What's the Next Step??

[maki016]

Hello everyone,
I wanted to post a message to see if any one you could help me find out the cause of my female pattern hair loss. I've done some research and I have it personally pinpointed to stress, Loestrin 24, and thyroid, however, currently my blood does not reflect any problems.
My hair loss has generally progressed over the last 10 years. The only thing that has remained constant during that time is regular highlighting every 10 weeks.
Three years ago, I went to law school, was on birth control, (Ortho-low) and started experiencing depression, loss of libido, and extreme hair loss. Now, my stress level was definitely high, maybe a little higher than normal, but I had never experienced such hair loss from the sides of my head! I cried every day and was just an emotional wreck. I left school, moved back home, and started another school for my MBA. The loss slowed down, but I never regrew hair.
I switched from Ortho-low to Yaz, and eventually stopped birth control altogether. After a few months, I started Loestrin 24 and became even more emotionally distraught, having absolutely no libido or desire to do anything. I then had blood work done, revealing a hypoactive thyroid. I've been on Synthroid for over a year now, and those levels are "normal." I also quit taking Loestrin this August because I read that it could cause the exact symptoms I've been experiencing.
I've had blood work done in the last 6 months, multiple times and everything checks out. However, my hair will not grow, keeps breaking, and is extremely broom like to the point where I can't even curl it anymore. The side loss is awful, you can see my scalp. I've stopped using hair bands, drying my hair, etc.
I've gone to a dermatologist who tested me for ferritin, which came back normal, and told me that unfortunately I may just be the first in my fam to have FPB. She recommended a scalp biopsy, but really wasn't helpful.
What should I do? I am obsessed with this because obviously women value their hair, and I just need to get to the bottom of the cause. Please help!!

P.S. I am 26, back in law school, and a runner.

[Hope49]

Hi maki. I can't help you, but I'm here and I can share your pain and confusion. I saw a woman at the grocery store last week, I could see the entire top of her head through her hair, even the curvature of her scalp, and I thought "why doesn't she cover that up or do something? Why doesn't she wear a hat or a wig or something" And then I realized, I AM PART OF THE PROBLEM!! If I, with hair loss that could equal hers in a year or 2, I am just as biased as anyone else!!

Having just started with hairloss products, I am petrified, because I hear people who shed large amounts of hair - using nothing, using something for a few weeks, for 6 months, and sudden sheds for no reason at all! Then there are those who have the treatments that begin to work, and then they get side effects that force them to quit using it ---- and THEN they get the shedding!!

It's like it's a lose-lose situation.

Here's a question - - Have you ever heard from anyone who actually was able to get their hair loss back under control enough to live a normal life with no fake hair on their heads? Because if we are all here, spending $$ on treatments, and no one is having long-term success, we are all nuts, eh??

I want to get back to my freedom to plan my day around activities, not hair care regimens IF nothing is going to work. How do you feel about this?