PCOS Hair Loss

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tea822
tea822 Posts: 8 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello everyone,

I have PCOS,I was officially diagnosed when I was 18. I'm 21 now and only within the last year or so I have seen dramatic hair loss. I used to have such thick long hair,and now its just going at such a dramatic rate. Any home remedies or anything i can add to my diet that seems to have helped? I'm so depressed,I'm so young, I don't want to be bald.

I was obese at one point, now I'm 24 pounds lighter and now in the over weight category (bmi)instead of obese.

Thank you
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Replies

  • shnoots
    shnoots Posts: 82 Member
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    God I feel you. I straight up had a mouthy coworker ask me if I was going bald. The only things I've found were to make sure you're getting a healthy amount of nutrients (fat, protein, iron) and FertiliTea. The latter helped to clear up my cysts and seems to have balanced my hair loss some.
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
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    Are you on some sort of birth control or progesterone? It can help balance your hormones and for some people it can help make your hair thicker again.
  • tea822
    tea822 Posts: 8 Member
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    Sorry for the late response. I took birth control for two years along with metformin. However, I stopped those treatments about 2 years ago. It seems like in recent months to a year where my hair just fell. I live in TX and people have told me that the water quality here does havoc on the hair. But I don't know what to think.
  • ComingUntrue
    ComingUntrue Posts: 65 Member
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    Try using emu oil on your scalp. I have pcos and have been balding/thinning in the front. I am about to start using my emu oil because it's amazing and I've read it can help with hair regrowth. Drinking spearmint tea is supposed to lower testosterone. I drink that and am sticking to eating paleo.
  • heavenlyb14
    heavenlyb14 Posts: 303 Member
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    I don't know what can help but it is something that I am currently researching so I will get back to you.
  • LadyRN76
    LadyRN76 Posts: 4,275 Member
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    I am 37 and was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 22. I have gone back and forth with treatments from homeopathic to metformin/birth control to nothing at all. The only two things that have helped my hair thinning/loss are after I have been on the metformin/birth control regimen, or consistently take prenatal vitamins (over the counter). Best of luck with your journey. PCOS can be very frustrating! Hang in there.
  • runner359
    runner359 Posts: 90 Member
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    Try hair skin and nails vitamins. Read the reviews on Amazon to find the best ones. I take them for hair loss and hair health. I believe they help but it takes a few months.
  • ClementineGeorg
    ClementineGeorg Posts: 505 Member
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    Well, nothing will work good as long as you don't eat right. I mean the right amount of protein and fat, because along with other nutrients, they are essential for hair to grow and look good. And I mean good fats, like salmon and almonds.
    Don't try to lose much weight. At 2 lbs per week target, you are more prone to hair loss than at 1 lbs per week. The body not only loses weight, it also cuts nutrients for other parts of the body when we don't eat enough.

    But if you wanna give hair a boost, I personally recomment supliments with Biotine. They work a lot for me. I take them 3 months, then 3 months I make a break. They don't work as good if I always take them.
    Also, use natural oils before washing your hair. Massage your scalp with coconut or castor oil and leave it for at least 1-2 hours. It also helps your hair look good.

    I had something similar to PCOS, but not as bad (I don't know to explain it in English... bassically suprarenal gland problems because of excess weight) and before starting the weight loss, my hair fell like hell (I was also under a lor of stress). Biotine and natural oils helped me a lot.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,299 Member
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    I have no idea if this will help but have you thought about your iodine levels. I have low iodine levels. Contrary to what many people think dairy, milk, cheese, butter, yoghurt, and eggs are good for you. Not the skimmed variety because they contain lower levels of iodine than the semi skimmed variety, the bonus is it comes with the other beneficial minerals as well like selenium because this is needed to help with your uptake. I am using goat milk to make up my short fall. We are said to need 150 mc which is only a very small amount.

    Iodine serves several functions in the body. It is in your saliva and other similar mucus secretions and it works as an antiseptic. It also feeds the thyroid. The principal national Thyroid support sites consider even our more affluent societies are at risk of having low iodine levels, I have read a short fall of this mineral can underlie several major health problems. Please look into this for yourself.

    My hair was bad at the start of the year but now it is on its way back to being something like normal.

    All the very best
    edited for exchange of k for g
  • tea822
    tea822 Posts: 8 Member
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    My mom has researched on iodine deficiency . taking the liquid supplements she says she feels some relief in her body, but she does have thyroid. I was testes for thyroid in the past and nothing came up, is it possible for me to get it now? I'm going to have to check it out.

    I'm really down, the end of my hair is really thin and frankly its like as flimsy as Eeyore the donkeys tail. I feel like i should just hack it off, but I fear cutting off what little I have.
  • tea822
    tea822 Posts: 8 Member
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    I've actually wondered if my diet has been making this worse. it has only gotten so bad in the past couple of months to a year. I started my weight loss journey in December. I'm on a 1200 calorie diet and in recent months have been so stressed out that I haven't had time to exercise, I can eat more when i exercise. Plus I know that when you exercise it uses up some of the testosterone in the body in lowers DHT production. Anyone have a PCOS hair loss friendly diet plan that they can recommend or came up with?
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 170 Member
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    this may be totally unrelated to your situation, but I have both PCOS and celiac disease....when I went off gluten, my hair grew back and my periods started coming more regularly
  • JackiLean
    JackiLean Posts: 62 Member
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    this may be totally unrelated to your situation, but I have both PCOS and celiac disease....when I went off gluten, my hair grew back and my periods started coming more regularly

    I found out PCOS is really closely linked to mild celiac disease. I have a sensitivity to gluten, so I stopped completely. While my hair is still falling out, it's not NEARLY as bad as before. I stopped taking Metformin because it's not a drug for PCOS, but for diabetes. Instead of medicating to solve the problem, I just cut out the item that was one of the causes of the problem:

    gluten.

    Other tips, avoid the hair dryer, straightening iron, or any other hot items that damage hair. We don't need anything that will help break what we still have!
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,072 Member
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    I've noticed that mine was thinning a bit, too. An MFP friend suggested that I take Biotin 5000. It's in prenatal vitamins and is the ingredient that makes your fingernails grow so long. It also works on the hair. I've been taking it for about 8 months and have noticed a change for the better.

    Last week, I ran across an article about women's hair loss. I recommend reading it and contacting your doctor about the advice given. Here's the site: http://www.americanhairloss.org/women_hair_loss/degree_of_hair_loss.asp

    I'm calling mine about the Tagamet tomorrow.

    Increase your dietary protein, too. It has helped me as well.

    Edit: Try this site, too: http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/
  • tea822
    tea822 Posts: 8 Member
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    Gluten free... i never thought of that. I'll definitely look into it!

    I've known about biotin or a long time, but i was always skeptical about its effectiveness, but I'll try it now.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
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    I have read many a good thing about taking Saw Palmetto supplements for hair loss. It's a natural alternative to prescription meds that prevent testosterone from being converted to DHT.

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