Thinner hair with birth control pills?

[SammieEve]

Not sure if this is the right place for this but I was wondering if anyone else has noticed having thinner hair after using birth control pills for a while. Now I don't mean thinner hair through increased shedding. I mean strand per strand is your hair thinner?

I bumped up my yearly flat iron and trim 4 months because the pixie knots were annoying me and now that my hair is down I've been looking at it more. And I mean really staring at it. And as I'm triming off all the pixie knots the dusting from the hair dresser missed (the ones further up than I'm willing to have the length reduced to) I've bumped into several strange looking hairs. They are very thin from root to maybe the last half inch. Then the last half inch is about double the size. Which corresponds to when I started taking BCPs about 3 and 1/2 years ago.

I never really noticed it because I've been really babying my hair with protective updos, CO washes, and very little handling. But now that I am looking at my hair most of the hairs are nearly transparently thin. If I pull at the shed hairs in my brush they snap easily. When I used to pull at my shed hairs they would slide through my fingers before they broke.

So do you think it's the BCPs? Extreme lack of protein? (i usually only do protein treatments every 2-3 months). (But lack of protein wouldn't make the hair look thinner would it?) Something else?

[enfys]

Oh no! That's not good news. Next week is my 2-year anniversary on the pill and I can't say I've noticed this, but I'll keep an eye out.

[Forever_Sophie]

I've been on Alesse 21 for 10 yrs now - haven't noticed this.

[SammieEve]

I was on some generic low dose pills for about 3 months. Loestrin Fe for about a year and a half. And now Yasmin for a little over a year now.

I've been racking my brain to find out what I've been doing differently. I stopped washing with sulfate shampoo and cone conditioner everyday, styling with hair spray and mousse and wearing my hair down all day. Everything about my routine is better now. I haven't noticed any increased shedding since I started the pill but my individual strands are much thinner and easily broken now.

The pills are the only big physical change I've had in the past couple of years. I haven't had any medical issues either (except gaining 20 lbs on the pill).

[Forever_Sophie]

I guess people's bodies just respond differently - I honestly think the pill is what's keeping me uber-thin!

Have you noticed other differences between the generic brand and the others? My pharmacist tried switching me but I wasn't sure...

[invisiblebabe]

Been on the pill since I was 20, for acne and hormonal issues... never noticed any hair thinning (or any weight gain, for that matter). The only hair issues I've had were from highlighting and coloring too much ;)

[GoddesJourney]

Have you thought about stress factors? I know that my hair was thinner/in worse condition during the long periods of stress I've had. I can even find hairs that alternate between gray and brown and I'm only 25. I can name all the grey spots after my ex-boyfriends because they truly fit the timeline.

[Flynn]

Nope, though my body hair thinned out and lightened up. Edit: then again, I don't think my hair could get all that much finer...

[SammieEve]

Have you thought about stress factors? I know that my hair was thinner/in worse condition during the long periods of stress I've had. I can even find hairs that alternate between gray and brown and I'm only 25. I can name all the grey spots after my ex-boyfriends because they truly fit the timeline.

I don't really think it is stress. My life has been going pretty good lately. I was a bit stressed out last year when my DBF and I were buying our first house... And I guess I've been stressed about the 20lbs I've been trying to lose... And my car that keeps having something wrong with it... And my online classes that I never seem to study enough for... Hmm I guess I have been stressed. :(

[Almandine]

I take Loestrin and have been doing so for just over a year. I haven't noticed any change to my hair so far.

[Upside Down]

Definetly thinner.

I have been on Yasmin for about 3 years and now have exactly only Yasmin hair on my head.
Let me show you, the change in texture is HUUUGE.

This is what i had :( ahhh... My regular curl day :)
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9423/21910913.th.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=21910913.jpg)

This is Yasmin growth, and before henna, just to show that henna is not to blame for the texture change.
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5121/102108131611.th.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/my.php?image=102108131611.jpg)

And this is after a few months of henna. Stil wavy...
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8704/032509155540.th.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/my.php?image=032509155540.jpg)

I hope my curls come back in a few years, I stopped using the pill... :(

Another bad thing, before when I had curls my hair was looking great for days and days, now it just streightens out and looks flat.
And this is not due to the change in my routine, the cecond picture is before I started taking care of my hair...

So, I feel your pain...

[Boudicca]

I don't know how the pill could affect the thinness of individual strands, but it could definitely affect growth rate, I would imagine. Are you talking about the combined or the mini pill?

[Forever_Sophie]

Definetly thinner.

I have been on Yasmin for about 3 years and now have exactly only Yasmin hair on my head.
Let me show you, the change in texture is HUUUGE.

This is what i had :( ahhh... My regular curl day :)
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9423/21910913.th.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=21910913.jpg)

This is Yasmin growth, and before henna, just to show that henna is not to blame for the texture change.
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5121/102108131611.th.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/my.php?image=102108131611.jpg)

And this is after a few months of henna. Stil wavy...
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8704/032509155540.th.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/my.php?image=032509155540.jpg)

I hope my curls come back in a few years, I stopped using the pill... :(

Another bad thing, before when I had curls my hair was looking great for days and days, now it just streightens out and looks flat.
And this is not due to the change in my routine, the cecond picture is before I started taking care of my hair...

So, I feel your pain...

Wow, that's drastic! I hadn't heard of this happening but now that I think about it, I'm not surprised...hormones...

Have you experienced anything neg. by going off the pill? I am thinking about it but hear horror stories about hair falling out, like, in clumps. False, in your case? (I hope so!!)

[redneckprincess]

I dont know as I dont need B/C pills but when I did use them 10 years ago I never really noticed any thinning with my hair, I can remember thinking my hair was SO thick back then. ♥

[Upside Down]

=
Wow, that's drastic! I hadn't heard of this happening but now that I think about it, I'm not surprised...hormones...

Have you experienced anything neg. by going off the pill? I am thinking about it but hear horror stories about hair falling out, like, in clumps. False, in your case? (I hope so!!)

Sophie, I have only experienced GOOD stuff since going off the pill.
More energy, better mood (happines! :cheese: ), appetite loss (back to normal, no more cravings for everything), my libido is back (big time), and I am less bloaty (is that the word? Having excess fluid reteined in your body..).


Hair is NOT falling out, thank god. :)

[Fractalsofhair]

Since going on the pill, my hair seems curlier. Other than that, no changes. I'm on a very low dose one, so it's probably not the same as a higher dose. I think it's called microgestin, not sure though.

[Buddaphlyy]

This thread is interesting because me and my boss were just talking about this earlier today. She has a cosmetology license and said that BC can cause thinning because we don't know exactly how the hormones are effecting us (even if you have a prescription BC pill).

I just started on BC two weeks ago and I haven't noticed any changes in my head hair (but I probably wouldn't anyway since it's in braids), but I have noticed that my body hair has changed and I've gained some weight. My gyno put me on BC to help regulate my menstrual, but if I end up having more problems (and not just those related to thinning hair), I'll stop and do what I was doing before.

[RockerChick]

I took the pill for about two weeks and my hair stared looking lank and I couldn't do anything with it, it wasn't falling out but lost all is body, when I came of them it went back to normal. It does of course mes around with your hormones which will ahve a direct result on your hair.

[jera]

Wow, that's drastic! I hadn't heard of this happening but now that I think about it, I'm not surprised...hormones...

Have you experienced anything neg. by going off the pill? I am thinking about it but hear horror stories about hair falling out, like, in clumps. False, in your case? (I hope so!!)

I have heard of drastic losses from yasmin. :( Perhaps you should consider switching to another BCP. Not to be an alarmist, and I don't know your priorities, but some women have had major hair loss with BCP, especially yasmin. That's one of the reasons I'd never take them. Everybody is different of course.

[vamq]

I don't notice anything about the thickness of my hair changing, and I've been using B/C pills for 1.5 years now.
No extra hair loss here:)

It did have some effect on my hair tough; my hair is not as greasy as it used to be (I can go for 3, sometimes even 4 days before washing instead of every other day) and my hair became more wavy -and more frizzy.

[C_Bookworm]

I've been on Yaz a year and a half. No thinning, but i think its growing faster!

[Tracionera]

I started taking Alesse almost a year ago and noticed that my hair felt thinner and less healthy. I was, however under a lot of stress working two jobs and planning my wedding. Since then, the pharmacist suggested the off-brand Aviane, which I started taking around October. The change initially caused a lot of problems with my cycle :mad:, but I didn't notice a difference in my hair since then.

I think in general, now that I'm under less stress, I haven't noticed much change in my hair other than what would be usual from moving from a very dry central province to coastal province. I have noticed a change, however, in how my body gains weight; I seem to be putting weight on gradually, but it's all going to my once thin waist (that never gained a pound before) instead of to my butt and hips. This change in my body shape makes me want to stop taking the pill!

[Susana]

Hey!!
I've been through this. It could definetly be the pill. I was on the pill for about two years and my hair got really really thinned. People were even pointing it out and I had no idea what it was. I went off the bcp (I don't think I put the two and two together at that point, I went off accidently). Then I started going on the internet and reading more about it and many women have gone through the same thing. I think and have been told (*knock on wood*) that my hair is thicker now and I have not gone back since. It's been a year.

Maybe you should consider switching pills or going off of it. I am using condoms right now as bc, eventually I want to get a Ladycomp, when I can afford it. It seems great and women say it works with no side effects.

Best of luck :)

[Susana]

Oh, I also had really pretty and soft, big waves, but no more.

[Tracionera]

...Maybe you should consider switching pills or going off of it. I am using condoms right now as bc, eventually I want to get a Ladycomp, when I can afford it. It seems great and women say it works with no side effects.

I hadn't head about the Ladycomp (http://ladycomp.ca/show.php/index) before this, but I did a little bit of checking and I'm not sure about it.

Here's a quote from this website (http://www.canfp.org/artman/publish/article_138.shtml):


The Lady Comp is little more than a thermometer. When a woman ovulates, her temperature rises with her rising progesterone levels. The Lady Comp, or Baby Comp, is a fancy (expensive) thermometer produced in Germany which records these daily temperature readings. It stores the readings, and “charts” them for the couple. The computer than displays a light that indicates fertile (red), infertile (green) or what they call a transition or learning phase (yellow) which are days that “might” be fertile. One can accomplish as much with a thermometer at much less cost.

I'll have to look into it a bit more... I know it would be a much better method than birth control pills for my health, but for how expensive the Ladycomp is, would teaching myself how to do fertility awareness meathod be the best alternative?

[goodluckcharm]

I was on seasonale for years and while it gave me severe depression, low energy, low libido, I didn't notice any hair changes.

I just started on yaz this week. Too soon to notice changes, but I did notice hair loss listed as a possible side effect.

[Sarah4983]

OHHH I thought I was going crazy-

I've been on Yaz for 3 years and have noticed a DRAMATIC change in the amount of hairloss.

I used to have incredibly thick hair, so thick I didn't know what to do with it somedays.... but once I started taking Yaz my hair started falling out all over the place; I'd notice strands everywhere. I even went to the doctor and had bloodwork done, but it all came back normal.... and there were no more changes I had made to my diet/meds.

I still lose a lot of hair and it's much thinner than it used to be. So I guess like a couple people mentioned, everyone reacts differently to medications, but yes, my bcp definitely makes my hair much thinner.

[Sarah4983]

I just started on yaz this week. Too soon to notice changes, but I did notice hair loss listed as a possible side effect.


Oh my. I never read that... after 3 years of being on it I can't believe I never read that. It definitely happened to me....:(

[InTheCity]

I wouldn't put it passed ole' Mister Birth Control to wreak havoc on hair. He ruins everything else too.

I blame him for everything - frequent nagging (not pounding) headaches, dryness in the eyes, skin, constantly needing to hydrate in order for certain body parts to properly function...

Yasmin for 6 years this month - without stopping once. Though it was recently replaced by generic Ocella - nothing changed except the price.

[InTheCity]

I was on seasonale for years and while it gave me severe depression, low energy, low libido, I didn't notice any hair changes.



My point exactly... it can mess with everything.

[ReneeIstKrieg]

(deleted post)

[Sarah4983]

i've been on solia for 8 months and i've definitely noticed thinner individual hairs, especially on the sides of my forehead. its like my normal hairs have changed into baby hairs. :(


Me too! So about 4 months ago i couldn't stand it anymore and after doing a lot of online research I decided to try nutri-ox and it WORKED!!!! It took about a month or two to see a difference, but I can now part my hair way over to the side and instead of a big white patch of scalp there is actually a line part again :D

However, I'm still losing a lot of hair due to the bcp...

But no more thin spots on the sides of my forehead

[Lozzie]

Just thought i'd throw my pennies-worth here, was taking Yasmin for around 2 years, (mainly for acne) which it did clear although i still get breakouts around my jawline which is really disheartening. Have to say i really did find my hair losing it's lustre over time and it has thinned out a bit which i don't need as im a fine hair anyway..

Have stopped taking it now, only the 1st month off it so i will report any differences... some people dont find any difference but fake hormones can take their toll on some women i guess... we'll see.

It's nice being female but boy does it make things tricky sometimes!! LOL

[Xepher]

I've started suspecting that Alesse, which I've been taking for about a year, is why my hair is suddenly growing in thin, dry and brittle. Its HORRID. I had to stop because my prescription ran out and I didn't have a new Medicare card to go see the doctor yet, and I think I may just stay off it for another 2/3/4 months (however long I can stand to) and see if it makes any difference... I kind of need it, not because I am active, but because my period is the beast from hell and makes me so sick some times that I go into a fit of gagging and dry heaving :( Also makes me so drowsy that I can't function at work and often need to go home early. Its become quite the dillema.

Lozzie: Its been a few months since your post saying you were going to stop to see if it made a difference, do you have any results to report?

[hennaphile]

The years I was on bcp my hair thinned... and never grew back.

And because I didn't learn the first time, I went back on bcp briefly, and lost tumble weeds of hair.

My hair used to look EXACTLY like princess leia. Now it's no thicker than a pencil for 2/3 of the length :( I have a hard time believing that bcp didn't have at least something to do with this.

[RedheadMistress]

- I've noticed something similar with the pills I am taking and my hair seems more brittle, but who knows, I keep thinking the pills can't affect the lengths, maybe I'm just doing different things without knowing . . :confused:

[Xepher]

Hennaphile: I know your story, and I wish your luck would turn :( My hair was never thick but it was a lot softer and healthier-feeling than the dry, crispy, lifeless baby-hair-thin hairs I'm getting now. I'm hoping that because I haven't been taking it for a long time that maybe my hair will recover, especially now that I take supplements and eat healthier. Here's hoping.

RedheadMistress: I'm inclined to believe it can due to my own experiences... I've been taking the best care of my hair for a long time, and my length has hardly improved. I wasn't only negligent with my hair, I was downright ABUSIVE with it, and yet it still grew in nicer back then and looked better when straightened... it had life to it, now on the rare occasion I straighten my hair, the hairs are stiff and dry and dull and have no weight or flow to them even though I've got mid-back length locks.

[InTheCity]

Definitely thinner.

I have been on Yasmin for about 3 years and now have exactly only Yasmin hair on my head.


Holy Wow! I've been using Yasmin for 6.5 years without a break and for about the same amount of time, I've noticed my curly hair is now wavy. I'm really curious now, wow. I also feel like my hair is thinner for sure (less hairs on my head) and slightly finer (each strand.)

Wow, I'm a little baffled. I wonder....

[halo_tightens]

Interesting and scary!! Tomorrow's my appointment with the gyno, at which time I'm most likely going to be getting hooked up with the Pill for the first time. I simply HAVE to do something about my crazy hormones, seriously! Supposedly it's PCOS, with all the glorious symptoms that it can bring (except the cysts themselves).

So I HAVE to do something about this before I go nuts, but I don't want to lose any hair over it! (Head hair, that is! ;))

I guess I'll find out, one way or the other. If I do notice any changes in my hair after starting bc, for better OR worse, I'll be sure and report back here.

[Babyfine]

The years I was on bcp my hair thinned... and never grew back.

And because I didn't learn the first time, I went back on bcp briefly, and lost tumble weeds of hair.

My hair used to look EXACTLY like princess leia. Now it's no thicker than a pencil for 2/3 of the length :( I have a hard time believing that bcp didn't have at least something to do with this.

This is what I blame for my hair thinning out, and never growing back, as well.
I was on BCP with a few short breaks from ages 18-30(Twelve years). I quit at 30 due to my blood pressure getting slightly high and went to barrier method types.
That was 23 years ago. I had lots of lost hair all over but never put 2 +2 together back then-thought it was my diet(maybe it was) I was on several different prescriptions of pills during those years, some cleared my acne, some made it worse. My hair lost about 1/3 of it's volume and some people(like my mother) noticed.
I can't say for SURE that it was the BCP, it could have happened without it, but I'll never know.
WHen I was in high school, my hair was very fine but I had a lot of it and it looked great down.
By the time I was in my mid-late 20's I was perming to get back the volume I used to have naturally.

[Kristin]

Well I have been on a variety of BC pills for about 7.5 years now. I never thought about the effects it has on my hair, but now that I do... my hair was definitely thicker before the pills. When I first went on the pill, I was on low-dose ones and didn't have too many side effects. Last year my doc switched me to higher hormone pills and I gained weight. Maybe that's when my hair changed, too. Definitely thinner than it was before the pill in general, though. :( Yet another reason to get off of them!

[MissManda]

Nope, I haven't experienced any hair thinning. I have been on the pill for a little over two years and I haven't noticed any hair changes. If anything, my individual strands might have gotten thicker.