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View Full Version : Birth control + hair = ???



a.steeez
January 11th, 2016, 10:49 PM
Frogive me if there is a post like this, but i suffer from hormonal acne, while i was on birth control i had such clear skin my hair seemed ok too at that time i dyed every month so for what i was doing to it held up ok i only used demis. But im just asking those of you who are on birth control did you notice any changes in your hair? Good bad? I tried reading up on it and only found a little and i learned it can go either way. If you suffer from hormonal levels like me low androgen bc is the way to go. It levels you out. I also read that these androgens ( male hormones) can affect on hair mostly hair loss i loose a lot of hair!! Its sickly how much i loose. This is what leads me to believe that bc might help me benefit and a lot more ways. This may even help all you ladies who are loosing a lot of hair it could be from your internal body, the way it processes is off. Im blessed with screwed hormones! Lol so id just like to hear your experience from, people i did to research but didnt come up with much... help a sista out! ;) lol

CRX<3
January 12th, 2016, 01:22 AM
I used to take no-estrogen bc, the first time a few years ago I noticed nothing, but some months ago I tried it again because of my menstrual cramps and I lost a lot of hair in just a month! :( so I quit and the shed stopped. But maybe it's different with estrogen bc. I hope it will work for you!

jera
January 12th, 2016, 01:32 AM
BC caused hair loss in a friend of mine so I never would take it. Just be warned it can cause, not cure, hair loss in some people.

bunneh.
January 12th, 2016, 02:50 AM
I take bc and it says it can improve hair and skin conditions, but one of side effects is hair loss so... Yeah, it depends on how unlucky you are. I'd never really take pills or medicine for my hair only, I try to avoid them as much as possible and there are many other ways you can try to enhance the health of your hair and if you're going through a hair loss or notice bald spots you should go to the doctor.

So far for me I haven't noticed any more shedding or improvement in my hair from bc, and I've been taking them for a month.

lapushka
January 12th, 2016, 04:13 AM
I take BC and experience no elevated shedding in my hair - it's all the same (as far as hair goes) in fact as off BC.

Lauraes
January 12th, 2016, 04:51 AM
I've taken BC pills for about a year now and my hair hasn't lost any thickness.

chen bao jun
January 12th, 2016, 08:34 AM
It can affect some people with hairloss so if you go on it, or change the kind you are on, you need to look out for this. I have never heard of anyone continuing to have issues once they go off it though so I don't think you need to worry about this particular thing excessively.

The pill (or the injections) that mess with your hormones can have a whole lot of other side effect though and you should do a lot of research than most people do before they let their doctor just prescribe it. My sister, for instance, had a (fortunately not very serious) stroke while on the pill --and this is also not all that uncommon. It's always been astonishing to me that a generation that is so health conscious, worries about eating chemical foods and things like gluten, so many vegans and people concerned about the environment are so docile and accepting and do not ask questions about the effects of being fed, or having injected into them something THIS major. And you can actually still get pregnant. the statistics give you pregnancy rates which are very very low, almost nonexistent for 'women who take the pill as prescribed' but its instructive to look at the actual pregnancy (the real life ones). Also, it is never discussed, how easy (or not) it will be to become pregnant eventually when you WANT to after years and years of artificial birth control, especially the ones used nowadays that are so strong that they actually regulate your menstruation so that you can control when you have periods (that's not natural and it can't possibly be good for your body in any way).

Robi-Bird
January 12th, 2016, 10:02 AM
I was prescribed BC for PCOS to regulate my hormone levels. I don't know if they ever regulated but after trying seemingly every variety under the Sun with the same problematic side effects, I got off them and I've never taken them again. I don't remember losing any hair but I was more worried about the upswing in my PCOS symptoms. I certainly don't think it should get prescribed for anything save pregnancy prevention.

Mom had aphasia on BC so I've always understood it could be dangerous.

SteelRose
January 12th, 2016, 11:22 AM
Possible TMI warning:
I don't take BC anymore, but I had different reactions to different methods. I never noticed any hair side effects with the pill. I had the Depo shot (because I didn't trust the pill by then) after my third child. I truly believe it was part of what screwed my system up royally. The injection is only supposed to be effective for 3 months, but I didn't have my regular cycle again for almost 6 months and my hair shed so badly I thought I was going bald for almost a year AFTER the injection. I only ever had one injection of it. My hair has finally gone back to a normal shed level and I have a ton of new baby hairs, but it was awful for months.

Anje
January 12th, 2016, 11:37 AM
I never had hair-related side effects, either on hormonal birth control (I used the patch and ring, as I can't have the fillers that were in any of the pills on the market at the time), nor when I went off. I've heard a number of friends complain about terrible shedding when they've gone off the hormones or switched to a different one, though. It makes sense -- the pills prevent ovulation by giving you progesterone, which effectively mimics pregnancy for your body. Going off them after having been on them for a while can therefore trigger something analogous to a post-partum shed.

missrandie
January 12th, 2016, 12:04 PM
I never had hair problems for the short time I was on the pill, but to this day, nearly 5 years later, I still suffer from chronic dryness. All my mucus membranes dried up when I was on the pill, causing severe dry eye issues, as well as making sex unpleasant due to dryness issues. I have never truly recovered.

In addition, my waist has bever recovered either. I gained 4 inches on my waist and have never gotten back to my original waist size.

Hurven
January 12th, 2016, 03:17 PM
I've been on Nexplanol for about six years and haven't noticed any hair related side effects. Before that, I was on the pill for about two years, and never noticed any hair loss either.

a.steeez
January 12th, 2016, 07:28 PM
I never had hair problems for the short time I was on the pill, but to this day, nearly 5 years later, I still suffer from chronic dryness. All my mucus membranes dried up when I was on the pill, causing severe dry eye issues, as well as making sex unpleasant due to dryness issues. I have never truly recovered.

In addition, my waist has bever recovered either. I gained 4 inches on my waist and have never gotten back to my original waist size.

Same for me! I was on microgestin which was a progesterone pill or a high estrogen pill i think? Its been a year since i stopped taking it and it dried me up and turned me into a psycho, the moods where only when i was taking it though. I switched to ortho tricycle which was great i had no complaints!

a.steeez
January 12th, 2016, 07:32 PM
Thanks guys! Great responses i have a lot to think about it seems like it can go either way i think ill take a chance and see what happens! Ill let you know how i feel about it. And the reason i want to be on bc is because of 2 reasons 1 is i cant have kids right now i am married but im going through school. And 2 the acne it seems the only thing to help. I just didnt want it to affect my hair! Ill ask my doctor about how it affects your body synthetic hormones dont sound like a good thing but its worth a shot i guess ill check back in a month or so but if you have any thoughts keep them coming i like hearing them. Thanks for the great responses!

Baby
January 13th, 2016, 03:18 AM
The only thing I notoced when I went off BC was that I got more acne and my sense of smell came back. I read that one can get neutrition deficiencies on BC, especially the B6 vitamine and folate but others aswell. Vitamines and minerals are the building stones of our hormones and are involved with synthesizing them or something, I am not an expert :)

lapushka
January 13th, 2016, 06:40 AM
Thanks guys! Great responses i have a lot to think about it seems like it can go either way i think ill take a chance and see what happens! Ill let you know how i feel about it. And the reason i want to be on bc is because of 2 reasons 1 is i cant have kids right now i am married but im going through school. And 2 the acne it seems the only thing to help. I just didnt want it to affect my hair! Ill ask my doctor about how it affects your body synthetic hormones dont sound like a good thing but its worth a shot i guess ill check back in a month or so but if you have any thoughts keep them coming i like hearing them. Thanks for the great responses!

If you notice weight gain on one particular type of pill, then ask your doctor to prescribe you a pill with a different progesterone. I once had one type of pill, told my doctor I gained weight within one to two weeks, and he switched me over to one with a different progesterone. The one I have currently, I don't notice even at all. Problem solved.

khryz
January 13th, 2016, 06:24 PM
I'm on Yaz and I don't think I experienced any hair loss/gain since taking it. I'm taking it mainly to regulate my period which seemed to have gone bonkers since I had my twins.. and I think I'm done with having kids too. And yes when it comes to BC, it's also a YMMV thing. I had extreme mood swings while on Yasmin, but was more mellow with Yaz. *shrug*

a.steeez
January 27th, 2016, 01:56 AM
Update:
So ive almost finished the pack of the first month and omg lasf time i was on bc it was not this bad! Im breaking out really really bad like the volcano zits! In my chin area so i know its from the change of hormones, i always get chin zits when im about to start my period. And im so hormonal, sooo emotional! Like i feel my emotions a lot more im very sensitive i cry almost every show i watch and get mad easily, like the things that make me mad now would be the same before but i just feel it more you know? I take it far i guess. Im waiting until the 3 month mark to see how this goes my physician said this is normal due to the change in hormones and it should level out by then. Who knows lol i hopes so!! Ill check in again in 2 months!

lapushka
January 27th, 2016, 02:28 PM
Update:
So ive almost finished the pack of the first month and omg lasf time i was on bc it was not this bad! Im breaking out really really bad like the volcano zits! In my chin area so i know its from the change of hormones, i always get chin zits when im about to start my period. And im so hormonal, sooo emotional! Like i feel my emotions a lot more im very sensitive i cry almost every show i watch and get mad easily, like the things that make me mad now would be the same before but i just feel it more you know? I take it far i guess. Im waiting until the 3 month mark to see how this goes my physician said this is normal due to the change in hormones and it should level out by then. Who knows lol i hopes so!! Ill check in again in 2 months!

Were you on the same BC pill as last time? It might be that this one doesn't agree with you. I gained weight almost immediately on one BC pill, and in two weeks got another prescription from my doctor. This wasn't supposed to happen and so the other BC pill (that I am still on) didn't do that to me.

I wouldn't wait 3 months, personally.

a.steeez
February 10th, 2016, 06:51 PM
Were you on the same BC pill as last time? It might be that this one doesn't agree with you. I gained weight almost immediately on one BC pill, and in two weeks got another prescription from my doctor. This wasn't supposed to happen and so the other BC pill (that I am still on) didn't do that to me.

I wouldn't wait 3 months, personally.

Yeah im on ortho right now and thats what i switched to last year after microgestin. It was really good for me at that time i hated the microgestin actually how i reacted tothe microgestin is how i am right now its weird! Do you think my body switched what it likes?

YvetteVarie
February 12th, 2016, 11:52 PM
I have used BC on/off for 6 years and I have never had extreme hair loss even when I stop taking it. I do however, experience the fun side effects of nausea and weight gain.

Upside Down
February 13th, 2016, 12:48 AM
My hair grew wavy on Yasmin (in usa called Yazz I think) and it is curly. I think it changed the thickness that messed with curls :(

Spinder
February 13th, 2016, 07:14 AM
It didn't help my acne in the slightest, in fact it only made it worse... and it made a lot of my hair fall out. Synthetic hormones just don't agree with me I guess.

-Fern
February 13th, 2016, 08:23 AM
I started losing hair from my crown when I went off birth control (which, I suppose, makes sense because it's analogous to a postpartum shed). I am back on it now and haven't really noticed my hair filling back in yet, which concerns me a little, but I guess I just have to be patient... :flower:

Colochita
February 13th, 2016, 11:41 AM
I've been on it for... 5 years now? It may or may not have helped my acne. I had pretty good skin (with random breakouts) going into it.
I haven't experienced any ill effects in terms of hair, though. Hopefully if I ever come off it my hair doesn't rebel.

I did experience weight gain initially, but it was also my first few years in college. I implemented a better diet and exercise and almost got back down to pre-college weight (+5 pounds or so).

gossamer
February 13th, 2016, 03:10 PM
I've never had hair related side effects. I was on the Nuvaring, which gives a low dose of a progestin and estrogen, for 6 years. After that I switched to Mirena which is very low does of progestin only.

Larki
February 13th, 2016, 04:15 PM
I'm on my fourth year and my skin has improved, hair never changed. Depends on the person and on the type of pill: if one type causes problems, that's what your doctor is there for. You can switch to a different kind.

Willow1321
February 21st, 2016, 11:02 PM
Interesting topic, I've never heard of hair loss being an issue with bc. Like everyone has said, it really depends on the person. I was on the pill for years and that's when my hair was at its longest. Since then I've tried the patch, nuvaring, had a 3 year stretch with nothing, and am now using depo and I have still never noticed any extreme hair loss.

Alex Lou
February 21st, 2016, 11:29 PM
I wonder if the hair loss side effect from hormonal BC would be caused by the hormonal fluctuation. The pill imitates pregnancy, so theoretically if you took it continuously with no off days and no periods, maybe it would keep your hair in the growth phase, giving thicker hair and growth that seems fast as in pregnancy.

lithostoic
February 22nd, 2016, 12:07 AM
I've been on Depo provera for 3 years and haven't noticed a difference.

a.steeez
March 22nd, 2016, 12:45 AM
Soo i havent noticed any hair loss! If anything ive noticed less! Its a little hard to judge because i started using pureology which agrees with my hair very nicely. My hair has been growing a lot more ive noticed i wonder if alex lou is right? How it imiates pregnancy so your hair is in a permanent growth phase? That would be awesome!

Wusel
March 22nd, 2016, 05:22 AM
As for me, every single tiniest amount of artificial hormones I put into my body causes hair loss. I NEVER ever do this again. But every body is different. Might work for others. For me - definitely not. Made me frigid, lazy, gain weight, crave sugar... Big NO for me.

Persiangirl01
March 22nd, 2016, 05:32 AM
I shed hair like crazy on the pill! Will never go back. I was using a high androgen pill though. I've been off it for just a few months and I have already noticed a ton of benefits! I have an insane amount of new hair growth, my eyelashes have returned, Those manly chin hairs i was getting have diminished and I don't have a foggy brain anymore, to name a few.

Wusel
March 22nd, 2016, 07:17 AM
I shed hair like crazy on the pill! Will never go back. I was using a high androgen pill though. I've been off it for just a few months and I have already noticed a ton of benefits! I have an insane amount of new hair growth, my eyelashes have returned, Those manly chin hairs i was getting have diminished and I don't have a foggy brain anymore, to name a few.

SAME HERE!!! Forgot to mention the foggy brain and facial hairs... instead of scalp hairs...

teal
March 22nd, 2016, 01:45 PM
This is an interesting thread... I just went off the Nuvaring about a month ago and had a copper IUD (no hormones) put in. I can definitely feel the hormone roller coaster going on, and I hope that settles down soon.

I've already had stress-related sheds decimate my circumference in the past couple of years. I really, really hope I'm not in for another shed, but I guess I won't know for another couple months how that turns out.

hobbitlocks
March 22nd, 2016, 02:33 PM
I've been on several pills throughout the years, and I've never had any bad (or good!) hair side effects. Seasonal (sp?) made me feel really nauseous all the time, but now I'm on a low dose generic and that fixed that problem. No change at all in my hair at all in either case though.

princesssaffron
April 7th, 2016, 04:31 AM
ive been on the pill for 3 years now and havent noticed any difference in my hair whatsoever!! tbh nothing really changed, my skin didnt clear up (not that it was particularly bad), my boobs didnt grow and my weight didnt change! but as with everything, it depends on the individual :)

a.steeez
June 25th, 2016, 07:16 PM
Agreed! Birth control does not agree with my body at all! My acne cleared up when i stopped washing my face. Ironic lol. As for hair i havent noticed if it has sprouted, if anything its grown more now that ive stopped messing with it and have been off the pill, and nuvaring.. oh i hated the nuvaring!!

vampyyri
June 25th, 2016, 07:42 PM
Being on the pill got rid of my acne, relieved my PMDD, and I haven't bought sanitary products since I started. I shed a normal amount of hair, nothing changed in that department.

Kendrix
June 25th, 2016, 07:43 PM
I use Apri bc pills and my hair seems normal. I get a lot of shedding, but I always did. Between that and Peter Thomas Roth 10% glycolic acid, my face has never been clearer in my life.

Simsy
June 26th, 2016, 05:02 AM
Interestingly enough, my bc pills do something, doctor doesn't know what or how, to correct a bleeding issue that was entirely unrelated to the bc or reproductive system. Other than that unexpected benefit, I don't have any problems. But as with most medications, your mileage may vary and a different variety may work better.

irishsapphire
June 26th, 2016, 09:06 PM
Depo was not good for me (40lbs weight gain, massive shedding, all the symptoms of adrenal gland dysfuntion) Generic Yaz now and I haven't noticed any issues with my hair, its actually thickening a teeny tiny bit. Depo was the first that ever caused serious side effects, the one I'm on now meets all my requirements (no migraines, steady emotions, no migraines, no major weight jumps, no migraines) and no side effects I've noticed. Oh! Ortho-tri-whatever was horrid, I could predict how grumpy I'd be the next few days. But that didn't affect my hair or skin if I remember right. None of the ones I've been on has affected my skin, which is frustrating.

It's definitely a YMMV thing, but one that might require trying 5 or so kinds before you find one that your body likes. Depending, of course, on how it affects you...

polarnatt
June 26th, 2016, 11:50 PM
BC (Yaz) hasn't effected my hair in any way, at least not in a negative way. Might even have thickened up a bit, but who knows, I haven't paid much attention to it since I've been on this pill for 5 years - lots of changes have probably happened just due to aging and life changes in general. :)

Getting off the pill would probably effect my hair negatively, I mean it is as if not being pregnant anymore. When you're on the pill the hormones are stronger and released more steadily so you don't get the monthly appearing side effects of cycling estrogen produce. I had terrible hormonal acne before, it would probably come back if I quit Yaz, but again, who knows, after all I was a teenager when I started. Women often compare themselves after coming off the pill to the person they were before the pill, even though they've been on it for years - naturally your body would've changed in that time with or without the pill. :)

irishsapphire
June 27th, 2016, 07:10 PM
Women often compare themselves after coming off the pill to the person they were before the pill, even though they've been on it for years - naturally your body would've changed in that time with or without the pill. :)

Very good point! Hard to look back on how our bodies were 5+ years ago and say that is how it should be, when so many changes would have occurred had we not stepped in and played with the natural cycles...

hayheadsbird
June 27th, 2016, 11:58 PM
I'm currently on the mini pill after a miscarriage and haven't noticed any side effects with hair or skin. I shead very little though, to the point that I had about 10 hairs in my brush yesterday and that was a lot! The weight gain is a pain though. Only a couple more weeks till I can stop and hopefully things will go back to normal. It's def a YMMV thing. After being on BC for years I lost a lot of weight very steadily when I came off, and I def feel happier without. Being pregnant or breast feeding for the last 5 years though means I don't really know atm how my body behaves now with out the extra hormones flying round.

teal
July 2nd, 2016, 10:43 AM
This is an interesting thread... I just went off the Nuvaring about a month ago and had a copper IUD (no hormones) put in. I can definitely feel the hormone roller coaster going on, and I hope that settles down soon.

I've already had stress-related sheds decimate my circumference in the past couple of years. I really, really hope I'm not in for another shed, but I guess I won't know for another couple months how that turns out.

I'm back to update the thread - if anyone hasn't seen my updates from some of the other threads, I did end up having a shed, and it was (is...) bad. I've lost a fair bit of circumference, unfortunately. However, I feel like I got my mind back, so I think it's worth it even if I do have to deal with thin hair. I do hope at least some of the previous circumference comes back, but it's too early to tell if that'll happen.

I wonder if the shed was as bad as it was due to the rebalancing of natural hormones after almost 20 steady years of hormonal BC (various) with the only breaks due to pregnancies and subsequent establishment of breastfeeding.

PoysinIvy
July 2nd, 2016, 01:37 PM
I was on depo and after going off it, my hair grew like crazy (and so did the acne - ugh) and I went from 1c to 2b-c curls.

irishsapphire
July 6th, 2016, 10:50 PM
I was on depo and after going off it, my hair grew like crazy (and so did the acne - ugh) and I went from 1c to 2b-c curls.

Huh! I noticed my hair has been curling more the last year (since going off Depo), but I put that down to lighter conditioners and not using serums or heavy detangling agents.... I wonder now if it's hormonal instead.... I know the Depo stopped my nail bitting, maybe going off has started my hair curling more too.... The things you learn on this forum! :D