View Full Version : Estrogen - Bio-Identical Hormones
Well this hairloss all started for me this past September, which was exactly 3 months from the date I stopped taking Ogestrel (generic Ovral), which I now know is not one of the hair friendly pills. In late October I was told my hairloss was due to an estrogen defficiency , which really means my body went into menopause, and is no longer producing enough estrogen. I was prescribed a bio-identical estrogen patch (Vivelle-dot). After 3 months, there was significant improvement in the texture of my hair, before it had been dry, lifeless, dull, etc. , but my hair was still shedding. In March, I was having problems with the dosage and asked to be switched to Estrogel, which is a gel you apply to your arm. For the next month my estrogen levels dipped and my hair was again dead. My body didn’t seem to be absorbing the Estrogen. Currently, I’m back on the Vivelle –dot and hoping I will be able to get my levels back up and see improvement, I have lost so much hair and it was very thin and fragile to begin with. I know it takes time, but it be great to hear if anyone has had success with this kind of treatment
dazzleca
06-18-2009, 10:20 PM
Coco - it is now June, have you had any success with stopping the shedding with estrogen? My dr put me on HRT 2 months ago and just this week up'd the dosage from .5mcg to 1mcg (based on research I had done that 1mcg was a minimum level for hair regrowth). So just wondering if the shedding has slowed down or stopped for you?
Dazzleca, I have ups and downs, the texture seems to get better for a couple of weeks, the shed is not as bad, but then just goes back to all day shedding and overall dry dead hair. This seems to happen once every other month or so. After all, I was on the pill for so many years, I guess I can understand it will take my body a while to adjust. It's just so devastating not to know what agenda my hair has.
For the moment things are looking up. I don't know what kind of HRT you are on when you mention .5mcg or 1mcg those dosages are usually ethinyl estradiol, which is usually 15-20 time stronger than bio-identical estradiol, so it's hard to compare dosages. I'm trying to stay clear of anything else, since that's what probably contributed to my HL. Not the ethihnyl estradiol, but the progestin in the pill.. Because I was always on the highest Estrogen BCP, the shock of no estrogen when coming off it, on top of my body not making enough just started the whole mess.
From what I understand, usually with transdermal estrogen, the minimum dose to influence hair is 0.075mg to 0.1 mg daily. I am on the 0.075 dose,
Hope you have luck with your new dose,
lostalot2
06-19-2009, 04:36 AM
Coco, it seems like we are in the same boat. I have been on Vivelle dot and prometrium for only six weeks and although my shed continues like crazy, the texture of my hair has improved. It feels healthier and not as frizzy and dead like it did before.
I hit perimeno 5 years ago and my hair started to thin but I did not want to try the pill because I was afraid of all the hair loss stories even though it's prescribed to help your hair.
Are you also taking prometrium with the Vivelle? My dosage was just increased to .075 so I'm hoping that helps with some new growth. I am encouraged despite the high shed because I have some growth that feels like stubble when I run my fingers over my scalp. Who knows if it will be enough to fill in my wide, see through part though!
Please keep me posted on your progress. I would love to hear some success stories because they seem so few and far between.
dazzleca
06-19-2009, 06:40 PM
Thanks for the reply, Coco. I am currently on 100mg Prometrium and 1mg estradiol. I also started on 200mcg of Spironolactone (100 2X a day) this week. After reading one of the success stories, I went online and ordered the Nizoril 2% shampoo too ... hope it gets here soon and I can start attacking the DHT externally and internally. So far on the Spiro, I've just experienced some mild dizziness if I get up suddenly (and the need to pee more in the middle of the night!)
My estrogen drop is due to menopause .. I haven't take BCP since my 20's, preferring an IUD. The only good part about the last year is not having a period anymore ;)
Coco, it seems like we are in the same boat. I have been on Vivelle dot and prometrium for only six weeks and although my shed continues like crazy, the texture of my hair has improved. It feels healthier and not as frizzy and dead like it did before.
I hit perimeno 5 years ago and my hair started to thin but I did not want to try the pill because I was afraid of all the hair loss stories even though it's prescribed to help your hair.
Are you also taking prometrium with the Vivelle? My dosage was just increased to .075 so I'm hoping that helps with some new growth. I am encouraged despite the high shed because I have some growth that feels like stubble when I run my fingers over my scalp. Who knows if it will be enough to fill in my wide, see through part though!
Please keep me posted on your progress. I would love to hear some success stories because they seem so few and far between.
Hi, That’s so great that you’re seeing improvement in just 6 weeks. It’s funny, the texture is so important, even when it’s shedding and thinning it makes all the difference in the world. I hope the vivelle/prometrium works for you, because even if the pill works, it’s a temporary fix if you’re over 40. In a couple of years, they’ll tell you to get off of it, and that’s what started the whole mess for me..
So glad you feel new growth, unlike you, my part is not so wide, it’s overall diffuse thinning that’s my problem. I was prescribed prometrium, but it just does not agree with me in either the 100 or 200 mg dose. Unlike most people it keeps me awake all night, and I feel really weird the next day, like I have the worst hangover and don’t even feel straight enough to drive. (that’s just me, supersensitive to many meds, so please anyone else don’t feel like this is a normal reaction).
I know what you mean about success stories being few and far between. I got really anxious when I hit the 6 month mark of shedding, but rethought the whole ordeal. It took many years of taking synthetic hormones (bcp) to get me where I am, so I have to be bit patient (I’m not!!) and hang with it for a little bit more.
Like you, I would love to hear about your progress too. After all, the more we know about all of this the better we can handle it. Take good care
Thanks for the reply, Coco. I am currently on 100mg Prometrium and 1mg estradiol. I also started on 200mcg of Spironolactone (100 2X a day) this week. After reading one of the success stories, I went online and ordered the Nizoril 2% shampoo too ... hope it gets here soon and I can start attacking the DHT externally and internally. So far on the Spiro, I've just experienced some mild dizziness if I get up suddenly (and the need to pee more in the middle of the night!)
My estrogen drop is due to menopause .. I haven't take BCP since my 20's, preferring an IUD. The only good part about the last year is not having a period anymore ;)
Hi, thanks for straightening me out on what you where taking I was a little confused beteen mcg and mg. How is the oral estradiol working for you? The reason I ask, is I've had problems absorbing enough, and there seems to be problems with either it beeing transdermal, oral or otherwise. (although lately things have been improving) Do you have your levels taken and have they come up? Also, if you don't mind me asking, as far as the spiro was it prescribed because your testosterone was high?
What's difficult, is we all react to medications differently, so it's so hard to get a fix on what's right for this whole hairloss nightmare. The best part is the more info we share, the more informed all of us will be. Wishing you the best of luck with your treatment plan.
Take care,
CoCo: I read with interest that you increased your patch from .05 to .075, have you seen any improvement? I had a hysterectomy two years ago and about 8 months later was in full blown menopause. My estrogen levels were next to nothing so my Dr. suggested the .05 patch. I have had shedding for the past year, at times it seem to stop and then starts up again. I don't feel my hair has ever regrown any of the loss. About 9 months ago my Dr. suggested using a compound testosterone cream as these levels were also next too nothing. She had success with some patients regrowing hair using this cream. Last week she changed my patch to .075 and slightly increased the testosterone cream; i sure hope this starts making a difference. I would be interested in hearing from women who have used finasteride, spiro or prometrium. Thanks!
Elsa: I think it was lostalot2 that increased her dosage to .075. I have been on the .075 dosage for many months and was supposed to up it to the 1.00 dose. I've tried it a couple of times, to hopefully boost the estrogen up, but unfortunately the higher dosage doesn't agree with me. So upping your estrogen dose should help you out, as long as it agrees with you.
The only thing you might want to look into is the testosterone cream. From everything I've read as well as information from my doctor, it's not a good idea to use anykind of testosterone supplement if you are experiencing hair loss. It might be good for the libido, but it definitely is not hair friendly. My testosterone levels are also way too low, which in a way may be a good thing in trying to keep some hair on my head. I know of a couple of people that were given different combos of estrogen/testosterone like estratest, and their hair improved once they stopped the testosterone, and just took estrogen and progesterone. (bio-identicals like vivelle and prometrium or prochieve. This is just my opinion, but there's alot more information on the network. I hope things improve for you
Take Care
Thanks Coco, this forum is the best thing i could have found. I have read some information on testosterone contributing to hair loss and had questioned my Dr., she felt quite the opposite and felt i should stick with it. The past year i have not been using it on a regular basis as i never felt better, saw no hair regrowth nor did my libido improve. This past spring at an appointment with my Dr. she advised me to use it regular to see what the results were. Three months later, i have so much shedding i could cry. I am finished with testosterone, i think it has not been hair friendly as you suggested. Does any one know how long it takes to get out of your system? I am seeing a new Dr. ( derm) tomorrow and then i think my next step is to see an
encron. Thanks again for all the help!
lostalot2: Are you seeing any improvement with the .075 vivelle? I just switched about 10 days ago from the .05 and am hoping it makes a difference. I read somewhere that the .1 is the best, if tolerated for your chance of regrowth. So far I am feeling ok, I may ask my Dr. to go to .1 if everything is still ok next month. Maybe I need to be adding prometrium to the mix? Thank you!
lostalot2
08-26-2009, 02:54 AM
Hi Elsa, I have been on the .075 vivelle for almost 2 months now and I think I'm seeing slight improvement. I'm very cautious about my optimism because some days I feel better about my hair and others I feel that there's not a lot of change in thickness. I can say the texture feels better to the touch - just healthier overall. I do see a lot of short new hairs sprouting on my part area but I'm not sure if it's enough to recover all that I've lost due to the gradual thinning I've had over the last 5 or so years. The amount of shedding hasn't reduced dramatically, only slightly. I've always been a high shedder - around 100 a day.
I also take prometrium for 14 days a month which is a natural progesterone. It is only necessary to take if you still have your uterus intact since it prevents endometrial buildup and uterine cancer.
I am still hopeful and willing to give the HRT at least a 1 - 2 year trial. I've had enough improvement that I'm no longer obsessing and freaking out that I will need a wig within a year. I will try to be patient and am thinking of adding Rogaine after 6 months to a year.
kcasey
04-25-2010, 04:08 PM
Hello, I went and started on estrogen and testosterone because both were extremely low not knowing that I was going to lose my hair. I was one of the rare people that converts testosterone to DHT, lucky me. Now I am thinning and shedding and I feel horrible. I am now on Sprio 100mg, just started and am thinking of getting the Nizoril 2%. If you can find out how long it takes to get out of the system let me know. I have looked on the internet for ways to decrease testosterone from your body as I am done with the hormone pellets also. THanks.
toostooshy
04-28-2010, 03:12 PM
Its funny that my hair shedding problems started right after I discontinued birth control pills. Yet my OBGyn doesn't attribute it to them. She swears up and down that they have nothing to do with it and perhaps that I am imaginining things. Still I hear stories that are similar if not identical to mine. I am almost tempted to go back on them and see if my hair starts to thicken again just to prove to her that they can cause your hair to thin. Over the last 5-7 years (thats how long its been since I've been off) I have lost 25% of my hair and the texture has changed to being very dry and brittle. I am so frustrated cause no one can give me and answers. I am only 30 so I estimate if I dont' find a solution soon I will be 75% by the time I'm 40:-(