure I'm taking my iron. I like her so much I refuse to get a new doctor near my new house and I'm travelling an hours drive away to see her! :)


You sound exactly as i was before diagnosis, get tested and get this sorted for the record vegetables such a cauliflower and broccoli inhibit thyroid production as do soy products. I take seleum which is good for thyroid function and i also eat coconut oil on toast each morning to help it.
Low ferritin levels also cause thinning and slow growth but can also mask thyroid problems.
Good luck, i really feel for you i was in that place not so long back and it sucks but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, keep positive, this is reversible but it will take time, patience is your friend. Feel free to inbox me if you need to talk or just want a shoulder to cry on x x

I used to take selenium but I found it gave me awful...burps? Like...I could taste this awful taste in my mouth and it would give me gas. It was so odd. Does yours do that too?

Gosh, I'm just counting down the days now. I have my list on paper for her, documents, research. Should be a fun visit!

[renia22]

raingirl- you sound very informed and like you are doing everything you can. Best of luck, hope things get better for you. That stinks insurance doesn't cover Naturopaths where you live. In my state insurance is required to cover NDs (but not the supplements that they may prescribe). Hopefully in time more insurance companies will give people that option.

[raingirl]

raingirl- you sound very informed and like you are doing everything you can. Best of luck, hope it gets better for you.

Thank you. I hope I can just figure this out. I was "getting by" with the iron issues, but then this year with the hair and being here, I don't want to just "get by" anymore, I want a fix!

[renia22]

Thank you. I hope I can just figure this out. I was "getting by" with the iron issues, but then this year with the hair and being here, I don't want to just "get by" anymore, I want a fix!

That is understandable. What a blessing that you have an endocrinologist who is helpful and who you like enough to drive a distance for. The hair thing can be devastating, and it only adds insult to injury when it's poo-pooed and not taken seriously by medical professionals, which sadly is what many people experience. Your doctor sounds like a keeper :)

[raingirl]

I just wanted to update on this. I went to my doctor and she decided to do a more detailed thyroid panel and iron panel (tests circulating and iron binding capacity) first and compare it to previous blood tests. She said she would call if she was concerned, and she called, so I'm seeing her for a follow up tonight! Wish me luck! Hopefully I can get some answers.

When I was there two weeks ago she also recommended a new iron supplement called Feramax. It's new and somewhat revolutionary. It is not absorbed via receptors in the stomach and intestine. Instead it bypasses the intestine and goes right into the blood stream where it binds there. I haven't got it yet as I'm waiting to see her tonight. But hopefully I can get my ferritin levels up if I use that!

[Ligeia_13]

Good luck!

[raingirl]

Thanks!

Well, turns out my iron stores, binding iron, and hemoglobin were all way lower than they were the last time it was tested and for the first time my doctor was actually concerned and I feel like I'm getting somewhere now! After seeing the full blood panel, she strongly suspects that low iron is the cause for my hair thinning.

She told me to take the FeraMax, twice a day if I can tolerate it but at least once a day. I have to do it for three months, then I have a blood test requisition to get tested again. If it doesn't go up, we may have to consider iron injections (but we want to avoid those at all costs as they are very painful and can cause scarring/dimpling that is permanent under the skin near where you get the shot).

Also, the lab noticed a potential problem with my red blood cells. They were slightly irregular compared to what is considered normal. This could be a sigh of the genetic disorder Thalassemia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassemia), but I think I've already been tested for that with fertility testing and it was negative. Either way, she put down to have that tested in three months just in case.