HELP - Sore Nipples ok; Hair Falling Out NOT OK

[AnneB1nderful]

I've been on HRT and spirilactonine for 6 weeks now and my nipples are sore and getting bigger. That's great and I feel pretty good about it.

However, I'm losing hair on the top of my head faster than ever. Almost everyone told me once I start HRT and testosterone blocker, my hair would stop falling out and may even start growing back.

Has anyone else notice hair falling out more and did it change after some time on hormones? Or am I doing something wrong?

[Memzy]

Hmm. Is it growing in like... thicker?
Once I started HRT, my already thick hair started coming in even thicker, causing me to shed more. But I'm in no way balding at all.

I heard it was kinda common.

[KellyJameson]

Even though I do not have first hand experience with this I have heard from others that it is common that when initially starting HRT hair loss is temporarily accelerated similar to the effects that men experience when using finasteride to control hair loss.

Forums for men talking about hair loss probably would confirm whether this is true or not.

[arbon]

yes, before hrt I had very thick wonderful hair,
since hrt it has really thinned out, a lot!
and the hair is very fine now

[AnneB1nderful]

Whew! I hope the same holds true for me. My hair was really thinning on top and most said hormones would stop hairloss and more than likely induce new growth. When seeing my hair fall out faster I went into panic mode. Thought maybe I was doing something wrong.

[sandra-leigh]

Thicker men's hair could end up replaced by finer women's hair.

In my case, my hair was so fine to begin with that it would have been difficulty for it to grow any finer.

Spiro did not seem to make a lot of difference for me. My facial hair might perhaps have thinned out a bit.

Cypro had unexpected effects on my hair: all over my body, my hair got much thinner and sparser, to the point where I would have to search for any remaining hair on my legs -- but at the same time, my facial hair grew in thicker and over a larger area than my facial hair ever had before.

I was not on finesteride long enough to get a good opinion; the facial hair growth did slow down I know.

Now that I am not on any anti-androgen, my hair is re-growing (not thick) on my legs and arms, places where I am sure there had been nothing left before, but the facial hair growth is diminished.

[melissaK]

Hmmm. You sure? I mean hair loss is tough to gauge day to day. But, I'd check with your Dr.

I've been fighting to get rogaine or anything to work to add hair, and while my MPB has seemed to stop, and I had plenty of peach fuzz grow, I haven't seen hair sprout up yet. Sigh.
But I'm digressing. In my reading about MPB and hair growth, its really complicated and there's a lot of genetic differences and a lot of different responses to hormones and the hair loss drugs. So, I'd check with a hair loss specialist or endocrinologist. ( I saw two hair docs, MD's, and of course I got conflicting Rx advice - so . . . YMMV.)

[mary something]

If you want to treat your hair loss there are only two FDA treatments that are proven to work. Both of these are cheap and proven to work in most people who keep using them long enough. How well they will work has more to do with the health of your follicles and your bodies ability to respond to the drugs.

Just because you are on an androgen blocker does not mean that your follicles aren't being attacked by dht. DHT clogs up the follicles, restricting blood flow and nutrients and causing it to shrink, which makes it produce a finer hair than before. Left unchecked eventually those follicles are only able to produce peach fuzz, then eventually nothing.

To combat this you need to block the dht that your body is producing and you need to increase the blood flow to your follicles.

[Rianna Humble]

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[dawnmarrie1961]

Anne, irregardless of the lady gaga "I am my hair" song you are more than the sum of the locks on the top of your head. Believe me I know. When I shaved my head a few months back in support of my daughter's fight with cancer I thought later "OMG! What did I just do to myself?!!!" I'd gotten so used to my long sun bleached blonde hair that I had a hard time dealing with it being all gone. Of course it made my daughter happy so it was still worth it. And it gave both of us an excuse to buy a lot of different wigs to wear. Which was cool cuz we both had fun shopping for them.
When I was on hormones I did experience some hair loss. It seemed like every time I brushed my mane the brush would be filled with strands of hair. But I thought maybe I was just brushing to hard. But it always seemed to grow back in later. So I didn't give it much thought.

[AnneB1nderful]

Yes I understand that hair will not make you who you are our a better person. But I do love long flowing natural hair and would like it for myself. I haven't had that kind of hair since I was 16. I used too live the attention I got from girls, but hated the attention I got from men. So I cut it off. Then I joined the military and couldn't wait to grow it out. But it was thinking too much, so kept it short.

I'm seeing all kinds of docs for skin problem and all them what's the best, healthy solution to grow hair back. Thanks for all your advice and encouragement.