Question about estrogen and hair growth

[sunnydayalways]

Does having an estrogen deficiency effect the growth rate of your hair?

[Fractalsofhair]

Well, unless you're having issues with your Ovaries etc, I'd think you'd be fine. It's fairly rare to have a true hormonal problem(I have actually high testosterone levels, and the only problem I've had is that I bulk up easily, have a bit of peach fuzz(and I'm a blonde so it's not noticeable!), and I'm sure my skin is less dry than it otherwise would be)

Possibly it could increase shedding, and cause male pattern baldness, but I doubt it. IDK any conditions that cause low estrogen except menopause and taking out the pituitary gland, in which case you'd get shots.

[Ruvie]

This is my moms question, and she has a true problem from medical conditions Id rather not tell without her permission :)

[Fractalsofhair]

I'm not saying you have to say, it's just it's rare to have a truly low level of estrogen if one hasn't had one's ovaries removed, or if one doesn't have problems with their pituitary gland.(Some post menopausal women do have issues with having enough estrogen, but not all.)

If she doesn't want to say what it is, it's fine!! If she does have a truly low estrogen amount, the pill is good for mild cases, and for more severe cases HRT. Generally, the amount that lowers with natural menopause isn't a big deal, it's the surgical kind that causes a massive shed. (Similar to after birth. Except more drawn out.)

[Shiva]

Well, unless you're having issues with your Ovaries etc.........

would ovary issues affect hair? I wonder.... hmmmm.

[Ruvie]

I'm not trying to be rude, so sorry if I came off that way :-/ I just know she is bugged by her condition and I'd rather not say. Although it is mixed in with a Thyroid issue that has been recently just corrected after a very long time, and we're working together to get gorgeous hair, like a mother daughter project :P

[Fractalsofhair]

would ovary issues affect hair? I wonder.... hmmmm.

If you've had them removed or have serious problems with them working right, it will affect estrogen. Since they're a pretty generous producer of it in women. Which, could theoretically affect hair, but I'm certain it would affect things like skin, and such before noticeably affecting hair. Estrogen is used heavily in the body for a variety of processes. If any thing, too little estrogen would lead to baldness, but easily treated, and possibly dry skin(or oily depending on how much testosterone one has). In general though, most ovary issues like cysts will not cause a huge effect, or even having 1 ovary removed.

[Fractalsofhair]

I'm not trying to be rude, so sorry if I came off that way :-/ I just know she is bugged by her condition and I'd rather not say. Although it is mixed in with a Thyroid issue that has been recently just corrected after a very long time, and we're working together to get gorgeous hair, like a mother daughter project :P
Ah, hormonal problems then(If thyroid is involved, there can be more issues as well). If it's getting treated by a doctor, chances are it won't affect her too much if the treatments are working, unless she is dealing with balding. If she's dealing with balding, rograine(or w/e her doctor suggests) and time will likely be her friends. Other than that, there's a lot of older women who may be able to give her advice on how they treat their hair(since post menopause, there's a lot less estrogen), and if she says things like my hair is dry or oily, we'll be able to give her better advice! Sorry if I came off as annoying with saying that having true estrogen problems isn't exactly common! It's just, hormonal problems are pretty rare and should be treated by a doctor, and once they're treated, the problems a person with hormonal problems has are very similar to those everyone else has. (Same deal with vitamin deficiencies!)

[Shiva]

If you've had them removed or have serious problems with them working right, it will affect estrogen. Since they're a pretty generous producer of it in women. Which, could theoretically affect hair, but I'm certain it would affect things like skin, and such before noticeably affecting hair. Estrogen is used heavily in the body for a variety of processes. If any thing, too little estrogen would lead to baldness, but easily treated, and possibly dry skin(or oily depending on how much testosterone one has). In general though, most ovary issues like cysts will not cause a huge effect, or even having 1 ovary removed.
thanks for the reply. A year and a half ago I needed to have surgery to remove an ovarian cyst the size of a softball (and growing).... needless to say my hair suffered from this, I am quite sure, and a combination of other things as well (hard water).

[NurseMama]

Too little estrogen could cause thinning hair. For example, in pregnancy when women tend to have gorgeous hair that grows super fast, estrogen and progesterone levels increase dramatically. Post-pregnancy when those levels drop women nearly always get a big shed. If she is taking estrogen for another medical condition though, that condition could cause impaired growth. Thyroid problems nearly always affect hair growth. Good luck!

[Ruvie]

Thanks guys, she'll appreciate this a lot. She always is trying treatments and wants something that works for her, so I'm hoping I can help her while getting my hair how Id like it :)

[sunnydayalways]

Thanks for all your help. I had complete hysterectomy in 1993 and my hair was fine. In 1999 I was in invole in serious car accident and my thyoid was effected. After 6 years medicine my thyoid is back to normal. I take replacement hormones every other day. And calcium, vitiman D and regular vitminan daily.

[rhubarbarin]

would ovary issues affect hair? I wonder.... hmmmm.

Yes, very much so. Hormones have a lot to do with hair, both on the head and body.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome in women can cause 'male-pattern' baldness and also excess growth of body/facial hair.

Women after menopause, and after a hysterectomy, are more likely to have thinning hair or even balding. Your female hormone levels drop dramatically then, and decrease further over the years.. that's why so many old ladies have thin hair. I don't know if hormone replacement therapy helps this.

Pregnancy can cause quite a bit of hair growth/increased thickness, and hormone changes after you give birth or stop breastfeeding can cause thinning of varying severeness.

Thyroid hormone levels can have a huge effect on hair growth as well so it's worthwhile looking into that...

Also - men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to be balding/bald (this explains all those bald Hell's Angels!).

[Speckla]

I had a lot of hair loss when my estrogen levels were off. Hormone levels definitely effect hair.

[jocosema]

I started on bio-identical hormones a few months ago for hot flashes and menopause symptoms. I've noticed that I don't seem to shed as much. I'm not sure about growth speed or thickness. I haven't measured lately.

[Themyst]

I recently went off the pill and about a month later I noticed a lot of shedding. This must be the reason. I think I'll go back on it.

[redwoman]

After my hysterectomy I went on the estrogen patch immediately. My hair has stayed the same thickness and shedding is the same. I would be scared what would happen without the hormones...

[willowcandra]

I have pcos and before going back on bc pills I lost alot of my hair. Especially around the front.

For me-increased estrogen means more hair.

There are some food sources of estrogens such as soy. But if she has hormone problems her doctor or specialist should be able to help her. She should mention her hair concerns to them. Although I know my doctor has been totally useless.

There is alot of info out there on the web.

[hennaphile]

How come bcps made my hair fall out :confused:

[Fractalsofhair]

How come bcps made my hair fall out :confused:

Was it during the "Off" week? Also, by stopping your ovulation, that would have reduced your estrogen if you had higher levels naturally.

After going off BCP my hair has shed a bit towards the hairline, which is nice. I have eyebrows separate from my head hair again!!! XD

Also, OP, no problem with the advice! I hope you get any problems with the estrogen levels treated. Be careful with bioidenticals(If you go that route.), as they can supposedly cause problems with heart attacks, but with a correct dosage from a doctor, you should be fine.