Women Hair Loss Forums - new to this board--wanting to go on BC

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jbkitty21

05.05.2008, 21:36

new to this board--wanting to go on BC (Birth Control Pills & Hair Loss)
Post reply

Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and I've never been on BC before (just condom use and such) but I'm in a serious relationship now and really wanna go on BC. I'm just very scared hearing all these stories and what could happen. See, even though I've never been on any hormonal BC, for the last 4 years I have been experiencing hair loss. Not sure why because I got blood work done and everything was normal (including my thyroid & hormones). Went to the derm. and she doesn't know what the problem is either.

I went to the OBGYN and got Nuva Ring samples...cant use them till I get my next period but I'm afraid--not hearing good things about the ring. So I'm thinking maybe the pill would be best? But then again that seems to be bad for hair loss too.

What would be the best choice for me? There are so many BC pills I dunno what to pick. And my OBGYN knew nothing about BCPs and hair loss of course. I told her I already have very thin hair that's still falling out and don't wanna contribute to it but she says she never heard of that side effect or its rare. If I were to experience hair loss from the PILL now as well as my other unknown condition, I'll be BALD! I don't know what to do..and I don't wanna use condoms and no IUD since I never had a kid. Any help would be so appreciated.

SO my questions...
Is there anyway a BC could HELP my current hair loss problem, maybe I have an underlying hormonal problem that wont come up in blood work?
What would be best for me? High or low estrogen...or high/low androgen? All these terms confuse me.
I was thinking Yaz?

THANK YOU

jbkitty21 is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

tazmepeg

05.05.2008, 22:50

@ jbkitty21
new to this board--wanting to go on BC
Post reply

When you got your hormones done, where they one the 3rd and 21st day of your menses? That is an important factor. You might want to see where your estrogen is at before you decide on what pill. I barely don't have any free testosterone in my body, and bcp will lower it even more. So I don't want to take a chance on losing more hair.
You definetly want an anti-androgen. Yaz,yasmin and ovcon 35 are good choices. But on the bcp pamplet it states that if you have hereditary hair loss, then its best not to go on the pill, because it could do more damage. Personally, I wouldn't screw with my hormones.

tazmepeg is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

delilah

06.05.2008, 18:13

@ jbkitty21
new to this board--wanting to go on BC
Post reply

ť Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and I've never been on BC before (just
ť condom use and such) but I'm in a serious relationship now and really wanna
ť go on BC. I'm just very scared hearing all these stories and what could
ť happen. See, even though I've never been on any hormonal BC, for the last
ť 4 years I have been experiencing hair loss. Not sure why because I got
ť blood work done and everything was normal (including my thyroid &
ť hormones). Went to the derm. and she doesn't know what the problem is
ť either.
ť
ť I went to the OBGYN and got Nuva Ring samples...cant use them till I get
ť my next period but I'm afraid--not hearing good things about the ring. So
ť I'm thinking maybe the pill would be best? But then again that seems to be
ť bad for hair loss too.
ť
ť What would be the best choice for me? There are so many BC pills I dunno
ť what to pick. And my OBGYN knew nothing about BCPs and hair loss of
ť course. I told her I already have very thin hair that's still falling out
ť and don't wanna contribute to it but she says she never heard of that side
ť effect or its rare. If I were to experience hair loss from the PILL now as
ť well as my other unknown condition, I'll be BALD! I don't know what to
ť do..and I don't wanna use condoms and no IUD since I never had a kid. Any
ť help would be so appreciated.
ť
ť SO my questions...
ť Is there anyway a BC could HELP my current hair loss problem, maybe I have
ť an underlying hormonal problem that wont come up in blood work?
ť What would be best for me? High or low estrogen...or high/low androgen?
ť All these terms confuse me.
ť I was thinking Yaz?
ť
ť THANK YOU

Hi

Do NOT use the Nuva Ring it's definitely not good for someone experiencing HL. Probably the best bet for your hair would be Yasmin.

delilah is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

Chris

15.05.2008, 08:38

@ tazmepeg
to tazmepeg...
Post reply

I read your post about how going on a bcp will lower your Free T even more, causing more hl. I was just reading in Dr. Redmond's book that it's the estrogen, not T that grows hair. My Free T is extremely low too and I'm thinking my estrogen is as well. However, I guess the only way to get estrogen up is bcp. Where did you hear/read that bcp will lower Free T? I'm trying to figure out if I need to start bcp. This is all so confusing!!!

Chris is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

HairSite Admin

15.05.2008, 09:01

@ jbkitty21
new to this board--wanting to go on BC
Post reply

A birth control pill with low androgen activity is the best option for you. It prevents both conception and hair loss.

Some of the pills with low androgen activity are -
YasminŽ, DemulenŽ 1/50, Othro-Tri CyclenŽ, Ortho-CyclenŽ,BreviconŽ, ModiconŽ, NeconŽ, MircetteŽ

ť Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and I've never been on BC before (just
ť condom use and such) but I'm in a serious relationship now and really wanna
ť go on BC. I'm just very scared hearing all these stories and what could
ť happen. See, even though I've never been on any hormonal BC, for the last
ť 4 years I have been experiencing hair loss. Not sure why because I got
ť blood work done and everything was normal (including my thyroid &
ť hormones). Went to the derm. and she doesn't know what the problem is
ť either.
ť
ť I went to the OBGYN and got Nuva Ring samples...cant use them till I get
ť my next period but I'm afraid--not hearing good things about the ring. So
ť I'm thinking maybe the pill would be best? But then again that seems to be
ť bad for hair loss too.
ť
ť What would be the best choice for me? There are so many BC pills I dunno
ť what to pick. And my OBGYN knew nothing about BCPs and hair loss of
ť course. I told her I already have very thin hair that's still falling out
ť and don't wanna contribute to it but she says she never heard of that side
ť effect or its rare. If I were to experience hair loss from the PILL now as
ť well as my other unknown condition, I'll be BALD! I don't know what to
ť do..and I don't wanna use condoms and no IUD since I never had a kid. Any
ť help would be so appreciated.
ť
ť SO my questions...
ť Is there anyway a BC could HELP my current hair loss problem, maybe I have
ť an underlying hormonal problem that wont come up in blood work?
ť What would be best for me? High or low estrogen...or high/low androgen?
ť All these terms confuse me.
ť I was thinking Yaz?
ť
ť THANK YOU

HairSite Admin is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
---
I offer research assistance for HairSite.
email: hairsite@aol.com for free consultations
=====================================
reminder:
1. FREE Hair Replacement System Worldwide

tazmepeg

15.05.2008, 10:18

@ Chris
to tazmepeg...
Post reply

ť I read your post about how going on a bcp will lower your Free T even more,
ť causing more hl. I was just reading in Dr. Redmond's book that it's the
ť estrogen, not T that grows hair. My Free T is extremely low too and I'm
ť thinking my estrogen is as well. However, I guess the only way to get
ť estrogen up is bcp. Where did you hear/read that bcp will lower Free T?
ť I'm trying to figure out if I need to start bcp. This is all so
ť confusing!!!

Chris,
I have been on so many websites and read so many posts, that I can't remember where i've seen it. I just recently read blood results from another poster and her bcp lowered her free t alot. But she was high in that. I'm not trying to scare you not to go on bcp, but it could be very well that it just might help.
If you do go on it, please keep me posted! I would like to know if it helps and then maybe I can try it.

tazmepeg is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

delilah

15.05.2008, 11:24

@ Chris
to tazmepeg...
Post reply

ť I read your post about how going on a bcp will lower your Free T even more,
ť causing more hl. I was just reading in Dr. Redmond's book that it's the
ť estrogen, not T that grows hair. My Free T is extremely low too and I'm
ť thinking my estrogen is as well. However, I guess the only way to get
ť estrogen up is bcp. Where did you hear/read that bcp will lower Free T?
ť I'm trying to figure out if I need to start bcp. This is all so
ť confusing!!!

Chris it depends at what stage you are in life. If you had no problems prior to perimenopause than your issues could solely be estrogen. Tazmepeg I believe is premenopausal and could have totally different issues that won't necessarily be solved with just BCPs or HRT.

I don't remember if you said if you had HL problems prior to peri or not. In my case my problems didn't start until after menopause.

delilah is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

Chris

15.05.2008, 14:53

@ HairSite Admin
to taz, and delilah...
Post reply

Thanks for your info!
Taz, I'm not sure if my hl is hereditary or not. Is it considered hereditary if even just one grandparent was balding? I would imagine that everyone has had someone in past generations who had hl when they aged. Now I'm afraid to go on bcp.
Delilah, I never had hl issues before peri. I think back to when I was pregnant and I grew TONS of hair but I never noticed shedding after giving birth. In fact, my hair stayed pretty thick until this nightmare.

Chris is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

Chris

15.05.2008, 14:55

@ Chris
to jbkitty21...
Post reply

I'm sorry to have taken over your post. Hopefully Taz was able to answer your question. I'm learning about bcp too.
Good luck to you!

Chris is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

delilah

15.05.2008, 17:21

@ Chris
to taz, and delilah...
Post reply

ť Thanks for your info!
ť Taz, I'm not sure if my hl is hereditary or not. Is it considered
ť hereditary if even just one grandparent was balding? I would imagine that
ť everyone has had someone in past generations who had hl when they aged.
ť Now I'm afraid to go on bcp.
ť Delilah, I never had hl issues before peri. I think back to when I was
ť pregnant and I grew TONS of hair but I never noticed shedding after giving
ť birth. In fact, my hair stayed pretty thick until this nightmare.

Same for me Chris never an issue at all until menopause. I think you're best bet is either BCPs or HRT.

delilah is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

amy606

18.05.2008, 09:36

@ delilah
to jbkitty21
Post reply

If you have hair loss now, before taking any BCP, I would not use BCP at all. (Read the above post from the Hairsite admin.) I was in your shoes a few years ago, started the pill for birth control reasons only. At that time I had no hair loss issues. The pill triggered my hair loss (as well as several other health issues) which, 5 years later, I am still struggling with today. Women just don't seem to understand the implications of screwing around with your body's natural hormones. Taking synthetic hormones alters your body's own hormonal rythyms, which can have some unpleasant consequences. For most women, the pill works out well. For others, like myself, its a horror story. If you have hair loss before BCP, it could really make it a lot worse. Why risk it? There are other forms of birth control besides synthetic hormones. Definitely, the pill is the easiest, most hassle free birth control product, but personally, I'd rather a little inconvenience from the other birth control products out there, then to go through all I have because of those damn BCP. If you absolutely must take them, then take an antiandrogenic one like Yasmin. If I could go back and do it over again, I would never have started using them in the first place.

amy606 is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

JL

18.05.2008, 11:44

@ jbkitty21
new to this board--wanting to go on BC
Post reply

Hi jbkitty21,

I think the first thing to do is to find out WHY you're losing your hair. Then make your decision about BC.

Derms and ob/gyn's know nothing about hair loss. Go to an endo and have a complete female hormone and thyroid panel. And ask for a copy of the lab results. Don't just take their word for it that everything's normal. Four years of hair loss at your age isn't normal...it's a symptom of a problem.
Address that issue before starting drugs that will affect your hormones. I agree with amy606....screwing around with your hormones can have major implications.

JL is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO

jbkitty21 05.05.2008, 21:36	new to this board--wanting to go on BC (Birth Control Pills & Hair Loss) Post reply
	Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and I've never been on BC before (just condom use and such) but I'm in a serious relationship now and really wanna go on BC. I'm just very scared hearing all these stories and what could happen. See, even though I've never been on any hormonal BC, for the last 4 years I have been experiencing hair loss. Not sure why because I got blood work done and everything was normal (including my thyroid & hormones). Went to the derm. and she doesn't know what the problem is either. I went to the OBGYN and got Nuva Ring samples...cant use them till I get my next period but I'm afraid--not hearing good things about the ring. So I'm thinking maybe the pill would be best? But then again that seems to be bad for hair loss too. What would be the best choice for me? There are so many BC pills I dunno what to pick. And my OBGYN knew nothing about BCPs and hair loss of course. I told her I already have very thin hair that's still falling out and don't wanna contribute to it but she says she never heard of that side effect or its rare. If I were to experience hair loss from the PILL now as well as my other unknown condition, I'll be BALD! I don't know what to do..and I don't wanna use condoms and no IUD since I never had a kid. Any help would be so appreciated. SO my questions... Is there anyway a BC could HELP my current hair loss problem, maybe I have an underlying hormonal problem that wont come up in blood work? What would be best for me? High or low estrogen...or high/low androgen? All these terms confuse me. I was thinking Yaz? THANK YOU jbkitty21 is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
tazmepeg 05.05.2008, 22:50 @ jbkitty21	new to this board--wanting to go on BC Post reply
	When you got your hormones done, where they one the 3rd and 21st day of your menses? That is an important factor. You might want to see where your estrogen is at before you decide on what pill. I barely don't have any free testosterone in my body, and bcp will lower it even more. So I don't want to take a chance on losing more hair. You definetly want an anti-androgen. Yaz,yasmin and ovcon 35 are good choices. But on the bcp pamplet it states that if you have hereditary hair loss, then its best not to go on the pill, because it could do more damage. Personally, I wouldn't screw with my hormones. tazmepeg is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
delilah 06.05.2008, 18:13 @ jbkitty21	new to this board--wanting to go on BC Post reply
	ť Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and I've never been on BC before (just ť condom use and such) but I'm in a serious relationship now and really wanna ť go on BC. I'm just very scared hearing all these stories and what could ť happen. See, even though I've never been on any hormonal BC, for the last ť 4 years I have been experiencing hair loss. Not sure why because I got ť blood work done and everything was normal (including my thyroid & ť hormones). Went to the derm. and she doesn't know what the problem is ť either. ť ť I went to the OBGYN and got Nuva Ring samples...cant use them till I get ť my next period but I'm afraid--not hearing good things about the ring. So ť I'm thinking maybe the pill would be best? But then again that seems to be ť bad for hair loss too. ť ť What would be the best choice for me? There are so many BC pills I dunno ť what to pick. And my OBGYN knew nothing about BCPs and hair loss of ť course. I told her I already have very thin hair that's still falling out ť and don't wanna contribute to it but she says she never heard of that side ť effect or its rare. If I were to experience hair loss from the PILL now as ť well as my other unknown condition, I'll be BALD! I don't know what to ť do..and I don't wanna use condoms and no IUD since I never had a kid. Any ť help would be so appreciated. ť ť SO my questions... ť Is there anyway a BC could HELP my current hair loss problem, maybe I have ť an underlying hormonal problem that wont come up in blood work? ť What would be best for me? High or low estrogen...or high/low androgen? ť All these terms confuse me. ť I was thinking Yaz? ť ť THANK YOU Hi Do NOT use the Nuva Ring it's definitely not good for someone experiencing HL. Probably the best bet for your hair would be Yasmin. delilah is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
Chris 15.05.2008, 08:38 @ tazmepeg	to tazmepeg... Post reply
	I read your post about how going on a bcp will lower your Free T even more, causing more hl. I was just reading in Dr. Redmond's book that it's the estrogen, not T that grows hair. My Free T is extremely low too and I'm thinking my estrogen is as well. However, I guess the only way to get estrogen up is bcp. Where did you hear/read that bcp will lower Free T? I'm trying to figure out if I need to start bcp. This is all so confusing!!! Chris is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
HairSite Admin 15.05.2008, 09:01 @ jbkitty21	new to this board--wanting to go on BC Post reply
	A birth control pill with low androgen activity is the best option for you. It prevents both conception and hair loss. Some of the pills with low androgen activity are - YasminŽ, DemulenŽ 1/50, Othro-Tri CyclenŽ, Ortho-CyclenŽ,BreviconŽ, ModiconŽ, NeconŽ, MircetteŽ ť Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and I've never been on BC before (just ť condom use and such) but I'm in a serious relationship now and really wanna ť go on BC. I'm just very scared hearing all these stories and what could ť happen. See, even though I've never been on any hormonal BC, for the last ť 4 years I have been experiencing hair loss. Not sure why because I got ť blood work done and everything was normal (including my thyroid & ť hormones). Went to the derm. and she doesn't know what the problem is ť either. ť ť I went to the OBGYN and got Nuva Ring samples...cant use them till I get ť my next period but I'm afraid--not hearing good things about the ring. So ť I'm thinking maybe the pill would be best? But then again that seems to be ť bad for hair loss too. ť ť What would be the best choice for me? There are so many BC pills I dunno ť what to pick. And my OBGYN knew nothing about BCPs and hair loss of ť course. I told her I already have very thin hair that's still falling out ť and don't wanna contribute to it but she says she never heard of that side ť effect or its rare. If I were to experience hair loss from the PILL now as ť well as my other unknown condition, I'll be BALD! I don't know what to ť do..and I don't wanna use condoms and no IUD since I never had a kid. Any ť help would be so appreciated. ť ť SO my questions... ť Is there anyway a BC could HELP my current hair loss problem, maybe I have ť an underlying hormonal problem that wont come up in blood work? ť What would be best for me? High or low estrogen...or high/low androgen? ť All these terms confuse me. ť I was thinking Yaz? ť ť THANK YOU HairSite Admin is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO --- I offer research assistance for HairSite. email: hairsite@aol.com for free consultations ===================================== reminder: 1. FREE Hair Replacement System Worldwide
tazmepeg 15.05.2008, 10:18 @ Chris	to tazmepeg... Post reply
	ť I read your post about how going on a bcp will lower your Free T even more, ť causing more hl. I was just reading in Dr. Redmond's book that it's the ť estrogen, not T that grows hair. My Free T is extremely low too and I'm ť thinking my estrogen is as well. However, I guess the only way to get ť estrogen up is bcp. Where did you hear/read that bcp will lower Free T? ť I'm trying to figure out if I need to start bcp. This is all so ť confusing!!! Chris, I have been on so many websites and read so many posts, that I can't remember where i've seen it. I just recently read blood results from another poster and her bcp lowered her free t alot. But she was high in that. I'm not trying to scare you not to go on bcp, but it could be very well that it just might help. If you do go on it, please keep me posted! I would like to know if it helps and then maybe I can try it. tazmepeg is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
delilah 15.05.2008, 11:24 @ Chris	to tazmepeg... Post reply
	ť I read your post about how going on a bcp will lower your Free T even more, ť causing more hl. I was just reading in Dr. Redmond's book that it's the ť estrogen, not T that grows hair. My Free T is extremely low too and I'm ť thinking my estrogen is as well. However, I guess the only way to get ť estrogen up is bcp. Where did you hear/read that bcp will lower Free T? ť I'm trying to figure out if I need to start bcp. This is all so ť confusing!!! Chris it depends at what stage you are in life. If you had no problems prior to perimenopause than your issues could solely be estrogen. Tazmepeg I believe is premenopausal and could have totally different issues that won't necessarily be solved with just BCPs or HRT. I don't remember if you said if you had HL problems prior to peri or not. In my case my problems didn't start until after menopause. delilah is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
Chris 15.05.2008, 14:53 @ HairSite Admin	to taz, and delilah... Post reply
	Thanks for your info! Taz, I'm not sure if my hl is hereditary or not. Is it considered hereditary if even just one grandparent was balding? I would imagine that everyone has had someone in past generations who had hl when they aged. Now I'm afraid to go on bcp. Delilah, I never had hl issues before peri. I think back to when I was pregnant and I grew TONS of hair but I never noticed shedding after giving birth. In fact, my hair stayed pretty thick until this nightmare. Chris is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
Chris 15.05.2008, 14:55 @ Chris	to jbkitty21... Post reply
	I'm sorry to have taken over your post. Hopefully Taz was able to answer your question. I'm learning about bcp too. Good luck to you! Chris is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
delilah 15.05.2008, 17:21 @ Chris	to taz, and delilah... Post reply
	ť Thanks for your info! ť Taz, I'm not sure if my hl is hereditary or not. Is it considered ť hereditary if even just one grandparent was balding? I would imagine that ť everyone has had someone in past generations who had hl when they aged. ť Now I'm afraid to go on bcp. ť Delilah, I never had hl issues before peri. I think back to when I was ť pregnant and I grew TONS of hair but I never noticed shedding after giving ť birth. In fact, my hair stayed pretty thick until this nightmare. Same for me Chris never an issue at all until menopause. I think you're best bet is either BCPs or HRT. delilah is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
amy606 18.05.2008, 09:36 @ delilah	to jbkitty21 Post reply
	If you have hair loss now, before taking any BCP, I would not use BCP at all. (Read the above post from the Hairsite admin.) I was in your shoes a few years ago, started the pill for birth control reasons only. At that time I had no hair loss issues. The pill triggered my hair loss (as well as several other health issues) which, 5 years later, I am still struggling with today. Women just don't seem to understand the implications of screwing around with your body's natural hormones. Taking synthetic hormones alters your body's own hormonal rythyms, which can have some unpleasant consequences. For most women, the pill works out well. For others, like myself, its a horror story. If you have hair loss before BCP, it could really make it a lot worse. Why risk it? There are other forms of birth control besides synthetic hormones. Definitely, the pill is the easiest, most hassle free birth control product, but personally, I'd rather a little inconvenience from the other birth control products out there, then to go through all I have because of those damn BCP. If you absolutely must take them, then take an antiandrogenic one like Yasmin. If I could go back and do it over again, I would never have started using them in the first place. amy606 is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO
JL 18.05.2008, 11:44 @ jbkitty21	new to this board--wanting to go on BC Post reply
	Hi jbkitty21, I think the first thing to do is to find out WHY you're losing your hair. Then make your decision about BC. Derms and ob/gyn's know nothing about hair loss. Go to an endo and have a complete female hormone and thyroid panel. And ask for a copy of the lab results. Don't just take their word for it that everything's normal. Four years of hair loss at your age isn't normal...it's a symptom of a problem. Address that issue before starting drugs that will affect your hormones. I agree with amy606....screwing around with your hormones can have major implications. JL is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO