Comments on: Jeni’s Hair Loss Story http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/ A Community For Women Dealing With Hair Loss - Help, Hope and Understanding Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:10:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Rhonda http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-18890 Rhonda Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:29:05 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-18890 I think my iron supplement has definately helped me. I use a prescription form which doesn't have the intestinal side effects of the over the counter iron. I am not sure what my actual current number is. My doctor regulates it, and either says it is fine or on the low side. She orininally had me taking it 3 times a day, but has now cut me down to once. I think I will check on the actual number to see if it is just on the low side of normal or high. Right now I am going through a terrible shed. I had my second child 4 months ago. I lost most of my hair after the birth of my first child. Starting around 3 months. I had to wear a wig for over a year. I was told at that time that I was anemic. I took iron throughout my last pregnancy and was hoping I would not lose my hair again since I was on the supplement. I have been shedding for one month now, but am still hopeful that it won't be as bad as last time. You can see my scalp at this time, but I am good with styling my hair so hopefully most people don't notice. I went ahead and ordered a wig since my sister is getting married in Sept. and I don't know if my hair will have stabilized by that point or not. I also have female pattern balding which is unrelated to my current shed. The little hair I have on the sides of my head does not grow past about 2 1/2" . I wondered if Rogaine would increase the growing cycle of these hairs or not. I am really tempted to try it, but I am undecided if I want a third child or not and don't think I would chance taking Rogaine durning a pregnancy. Has anyone taken Rogaine and then stopped to have a child and then come back on? Also, I was wondering if there could be a connection between hairloss and Chron's disease which I was diagnosed with about 7 years ago. I have to undergo colonoscopies about every other year. I have wondered if the anethesia they use could contribute to hairloss. I am suppose to have another one soon, but have been putting it off. I have found reading other women's stories so helpful. I think women's hairloss is not treated as seriously by the medical community as it should be. I think my iron supplement has definately helped me. I use a prescription form which doesn’t have the intestinal side effects of the over the counter iron. I am not sure what my actual current number is. My doctor regulates it, and either says it is fine or on the low side. She orininally had me taking it 3 times a day, but has now cut me down to once. I think I will check on the actual number to see if it is just on the low side of normal or high. Right now I am going through a terrible shed. I had my second child 4 months ago. I lost most of my hair after the birth of my first child. Starting around 3 months. I had to wear a wig for over a year. I was told at that time that I was anemic. I took iron throughout my last pregnancy and was hoping I would not lose my hair again since I was on the supplement. I have been shedding for one month now, but am still hopeful that it won’t be as bad as last time. You can see my scalp at this time, but I am good with styling my hair so hopefully most people don’t notice. I went ahead and ordered a wig since my sister is getting married in Sept. and I don’t know if my hair will have stabilized by that point or not. I also have female pattern balding which is unrelated to my current shed. The little hair I have on the sides of my head does not grow past about 2 1/2″ . I wondered if Rogaine would increase the growing cycle of these hairs or not. I am really tempted to try it, but I am undecided if I want a third child or not and don’t think I would chance taking Rogaine durning a pregnancy. Has anyone taken Rogaine and then stopped to have a child and then come back on? Also, I was wondering if there could be a connection between hairloss and Chron’s disease which I was diagnosed with about 7 years ago. I have to undergo colonoscopies about every other year. I have wondered if the anethesia they use could contribute to hairloss. I am suppose to have another one soon, but have been putting it off. I have found reading other women’s stories so helpful. I think women’s hairloss is not treated as seriously by the medical community as it should be.

]]> By: miriam fauth http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-16456 miriam fauth Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:51:02 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-16456 hello, it helps to read other womens stories, as it is consuming and tiring, watching hair fall out, noticing my scalp showing through, feeling rain hit directly onto my scalp,picking hairs off my arms all day.......and people will say, "your hair looks ok ", or "if you were really losing hair you would be bald by now " I have had hairloss for nearly 4 years, and i do think about it all day, but i try not to. not knowing what is causing it is what causes most stress, and i do believe stress adds to the spiral of not recovering. i have not tried anything topical as i firmly believe what needs balancing is something internal.(apart from natural herb shampoos ) i do believe docs in the field do cash in on our emotional states. but , there is some good advice, Dr Kingsley first made me aware of ferritin levels, and it should be 70. dr tony pearce in australia (i did an online consult)does very detailed blood work (even though he found nothing with mine), made me aware of copper levels. i really want to learn more about adrenal fatigue. so , do we just deal with it, thank God for everyday we still have hair, and thank God for what we are learning through this . I try to. It is supportive, for us to read eachothers stories, i know that. from miriam hello, it helps to read other womens stories, as it is consuming and tiring, watching hair fall out, noticing my scalp showing through, feeling rain hit directly onto my scalp,picking hairs off my arms all day…….and people will say, “your hair looks ok “, or “if you were really losing hair you would be bald by now ”

I have had hairloss for nearly 4 years, and i do think about it all day, but i try not to.
not knowing what is causing it is what causes most stress, and i do believe stress adds to the spiral of not recovering.
i have not tried anything topical as i firmly believe what needs balancing is something internal.(apart from natural herb shampoos )
i do believe docs in the field do cash in on our emotional states.
but , there is some good advice, Dr Kingsley first made me aware of ferritin levels, and it should be 70.
dr tony pearce in australia (i did an online consult)does very detailed blood work (even though he found nothing with mine), made me aware of copper levels.
i really want to learn more about adrenal fatigue.
so , do we just deal with it, thank God for everyday we still have hair, and thank God for what we are learning through this .
I try to.
It is supportive, for us to read eachothers stories, i know that.
from miriam

]]> By: amy http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-16016 amy Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:03:59 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-16016 Hi, I just turned 40 and noticed my hair shedding every where. I just wonder if hormome changes can do this to hair? Hi,
I just turned 40 and noticed my hair shedding every where. I just wonder if hormome changes can do this to hair?

]]> By: maria http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-5347 maria Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:22:52 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-5347 hi ive been loosing my hair for 19months now. about four months ago i went to see a derm and i had a biopsy done the results say that i have consistant telogen effluvium. does that mean chronic te? well my hair is still falling very weak and easly blucked. i uesed to have a head full of hair and now i barely have hair left. i cant straightened my hair like i used to cause it's so very thin. iam so depressed about this iam very scared of going bald, im not far from it at all. ive been using rogaine for five months now but no results my derm also percribed me shampoo with steroids but no help. is there anyone who suffured from te and grow their hair back?? hi ive been loosing my hair for 19months now. about four months ago i went to see a derm and i had a biopsy done the results say that i have consistant telogen effluvium. does that mean chronic te? well my hair is still falling very weak and easly blucked. i uesed to have a head full of hair and now i barely have hair left. i cant straightened my hair like i used to cause it’s so very thin. iam so depressed about this iam very scared of going bald, im not far from it at all. ive been using rogaine for five months now but no results my derm also percribed me shampoo with steroids but no help. is there anyone who suffured from te and grow their hair back??

]]> By: Jackie http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-3816 Jackie Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:00:09 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-3816 Wow, reading this really hit 'home.' I also am originally from San Francisco where I always had long, thick, beautiful blonde hair. When I moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago, I noticed it really beginning to shed. At the first place I lived, I remember huge clumps coming out in the shower; it was truly terrifying. I thought that it must be the water there, but at my second place, same thing. I lived in the [San Fernando] valley for a while and it seemed to be a bit better for my hair. I had also started smoking and drinking coffee regularly around this time and thought that this may be the culprit, but when I quite smoking, my hair loss actually got worse temporarily, probably from stress. Then I quit drinking coffee as I thought that may finally be it, but still no noticeable change. I always collected a 'ball' of hair when I left the shower, and I could feel it running down my ankles when I rinsed my hair. There was always tons of hair on my bathroom floor and on my rugs; I cleaned it up all the time, but between myself and my Persian cat, I went thought quite a few vacuums! Luckily, I genetically have a lot of hair, so I was never bald, I just had about 2/3 of the amount of hair I had when I was younger. When I braid my hair, all the hair I’m am working with is about the size of the one of the three sectioned pieces that I used to have, if that makes sense. My family members all talk about how different my hair was when I was younger, and I actually don’t mind that, because at least I know I am not imagining it! I have much less volume to my hair now, and when I wear it long, it becomes very stringy. I have had all my blood work done and it always comes back normal, the thyroid tests always came back negative and my basal temperature is always normal. I had pain on my left lower abdomen once a couple years ago, and when I went in to my gynecologist, they discovered that I had ovarian cysts, but they did not diagnose me with PCOS, they just put me on birth control pills. I felt afraid to take them because my mother had developed blood clots from taking them in the 70's even though this was from a much higher dose of estrogen. Also, I wanted to see if I could get my body working normally first. I went back to the PCOS specialist for some follow up blood work, but this was all very expensive because of high insurance deductibles…needless to say my tests have not ever been completed, partly because the only cure they were offering me was to take the pill, and also because they did not think I had PCOS to begin with. I have always been really slender and I have good skin (thank goodness!) so I do not fit the profile of someone with a major hormonal disturbance. I just had the hair shedding problem and a slight heart arrhythmia from drinking too much coffee, so that may or may not have anything to do with hormone levels anyway. Where I'm at now is: I eat a mostly raw food diet and don't drink coffee for the heart murmer, just green and black tea which is much milder. I’ve read that a mostly raw food can help almost any body imbalance, so I practice this but I do not eat raw vegan per say----I also consume some cooked animal protein and raw dairy. The result is that I feel much happier, healthier, and far less depressed than I used to, and I do shed less, but I still do not have glorious head of hair I once had. I just began to use a sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) free shampoo to see if that works, but no major difference yet. I tried taking saw palmetto but that made me dizzy. This ’hair quest’ is all very time consuming, and I go in and out of reading about it---I just came across this site. What I'd really like is to move on---with a full head of hair! I just want a long reasonably thick braid down my back of my natural, God-given hair. I'm hoping that isn't too much too ask! I will keep everyone posted on my progress. Some things I'd like to do is: visit a dermatologist once and for all, just to see if my hair pull is normal if I have time (but I do NOT want to take Rogaine!) finish getting my blood work done, (but I DO NOT want to take birth control) continue with my mostly raw food diet, continue to drink less caffeine, continue to be happy and productive in other ways in my life (this is the first time I've blogged about my hair journey!) continue to exercise and keep a positive attitude that my hair will become thicker again! I'll post again in about four months and let you all know how I'm doing! Wow, reading this really hit ‘home.’ I also am originally from San Francisco where I always had long, thick, beautiful blonde hair. When I moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago, I noticed it really beginning to shed. At the first place I lived, I remember huge clumps coming out in the shower; it was truly terrifying. I thought that it must be the water there, but at my second place, same thing. I lived in the [San Fernando] valley for a while and it seemed to be a bit better for my hair. I had also started smoking and drinking coffee regularly around this time and thought that this may be the culprit, but when I quite smoking, my hair loss actually got worse temporarily, probably from stress. Then I quit drinking coffee as I thought that may finally be it, but still no noticeable change. I always collected a ‘ball’ of hair when I left the shower, and I could feel it running down my ankles when I rinsed my hair. There was always tons of hair on my bathroom floor and on my rugs; I cleaned it up all the time, but between myself and my Persian cat, I went thought quite a few vacuums! Luckily, I genetically have a lot of hair, so I was never bald, I just had about 2/3 of the amount of hair I had when I was younger. When I braid my hair, all the hair I’m am working with is about the size of the one of the three sectioned pieces that I used to have, if that makes sense. My family members all talk about how different my hair was when I was younger, and I actually don’t mind that, because at least I know I am not imagining it! I have much less volume to my hair now, and when I wear it long, it becomes very stringy. I have had all my blood work done and it always comes back normal, the thyroid tests always came back negative and my basal temperature is always normal. I had pain on my left lower abdomen once a couple years ago, and when I went in to my gynecologist, they discovered that I had ovarian cysts, but they did not diagnose me with PCOS, they just put me on birth control pills. I felt afraid to take them because my mother had developed blood clots from taking them in the 70’s even though this was from a much higher dose of estrogen. Also, I wanted to see if I could get my body working normally first. I went back to the PCOS specialist for some follow up blood work, but this was all very expensive because of high insurance deductibles…needless to say my tests have not ever been completed, partly because the only cure they were offering me was to take the pill, and also because they did not think I had PCOS to begin with. I have always been really slender and I have good skin (thank goodness!) so I do not fit the profile of someone with a major hormonal disturbance. I just had the hair shedding problem and a slight heart arrhythmia from drinking too much coffee, so that may or may not have anything to do with hormone levels anyway.

Where I’m at now is: I eat a mostly raw food diet and don’t drink coffee for the heart murmer, just green and black tea which is much milder. I’ve read that a mostly raw food can help almost any body imbalance, so I practice this but I do not eat raw vegan per say—-I also consume some cooked animal protein and raw dairy. The result is that I feel much happier, healthier, and far less depressed than I used to, and I do shed less, but I still do not have glorious head of hair I once had. I just began to use a sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) free shampoo to see if that works, but no major difference yet. I tried taking saw palmetto but that made me dizzy. This ’hair quest’ is all very time consuming, and I go in and out of reading about it—I just came across this site. What I’d really like is to move on—with a full head of hair! I just want a long reasonably thick braid down my back of my natural, God-given hair. I’m hoping that isn’t too much too ask! I will keep everyone posted on my progress. Some things I’d like to do is: visit a dermatologist once and for all, just to see if my hair pull is normal if I have time (but I do NOT want to take Rogaine!) finish getting my blood work done, (but I DO NOT want to take birth control) continue with my mostly raw food diet, continue to drink less caffeine, continue to be happy and productive in other ways in my life (this is the first time I’ve blogged about my hair journey!) continue to exercise and keep a positive attitude that my hair will become thicker again! I’ll post again in about four months and let you all know how I’m doing!

]]> By: Dottie http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-2156 Dottie Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:38:20 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-2156 Alice, The first research article I ever read on ferritin levels and alopecia in women was in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Here is the link if you would like to take a look at it yourself. http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v121/n5/full/5602007a.html I was impressed by how the researchers went about screening the study participants and generally how thorough they were in their investigation. The researchers found that women with AGA and TE have ferritin levels which fell "on the low side", even though they were within "normal" levels. This article lead me to look even further for answers. Several articles later I noticed that many researchers were recommending 70 as the minimum for hair regrowth. Then I found an Australian trichologist who recommends higher levels. Here is his website. http://www.hairlossclinic.com.au/ Check out the articles on his site. He gives great recommendations for length of treatment, etc. I would never hesitate to take copies of articles in to my physician to educate them along with myself. If you still aren't getting the answers that you want, by all means get a second opinion! I think it is wonderful that you are being proactive in preventing further hair loss! I ended up having to take a photo of myself in high school (my profile photo) in to my doc to get him to understand that this is NOT the hair that I was born with. Blessings Alice,
The first research article I ever read on ferritin levels and alopecia in women was in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Here is the link if you would like to take a look at it yourself.

http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v121/n5/full/5602007a.html

I was impressed by how the researchers went about screening the study participants and generally how thorough they were in their investigation. The researchers found that women with AGA and TE have ferritin levels which fell “on the low side”, even though they were within “normal” levels. This article lead me to look even further for answers. Several articles later I noticed that many researchers were recommending 70 as the minimum for hair regrowth. Then I found an Australian trichologist who recommends higher levels. Here is his website.

http://www.hairlossclinic.com.au/

Check out the articles on his site. He gives great recommendations for length of treatment, etc. I would never hesitate to take copies of articles in to my physician to educate them along with myself. If you still aren’t getting the answers that you want, by all means get a second opinion!

I think it is wonderful that you are being proactive in preventing further hair loss! I ended up having to take a photo of myself in high school (my profile photo) in to my doc to get him to understand that this is NOT the hair that I was born with.

Blessings

]]> By: Alice http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-2114 Alice Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:08:41 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-2114 Hi Dottie, Where did you hear about needing a ferritin level of at least 70 for regrowth to occur? Do you know how reliable this info is? When I went to the doctor about my hair loss (which I should add, I feel I am tackling early) they seemed quite nonplussed - I guess because I haven't got big bald spots (but as you'll all know, a woman knows when her hair is thinning). They sent me for an iron test and my ferritin level was 9, and I was surprised that the doctor was so laid back about it. I know 20 is the very minimum but he simply said 9 was 'on the low side.' It seemed very low to me! He gave me 200mg iron supplements to take once a day and told me to take them for 2 months. He didn't tell me to come back for a repeat blood test to check for improvement, just said - come back if you're still worried. From what I understand, regrowth can take a lot more than 2 months, and if it's true that ferritin needs to be around 70 for this to occur, I have a long way to go. Now I'm not sure whether to continue taking the tablets beyond the 2 month period, or maybe go back to consult with another doctor. Does anyone have any advice?! To be honest I'm not convinced the iron is what's causing my hair to thin - I fear it may just be genetic and I'm fighting a losing battle. Hi Dottie,
Where did you hear about needing a ferritin level of at least 70 for regrowth to occur? Do you know how reliable this info is?
When I went to the doctor about my hair loss (which I should add, I feel I am tackling early) they seemed quite nonplussed - I guess because I haven’t got big bald spots (but as you’ll all know, a woman knows when her hair is thinning).
They sent me for an iron test and my ferritin level was 9, and I was surprised that the doctor was so laid back about it. I know 20 is the very minimum but he simply said 9 was ‘on the low side.’ It seemed very low to me!
He gave me 200mg iron supplements to take once a day and told me to take them for 2 months. He didn’t tell me to come back for a repeat blood test to check for improvement, just said - come back if you’re still worried.
From what I understand, regrowth can take a lot more than 2 months, and if it’s true that ferritin needs to be around 70 for this to occur, I have a long way to go.
Now I’m not sure whether to continue taking the tablets beyond the 2 month period, or maybe go back to consult with another doctor. Does anyone have any advice?!
To be honest I’m not convinced the iron is what’s causing my hair to thin - I fear it may just be genetic and I’m fighting a losing battle.

]]> By: Dottie http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-2063 Dottie Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:13:22 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-2063 Spirit, I have also been reading the research on ferritin levels and hair loss. I have actually read some reports that say that 70 is the minimum ferritin level for women trying to achieve regrowth, and heard from a trichologist that 125 would be optimum. The same trichologist also said that in the first 3-4 months of iron supplementation that it would not be unusual for your ferritin levels to drop even lower as your bone marrow begins to grab up all the newly available iron on your system. I think 6 months to a year was what he said it could take before you have a noticeable difference in your ferritin levels. I think that you should stick with the dosage that you are currently taking and give it a little more time. Getting from 18 to 40 in a few months is wonderful! You're on the right path. Spirit,
I have also been reading the research on ferritin levels and hair loss. I have actually read some reports that say that 70 is the minimum ferritin level for women trying to achieve regrowth, and heard from a trichologist that 125 would be optimum. The same trichologist also said that in the first 3-4 months of iron supplementation that it would not be unusual for your ferritin levels to drop even lower as your bone marrow begins to grab up all the newly available iron on your system. I think 6 months to a year was what he said it could take before you have a noticeable difference in your ferritin levels. I think that you should stick with the dosage that you are currently taking and give it a little more time. Getting from 18 to 40 in a few months is wonderful! You’re on the right path.

]]> By: SPIRIT DEMERSON http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-1942 SPIRIT DEMERSON Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:41:58 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-1942 From what I have read, in cases where low serum ferrutin (below 40)is a culprit in hair loss and thinning, serum ferrutin has to get up between 50 and 80 to trigger regrowth. That's really hard when you're starting from 18 like I am. I take three slowfe iron pills a day and at last check I was only up to 40 after a few months of religious pill popping. I need to get my iron way up and it needs to stay there if I'm going to regrow hair but I fear it's not safe to take too many iron pills so I'm hoping the 3 a day will get me higher and maintain a higher level for a while. I have also been using the laser comb as directed for almost a year now. I didn't see results from that alone so I added a strong minoxidil solution to the routine about 6 months ago. Still no regrowth. According to my derm, my scalp biopsy showed that I am "genetically predisposed" to alopecia but I don't know what that means. I know the women on my dads side tend to go almost bald between the ages of 30 and 50. I think if I have the genetic predisposition, I'd better make sure I do everything I can to fight or delay the inevitable. It's frustrating and expensive and impossible to know if anything is really working or not but at least I'm trying! I also think the nuvaring is bad if only because in my case, I had lots of breakthrough bleeding and long periods which would result in losing iron...hormonally I'm not sure what it does. From what I have read, in cases where low serum ferrutin (below 40)is a culprit in hair loss and thinning, serum ferrutin has to get up between 50 and 80 to trigger regrowth. That’s really hard when you’re starting from 18 like I am. I take three slowfe iron pills a day and at last check I was only up to 40 after a few months of religious pill popping. I need to get my iron way up and it needs to stay there if I’m going to regrow hair but I fear it’s not safe to take too many iron pills so I’m hoping the 3 a day will get me higher and maintain a higher level for a while. I have also been using the laser comb as directed for almost a year now. I didn’t see results from that alone so I added a strong minoxidil solution to the routine about 6 months ago. Still no regrowth. According to my derm, my scalp biopsy showed that I am “genetically predisposed” to alopecia but I don’t know what that means. I know the women on my dads side tend to go almost bald between the ages of 30 and 50. I think if I have the genetic predisposition, I’d better make sure I do everything I can to fight or delay the inevitable. It’s frustrating and expensive and impossible to know if anything is really working or not but at least I’m trying! I also think the nuvaring is bad if only because in my case, I had lots of breakthrough bleeding and long periods which would result in losing iron…hormonally I’m not sure what it does.

]]> By: Robin Flamish http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/jenis-hair-loss-story/#comment-309 Robin Flamish Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:26:18 +0000 http://74.53.155.19/?p=67#comment-309 Anne, I had to jump back on and say "YOU GO GIRL" the holistic doctors are the best approach... I say try this first, then go to the others. Holistic doctors arent all about prescriptions .... I admire you and Dito every thing you said! Love Robin Anne,
I had to jump back on and say “YOU GO GIRL” the holistic doctors are the best approach… I say try this first, then go to the others. Holistic doctors arent all about prescriptions …. I admire you and Dito every thing you said! Love Robin

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