Is it too late for me to make effective changes?

[asia]

Hello, I'm 21 years old. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and therefore high testosterone, which contributes to hair loss. I was diagnosed with this at.. maybe 15/16ish, and have been on Yasmin since (birth control pills are often prescribed to women with PCOS to help reduce cysts on the ovaries which caused me debilitating pain, regulate periods and depression and lower testosterone and raise estrogen. Yasmin has been effective in helping all of these things and therefore I am able to function on a daily basis, however, I believe it's been a huge contributor to my hair loss, which is why I am here).

My hair had been thinning since puberty (12 years old), but if I remember correctly it started getting a lot worse when I started on Yasmin. I'm only connecting the dots now after reading forum posts on here about women's hair loss worsening on birth control. I am all for organic, all-natural, etc. but Yasmin has been the only effective PCOS treatment for me. Without it, I only have 1 or 2 periods per year and have pain in my ovaries, sometimes debilitating.

BUT - At this point, my hair is so fine and thin that I'm willing to deal with other side effects for the sake of my hair. My question is, is going off Yasmin going to help my hair grow back? What can I do to stop this from worsening? I just want every piece of advice you have to offer, except to go to a doctor. I have made a firm decision not to trust anyone who is making a profit off of me.

[pilar]

Hi Asia:

I'm so sorry that you're experiencing hair loss at such a young age.

I've been experiencing hair loss from going off the pill. I was only on it for 2 months and 2 months after stopping, ropes and ropes of hair were coming out. The shedding has now decreased, but I think I might still be losing abnormal amounts. I've had some re growth, but it's not enough to fill in all the thin areas. But I am happy they're there! :)

From researching the connection between hair loss and the hormonal birth control, it seems that it's more common than we would like to believe. If you look at the leaflet that comes with the pill, hair loss is written as a side effect. I've also noticed that some girls seem to experience hair loss when going on the pill, while on the pill and when coming off the pill. My OB/Gyn that prescribed the pill to me, denied that the pill could cause hair loss. Then I saw an Endocrinologist and a new OB/Gyn and they both said DEFINITELY, the pill can cause hair loss while on it or while coming off. So you might be right about noticing an increase in shedding while on Yasmin.

Have you been on soulcyster.net? It's a site for women with PCOS. I know thay have a section dedicated to natural treatments for PCOS. You might want to check it out and see what other options you might have besides the pill.

Also, I would recommend checking out the Yasmin/Yaz Survivors forum. There's a few girls on that forum that have experienced hair loss while on the pill.

I hope this helps.

Pilar