A question for the ladies

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triff14
triff14 Posts: 129 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello Ladies...

I wasn't sure which board to post this in, so hopefully this is ok!

I want to know if anyone else has had problems with scalp hair loss due to taking birth control?

I have had many many other symptoms, including bodily pain, increased acne, moodiness, womanly infections....but losing my hair is very saddening and traumatic for me. I have been taking TriNessa (ortho tri cyclin) for almost a year now and for me the side effects of the medicine are much worse than the possibility of becoming pregnant. Also, I have gone through a few different hormonal birth control types and all of them have given me horrible side effects.

I am trying to go all natural in my house, so stopping birth control will just be another step towards an all natural household!

My two questions are:
Has anybody had the same hair loss issue as me - if so did it grow back after stopping?
Does anyone have advice concerning all natural birth control methods?

Replies

  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I haven't had hair loss, but i have a "skin disease"...i get hives all over my chest and up my neck. For me getting pregnant would be worse, so i just suck it up and take an anti-histamine. I'm on my 4th type of pill due to raging hormones that don't want to be controlled. Have you tried other types? like the patch? or an IUD? or the ring?
  • LisaDunn01
    LisaDunn01 Posts: 173 Member
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    Haven't been on BC however, the symptoms you describe all sound like you are mineral deficient. And, taking meds can deplete minerals. Minerals play a HUGE role in Thyroid (which relates to hair), hair and nails, mood, etc. In addition to finding a quality whole food mineral supplement, I also recommend GREEN SMOOTHIES - a great (and addictive) way to get a boatload of minerals. Here's my favorite recipe:

    10 oz. water
    1/2 c. frozen pineapple
    1/2 orange
    1/2 banana (I freeze these and throw them in the blender as needed)
    1 1/2 handfuls of spinach
    1/3 bunch of fresh parsley
    3 fresh basil leaves
    BLEND.
  • triff14
    triff14 Posts: 129 Member
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    I was on Nuva Ring for a while and the side effects were worse than the ones I have now.

    I really want to go all natural. I read that the Diaphragm has 92-98% effectiveness which sounds pretty good to me!
  • triff14
    triff14 Posts: 129 Member
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    That smoothie sounds delicious! I take some all natural vitamins from my health food store, but I'm not sure if that is the same as a mineral supplement.
  • delfonzo2000
    delfonzo2000 Posts: 38 Member
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    I had bad side effects from the pill. I now have the ParaGard IUD (have had it for 3 years) which has no hormones, unlike the Mirena IUD, and can stay in for 10-12 years. It's not for everyone's lifestyle (do your research), but I love it. I don't even notice that I have it. Some people have worse cramping, bleeding, etc, but it has had the opposite effect on me.
  • morielia
    morielia Posts: 169 Member
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    It has all kinds of wild effects on people, and there is such a thing as hormone-related hair loss, so I wouldn't be surprised if the BC was causing it. I didn't have any hair loss, but I had extremely bad nausea and I always had a coppery taste in my mouth. It also completed killed my period off and threw me basically into early menopause. I have an IUD now, and it's the best decision I ever made.
  • laurynwithawhy
    laurynwithawhy Posts: 385 Member
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    I was on Nuva Ring for a while and the side effects were worse than the ones I have now.

    I really want to go all natural. I read that the Diaphragm has 92-98% effectiveness which sounds pretty good to me!

    92% effective is NOT 100%, and if you are regularly sexually active you could very easily get pregnant with those odds. Also, that is based on "perfect use" which sometimes isn't the case. If you're in a committed relationship and really really don't want kids right now I could consider multiple barrier methods (condom and diaphragm). Also, learning when you ovulate and not having sex during that time can work, but it is also not 100% and can really take the fun out of a sex life.

    Anyways, I did experience some hair loss when I started the pill, but it was more breakage than scalp loss. It sucked, but it tapered off after awhile and I was just sure to deep condition and be very gentle with my hair.
  • Healingnutritionsolutions
    Healingnutritionsolutions Posts: 134 Member
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    Should think about having your thyroid levels checked - have your OB-GYN do some labwork they can check some of your "mineral" levels too - I have seen this in my clinical rotations, and most of the time there was another underlying issue, such as recent use of solumedrol or other steroids for some illness or a messed up thyroid. If you go with the less internal but more invasive methods like cervical cap or diaphragm just be sure to have an excellent fitting and be sure you're not allergic to latex!
  • Hazel0096
    Hazel0096 Posts: 34 Member
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    My SIL had the same problem from BCP, at one point her hair was coming out in clumps. At it's worst she ended up just shaving her head and wearing a wig. Once her hair started growing back in her head looked like a globe, dark patches of hair that weren't affected and peach fuzz, blonde hair that was affected.

    At his point her hair is starting to slowly grow back, she still wears wigs most of the time and she doesn't know if her hair will ever come back in normally.

    Of course she no longer takes BCP, she stopped once the connection was made with the pill and her hair.

    I hope yours isn't as severe and grows back in quickly.

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