Oral Contraceptives and Losing Hair!

i had the same problem with a different oral contraceptive. i think its the high estrogen levels in them. my doctor also dismissed my concerns and i have lost to date almost 3/4 of my hair, and he still seems nonplussed. so i am getting a second opinion from a dermatologist and having hormone levels drawn. stop the birth control and see and OB/GYN about which ones have low levels of androgens in them, they cause the least amount of hair loss.

HI M.!

I notice one of the other moms suggested that you switch to a different pill and take St. John's Wort for the depression. I just want to point out that taking St. John's Wort makes OC much less effective. A friend of mine got pregnant while on the pill because she was taking St. John's Wort. I know that this advice is off-topic, but I needed to share! Good luck!

I would make so much noise they would be happy to test me for anything and everything.

The Doctors should be doing more for you, find out who pulls the strings and jerk on that chain!!

Dear M.,

Putting you on an oral contraceptive to regulate your bleeding -- Well, did you ever find out why your bleeding is irregular. It could be something going on with your body that may or may not have lasting consequences. And OC'S are also not good for you. I suggest finding out why your bleeding is irregular instead of just messing around with the hormones and masking some serious ailment. I've also never heard of oral contraceptives for losing hair, but oc's do contribute to strokes and many others. Keep looking for a good reputable doctor, and good NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING doctor and/or nurse that will NOT PRESCRIBE oc's for you and will get down to the problem and probably know why your hair fell out. These doctors are very well versed in the dangers of oc's. Good luck.

Hi there:

I had a similar experience. My OBGYN put me on the patch 5 years ago and I went through depression and started losing hair. When I talked to my family physician about it, he pulled out his Physicians Desk Reference and showed me how much the progesterone levels differed between the birth control I was on and the one she switched me to. He suggested to go off off the new medication, go back to the old one and he suggested St. John's Wort and melatonin to get me feeling better. He said the melatonin needs to be taken around dinner time.

A naturopath also suggested a homeopathic remedy called Sepia. Completely regulated my periods, stopped losing my hair, and finished getting me over the hump of depression.

Best of luck to you!

I would get a second opinion or ask for a completely blood work once a year. I'm surprised the gyn didn't want a complete blood work up. It could be your thyroid or you could be anemic.

I went through the same. I use a natural progesterone cream that has helped with my hair loss, my period flow, etc....

Wow....they won't even do labs??? I might consider going to another doctor. Flax can help regulate what's happening to the estrogen receptors without screwing up the hormones.

Microgestin 1/20 FE from Watson labs seems to work wonders for moms and many other women who have had bleeding issues on other pills. It comes in a green box.

Good luck.

Just a thought? Are you also on a weight loss program? I began a weight loss program that is really low fat several months ago. I began losing my hair because of that, not enough good fat in my diet. Now I am taking Fish oil and it has slowed down considerabley. Yes I had my thyroid tested before and during this program.

Hi, I don't know what type she was on, but I know someone who said she had permanent hair loss from using an oral contraceptive. No tests turned anything up. I hope in your case, your hair will recover. The depression could be from the pill too. I had this- and loss of sex drive (!) when I took oral contraceptives, so I decided not to mess with chemical methods of birth control. Best of luck to you.
S.

This is for the hair...

Scalp massage. It does wonders. If your scalp is tight and tense it cuts off the blood flow to your hair folicles. Making sure your scalp is flexible will encourage the hair's return. Until things balance out for you...have some fun discovering the amazing experience of being unconditionally lovable!!! Really being loved for who we are is the best experience in life. YOU are worth it, no matter what!

Sometimes it is goofy life bloopers like this that help men and women join the ranks of those who have discovered unconditional love. It really is a much richer world to belong to.

hormones can definitely cause hair loss, but so can taking too much vitamin A. Check out your vitamins. I am very sensitive to vitamin A and my hair starts thinning if I get too much. I have to take prenatal vitamins all the time because they only have about 10-11% of your daily recommended allowance.

Grief can also cause hair loss.

Oral contraceptives are really dangerous no matter how they are prescribed, drastically altering the hormone system. Natural hormone balance is critical for optimal health.

My only response to your plea about doctors who are so mesmerized by Big Pharma $$$ and so innundated by the system is: Find a new group of doctors! And immediately.

Seek health professionals who have an affinity towards naturopathic and holistic medicine. I have been an aromatherapist for over 15 years and naturopathy has cured many an ailment - and very safely. It's safer than pharmaceutical drugs, who's main intention is to create more illness within.

Please seek new naturopathic health practitioners. There are many of us out there who will heal you with nature - our very life essence itself - with no dangerous side effects. :)

All the Best,

K.
www.myspace.com/realfaces

Hi nursing student. Are your experiences similar to the side effects listed for the drug? That is something you need to answer. I do have a cousin that lost some hair because of the pill. As for you depression, this is just a cascade effet from the way you feel about bleeding heavily an the perception bad hair. We are a complicated species, your hormones and circumstances of life have brought you to this place emotionally. Read the warnings to set yourself at ease.

Hi M.....
You know I thought I was nuts at first thinking it might be that stupid pill, but after I started taking it, I started to lose my hair also! I had really long hair when I started on the stuff- down to my waist. I've had to keep trimming it because. I too. have lost at least as much hair as you have. I had two big blood tests taken checking everything and all is fine. I saw my dermatologist about it as well. She prescribed some hair foam and told me to get Rogaine as well to help jump start my hair growth cycle again. Each person has a period of time when they will grow hair and shed hair... however, I don't think what's happening here is normal. I was on Mircette for 3 months. I've been off for 2 and it's still coming out. I would TELL your doctor you want a blood test and if there is anything specific you would like to have checked (I always throw a cholesterol level check in there, for example), then request that also! I don't know about your insurance, however it sounds like you might want to think about changing doctors :\. Whomever turns out to be the one to order that blood lab for you, verify that a full panel thyroid is included in that. My thyroid has been fine.

I'm curious to know if you are on any other medications? If you'd like to talk about that, get back to me and I'll tell you what I'm taking. I think this would have happened earlier if it were my meds though...??? Oh, and by the way, Mircette had me bleeding for almost 3 weeks straight. I feel so good for those women who Mircette has helped (I would imagine there are some) because it's not pleasant here on the other side when it doesn't.

Another thing to consider is the amount of stress you're under. This year has been unusual in general- the energy of it... everything. It's weird. This year has been much, much more stressful than any other I can remember in a very long time. I've been told my hairloss is because of my heightened stress levels. I am not one who stresses in the first place. Are you?

I hope to hear back from you and if you should find something that will make this hair come back- PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!!! I've been thinking about going to see a hair specialist... or to a hairloss institute or something to see if they can tell me what's going on before I have no more hair left.

I hope for you all the best and I hope things will turn around for you starting now :)

Many blessings,
Jennifer

Hi
I would recommend getting the labs done. Also get your thyroid checked - it can be the cause of irregular periods, hair loss and depression (and a ton of other things).
Good luck

My girlfriend had the exact same problem. She took the Depo shot and then she began loosing A Lot of hair. She said every time she would run her fingers through, a chunk of hair would just fall. Anyway, she decided not to continue the shot. She has a 7 month and doing great.I think you don't need to worry=). I hope this helps.

It's so much less stressful to plan your family size without the use of artificial contraception doing unnatural things to your body! My husband and I (and my in-laws) have only ever used Natural Family Planning, and so far had a 100% success rate in postponing AND achieving pregnancy. My mother-in-law is even a certified teacher. Check out www.boma-usa.org or I would happily put you in contact with a teacher who would be delighted to answer any and all questions you might have. Otherwise, best of luck!

That happened to me about 10 years ago. My hair kept falling out in the back and I also had horrible mood swings and my ob was not concerned. So I decided that I would not use oral contraceptives any more. Until last november when I got tubes tied, my husband and I practiced natural family planning. It's a pain to chart my temperatures, but I prefer to do that and not deal with unwanted side effects. After about six months off of the pill my hair grew back and I never had the problem occur. Try not to stress about it, stress can also cause hair lost.

I think seeing an endocrinolist is a good idea. Your regular doctor could probably help, too. I was loosing a lot of hair. I know it is really depressing. I went to my doctor who confirmed that I have a very low thyroid. She also confirmed that I am 7 weeks pregnant. She immediately sent me to an endocrinologist who said it is common. Hope this helps. RR

Hi, I had the same experience, not with birth control, but with other drugs, following a hospital stay due to being sick. Finally I was told that the combo of stress and pills made my hair fall out. Depression I can totally understand - I HAD beautiful long hair. I saw a dermatologist - no help there. SO... I just cut my hair should length, and it is slowly growing back, but at the original thickness. I also see an accupucturist, and he does some needles in my scalp. I believed it helped. Good luck!!! I know the trauma
PS I use Yaz and have no problems (BC)

Hi,
I was on a couple oral contraceptives that made me lose a lot of hair. It took me a while to figure out that it was the pill. I didn't have the same brand as you though. I am on Yasmin now and have a very full head of hair. Hopefully you'll find a brand that works for you.
R.

you should definitely see an endocrinologist as well as probably changing your doctors!

I haven't had any experience with this contraceptive. I would ask your doctors to run a full thyroid panel. I have a thyroid problem and one thing I noticed was how much hair I have lost. My hair was pretty thick and now it is pretty thin. I hope this helps and you get the medical attention you need.

I had never taken any oral contraceptives until I started experiencing a lot of pain from ovarian cysts. (Confirmed with a sonogram.) The doctor put me on the pill and it CAUSED serious depression. The doctor kept telling me that it wouldn't cause that but two pharmacists told me that YES, some OC formulations can cause depression in certain women and they get lots of complaints. Obviously, my doctor wasn't being honest with me so I stopped taking it after three months of pure misery. It took almost a year to get back to normal. I would NEVER touch OCs again. Consider that THEY may be responsible for your depression. Follow up on this.

Best wishes,

M.

I just had the same experience with ortho. I lost half my hair, gained ten pounds and it didn't even help to clear up my skin! Awful! I just stopped taking it and am not sure which to try next. A friend had mentioned mircette worked wonders for her but now I hesitate to try that one after hearing about your experience. I suppose it's just very individual how your body will react to hormones. And how much things change when you get older. I was on ortho way before I had kids with none of these side effects. I wish I had some good advice for you, just thought I'd let you know I'm in the same boat and I'm interested in reading the other feedback. Good luck to you!

I would strongly urge you to check things out with a naturopath.
You need to see what is going on with your hormone levels. THey could still fall within the "acceptable" ranges and still be out of wack if one is on the extreme high end and one is on the extreme low end of acceptable. You've gotten some good advice, whatever you do don't roll over and let your doctor pat your hand and send you home.

Well, I didn't lose hair because of birth control, but because of pregnancy. Usually women lost their hair after the baby is born, I lost mine while I was still preg with my son. I lost about 2/3 of my hair, so I can relate to what a huge change and how self conscious it can make you feel. Basically, it's your hormones fluctuating that is causing the hair loss. I don't know how to fix the problem in your case, but whatever hormones changed after I gave birth brought my hair back, all of it. And it only took about a year for it to grow all the way back to my shoulders (definitely had to get creative with the gel while it was still all only two inches long). But my guess is that if you get your birth control fixed and all the hormones in your body back to the levels they should be at, then your hair ought to grow back... good luck!