I am 25 years old and had a medical abortion (by pill) in June, 2013. I have had a rough first half of the year in 2013. A week after the abortion, my doctor suggested that I go on birth control. I was on it for a week before I noticed the dramatic hair loss and stopped the birth control.

A month after the initial notice of the hair loss, I found a quarter-size bald patch around the right top-side of my head. Since then, I have dramatically lost about 3/4 of my hair. I used to have long, thick and wavy black hair; I was known for having too much hair – wish I can say the same thing now. I had all type of blood tests done and all came back negative. A handful of doctors I visited diagnosed it to be related to stress.

I have been on prenatal vitamins for a month, Vitamin B Supplements and Biotin for about two months. I can feel little stubs on my scalp, and I would like to think it’s new hair coming out. It could be “bad” break-offs of the existing hair, but honestly, what I would like to say is that you must remain positive. I sometimes falter and become depressed with my hair loss. But life can really be much worse. Count your blessings and remain positive. Take care of yourself.

I continue to pray daily for my hair to grow back and hope that it will. However, if it doesn’t, then life goes on. And if you are afraid people will “dislike” you because of your hair, then you don’t want that person in your life anyways.

You are already very strong in facing this challenge in your life. I’ll pray for all of you. Good luck!

Anyway, I’ve been totally distraught by this and am looking for any advice. I’ve seen my gyno and she did typical blood work (all “normal”) – although my ferritin is 28. I’m going to a derm in 2 weeks but not sure how much help they will be.

I have had TE in the past related to stress that all grew back, so it’s possible it’s stress, or stress and hormones combined!

I wanted to make some suggestions here although I am still currently dealing with thinning hair. I am 36 years old. My hair began to thin a few years ago – I had a thick head full of fine-stranded, wavy hair – and now the texture has changed and it’s very dry, still some waves…but the strands are thicker, not fine anymore. I’ve definitely noticed a huge change although when I comment to friends and family, they say it still looks “full”. I can see my scalp, especially under certain lights and I know for a fact it is thinning, I can see more scalp in the top crown area.

I had an abortion a couple months ago and was shedding heavily after. Prior to that, a few years ago, I went through a devastating heartbreak which I feel was the true catalyst for the hair loss. I would cry, feel anxiety many times through the month for my ex-love, although I was fully functional on the outside world.

Now, presently, I’ve got a wonderful boyfriend, generally feel happy regardless of the thinning hair and one of the biggest things besides nutrition (please read what I say about the nutrition thing below – I think it’s huge) is to THINK POSITIVELY because you are causing yourself more stress and more damage with the anxiety. Tell yourself you are BEAUTIFUL no matter what and ACT like you are beautiful through your actions – whether volunteering, helping someone, smiling, being productive in your life – these things will give you GREAT value and allow you to feel proud of yourself. I have seen overweight girls who get all the attention over model skinny ones because of their personalities and confidence. It may be incredibly challenging but it’s important.

As far as nutrition, too much flour/sugar/processed foods causes inflammation through one’s body, including the scalp. I cut wheat out of my body, cut out sugar (ooo..it’s so hard!) and there is a HUGE difference overall. I once had what Dr.’s would call IBS (which means they don’t understand what the hell it is I have – I can’t stand these “general” medical terms…the quality of healthcare is TERRIBLE these days) – constipation and sometimes the opposite – had no idea what was going on. I went to get an allergy panel done and found out I was wheat intolerant. You might want to find out what food items you are allergic too because if your body is fighting the chemicals in these foods, it might mean it’s getting rid of hair to focus all of its energy on attacking other things that are bad for you – so caring for your hair is the lowest priority unfortunately. More and more people are finding out that there is a huge issue with the foods grown in our country – especially the processed ones. Supplements like Biotin might help too – as well as iron. Right now, my skin has cleared up amazingly, my stomach doesn’t have issues anymore (miracle!! For years I suffered!) however, I’m still dealing with the thinning hair which I feel can be worked out eventually (I just had the medical abortion a couple months ago). As one of the past posters mention, I use organic shampoo/hair products without SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and other chemicals that might cause irritation to the scalp (my favorite brand is Giovani – esp with tea tree oil). It’s not going to happen overnight. Exercise – meditate – focus. Eat healthy, treat your body right…..keep peace in your mind that your hair WILL grow back but it’s a slow process. I eat organic fruit, eggs, FISH (4,000mg of Fish Oil a day too! Does the skin and scalp great), salads…tons of veggies. You will not only make your body sooo happy with wholesome foods – but you will seriously FEEL happier and more energy.

ALSO, something to keep in mind. Plastic bottles, mercury fillings (I had mine removed this year), soy – ALL of these things can effect the hormones because they mimic estrogen (well, mercury is another story; it’s horrible and can cause thyroid issues). You might want to look into these things as well. I use a water filter from the sink (no more parabens in the plastic) and it doesn’t pollute as much.

It’s a HUGE lifestyle change. But you can do it. And just remember how beautiful you are NO MATTER WHAT.

All the best to you ladies…thanks for sharing your personal stories.
Christine

I am Claudia, In Dec, 2011 i went through an abortion by taking a pill. I also was going through alot of stress at the same time besides just the pregnancy and abortion. I failed to notice at that time that i was shedding alot of hair. By April, 2012 i noticed that not only did i lose alot of hair i had started balding. I then noticed that the hair on the crown of my head had got really really thin and i had started balding. I have had thin hair before but after this event it was noticeable. I have now started seeing this doctor who has prescribed me medicines and also suggested me a diet. I wanted to know after how long after an abortion and hair loss can i expect my hair to be like before. I have been feeling awful the past couple of weeks and i am not a person who has patience to be on a long term treatment. Can anyone please give me some suggestions….

sonia

This whole morning at work, i couldn’t concentrate but to scalp and comb through the website for any information on hair loss. Luckily i came across your discussion here and felt much more relaxed to know that there is hope. i like to thank you all for your contribution.

Have a happy, healthy and beautiful 2012!

hugs!

I have similar problem with my hair loss, I am 25 and I have been loosing my hair steadily over the course of the past 2 years. I know that there was enough stress in my life during that time and it clearly didn’t help.
I went to the doctor and did some blood work to see if I have thyroid issue and the results came back negative. I actually got slightly upset because I thought positive results would at least mean a solution to the problem. My doctor said that the hair loss is due do the stress and the hair will come back in a year but I just don’t believe that. My hair is SUPER oily, it has been quite oily all my life but now it’s just too much. When I touch my scalp I can also feel those little tiny clumps which make me think I have an excessive seborrhea, it clogs up my follicles and causes the problem. I am currently doing a hair light therapy but I am also willing to go 100 doctors if I have to permanently fix the problem.
I was wondering who you ended up getting help from in Boston after Dr Goldberg? Or was she the final MD to help you and do the biopsy? I did a lot of research online and I cant find a single doctor hair loss specialist in Boston!

Thank you very much for your help. I am so happy I found this website, I hope everyone is staying strong.
Nikkie