Estrogen levels affect the natural hair growth cycle, causing thinning hair in menopausal women and increased hair growth in pregnant women. Hormonal balance is difficult to achieve, and estrogen replacement therapy can lead to estrogen dominance and serious health risks. Birth control pills and hormone replacements can cause telogen effluvium, and lifestyle changes may help alleviate hair loss.
Estrogen and hair loss are linked through the natural hair growth cycle. Thinning hair is a common complaint of women during menopause and is the result of low estrogen levels. Similarly, pregnant women often have longer, faster growing, thicker hair due to high estrogen levels. Hormones, medications and diseases can alter the length of the natural hair growth cycle.
Achieving hormonal balance is difficult for many reasons, especially for women between the ages of 35 and 50. Many women in their mid to late 30s are overloaded with estrogen. By age 50, estrogen levels drop by 35% and progesterone levels drop by 75%. Decreased estrogen and hair loss or thinning hair are common symptoms of menopause.
Estrogen replacement therapy is a common solution for decreased estrogen and hair loss in menopausal women, but the buildup of estrogen over time can lead to a medical condition known as estrogen dominance. This is an extreme imbalance of the two sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. When estrogen levels are higher than progesterone levels, symptoms might include anxiety, breast tenderness, and headaches, as well as irregular bleeding, fluid retention, and weight gain. More serious risks are associated with taking a synthetic estrogen replacement, such as an increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, blood clots, stroke, and dementia.
Oral contraceptives and birth control pills contain estrogen. An initial increase in hair growth — or a reduction in hair loss — is usually noticed soon after a woman starts taking birth control pills or estrogen replacement pills. Over time, as estrogen levels stabilize, the natural hair growth cycle is restored. Almost always, it is better for a woman not to stop taking hormone replacements, as this would lead to further hair loss rather than restoring hormonal balance. Hair loss following hormonal stimulation is called telogen effluvium (TE).
Classic short-term TE occurs after delivery. Also called postpartum alopecia, the sudden change in hormone levels sends a shock to the hair follicles, causing them to temporarily shut down. A similar reaction occurs with any estrogen imbalance. Hair loss soon after pregnancy is another example of the connection between estrogen and hair loss.
Estrogen and hair loss are linked because the natural hair growth cycle is regulated by hormones. While this is not estrogen’s primary role, it does affect bone growth, skin, fat and protein deposition, and electrolyte balance. If the effects of estrogen and hair loss are severe, dietary and lifestyle changes may also offer relief. Chemical and dietary sources of estrogen should be eliminated, stress should be minimized, and exercise is always encouraged. In most cases, normal hair growth returns after the cause has been identified and eliminated.
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