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LarsMal
06-24-2011, 10:23 AM
I know stressing won't help...my hair is falling out like crazy- again!

It's not quite as bad as the horrible pp shed I had aftet C, but almost. I have a lot of hair, and I've always been a shedder, but this seems excessive. It's the first time I've been worried.

DV bother me, but I started taking a couple of the kids' daily chewy ones to get some extra vitamins, hoping they are gentler on my body. I don't know if it's more my diet or something else. I don't eat eggs because of L's allergies, but I might need to find a way to add them back in. I don't eat much fish either. It seemed that all the foods listed as good for hair health are not big in my diet.

Could thyroid affect this? Should I see a doctor and get bloodwork done? I'm not losing handfuls of hair, but it's just strand after strand all.day.long. More when I shower and brush it.

TxCat
06-24-2011, 10:53 AM
Thyroid can definitely do this. If you are worried, it's worth getting checked out (you are the best judge of what is "normal" for you). Not sure how old you are, but your hair will thin more with age as well, and often at ages younger than people think. Usually it's a gradual process, but it still can be surprising when it happens. The other things that come to mind are changes in diet or weight, besides stress which you already mentioned.

marymoo86
06-24-2011, 10:55 AM
this is me too - i thought it was the shedding cycle since giving birth but it seems to keep going on and on

still taking prenatals (with fish oil) and calcium supplement - no dietary restrictions for allergies so don't know why this is still happening :(

LarsMal
06-24-2011, 11:30 AM
Thyroid can definitely do this. If you are worried, it's worth getting checked out (you are the best judge of what is "normal" for you). Not sure how old you are, but your hair will thin more with age as well, and often at ages younger than people think. Usually it's a gradual process, but it still can be surprising when it happens. The other things that come to mind are changes in diet or weight, besides stress which you already mentioned.

I just turned 34. I thought maybe age and possibly summer heat (do we shed like animals ;) ). I guess it wouldn't hurt to get my blood checked anyway. I haven't had it done since I was pg with C.

wendibird22
06-24-2011, 01:24 PM
I had increased shedding when using Mirena and have read of women losing a lot of hair with Mirena. Don't know what, if any, BC you are using.

npace19147
06-24-2011, 01:34 PM
I have this too, got my thyroid checked and nothing. I just seem to shed a lot since DD2. Annoying but it seems to be status quo for me.

ThreeofUs
06-24-2011, 01:36 PM
Have your thyroid function tested. Too low TSH = excessive shedding.

cckwmh
06-24-2011, 01:38 PM
have your ferritin levels checked (not just iron). your iron can be normal, but if ferritin is <50, your hair will fall out. iron supplements will dramatically improve it. It does take several months of supplementation. Low ferritin is more common than thryoid for hair loss.

LarsMal
06-24-2011, 07:57 PM
have your ferritin levels checked (not just iron). your iron can be normal, but if ferritin is <50, your hair will fall out. iron supplements will dramatically improve it. It does take several months of supplementation. Low ferritin is more common than thryoid for hair loss.

Hmmm...I wouldn't be surprised if I have low iron, but I had to look up ferritin! I don't eat beef, and I don't eat a lot of fish. I get most of my iron through cereal/pasta/bread and veggies. I was anemic when I was younger. That might have something to do with it.

Definitely getting my blood checked now!

KpbS
06-29-2011, 10:52 AM
I was just coming here to post something similar. Mine is shedding for post-partum reasons but it is getting ridiculous! I am going to be more diligent about supplements. Anyone remember how long is "normal" to lose hair following a birth? I'm tempted to cut it really short b/c it's driving me crazy.

AnnieW625
06-29-2011, 03:23 PM
have your ferritin levels checked (not just iron). your iron can be normal, but if ferritin is <50, your hair will fall out. iron supplements will dramatically improve it. It does take several months of supplementation. Low ferritin is more common than thryoid for hair loss.

interesting. I can't take iron supplements because they constipate me and I have IBS with constipation. I have been shedding non stop since having DD2 a year ago. I still have a lot of hair though. Is there any other supplement that could help besides iron? I had my thyroid tested when I was pregnant with DD2 and it was normal, and normal the year before that.

DrSally
06-29-2011, 10:20 PM
ITA w/pp's suggestions on thyroid levels. Also, I had copious amounts of hair fall out for about 5 months after starting Ocella (Yasmin)--like 300 strands a day (I didn't count them, but saw a picture of what 300 looks like). My OB said it was hormone related.

KLD313
07-01-2011, 10:19 AM
interesting. I can't take iron supplements because they constipate me and I have IBS with constipation. I have been shedding non stop since having DD2 a year ago. I still have a lot of hair though. Is there any other supplement that could help besides iron? I had my thyroid tested when I was pregnant with DD2 and it was normal, and normal the year before that.

Have you tried Floradix? It's a liquid iron supplement with herbs, I took it while I was pregnant and it does not cause constipation. My midwives recommended it.

mytwosons
07-03-2011, 07:12 AM
Have you tried Floradix? It's a liquid iron supplement with herbs, I took it while I was pregnant and it does not cause constipation. My midwives recommended it.

:yeahthat: On the recommendation of posters here, I tried Floradix and LOVE the stuff! I couldn't believe how much my energy levels increased and no gastro problems. After I started feeling better, I switched to the pills since they are so much cheaper and they also seem to be working.

hellokitty
07-03-2011, 12:15 PM
Hair loss is also a sign of perimenopause. I've had excessive hair loss as well, which is bad, seeing how I had TONS of hair, I'm down to about 50%, but it doesn't look as bad as it could, just b/c I had THAT much hair before (routinely broke hair bands before, b/c my hair was so thick). I need to just go in and get a bunch of labs run, including thyroid stuff to rule things out before settling on perimenopause (joy) being the cause of my hair loss.

LarsMal
07-25-2011, 12:21 PM
I finally saw the doctor last week and had a lot of bloodwork done. All of my results came back normal. She tested my thyroid, ferritin and iron, various vitamins, etc. I guess the good news is that all of that is normal, the bad news is I still don't know why my hair is falling out! It seems to have slowed down a little bit- I started taking biotin and two of the kids daily chewable vitamins. I hope the biotin helps.

Twoboos
07-25-2011, 12:27 PM
This is what happened with me, too. Losing tons of hair, all bloodwork normal! (But I also have weight loss and fatigue.)

I have a call into the dr to get new bloodwork done. I don't think they tested for Vit D and Iron. I need to find my previous results.

I think I am going to see an endo anyway, to make sure about the thyroid. Even though the lab/dr said my thyroid was normal, I think it's the old normal.

GL with getting to the bottom of this - it's frustrating!

LarsMal
07-25-2011, 12:39 PM
This is what happened with me, too. Losing tons of hair, all bloodwork normal! (But I also have weight loss and fatigue.)

I have a call into the dr to get new bloodwork done. I don't think they tested for Vit D and Iron. I need to find my previous results.

I think I am going to see an endo anyway, to make sure about the thyroid. Even though the lab/dr said my thyroid was normal, I think it's the old normal.

GL with getting to the bottom of this - it's frustrating!

Yeah, I need to go back and check what thyroid tests were done. I don't know if it was just the basic or the more detailed. I told her we have a family history of thyroid issues, so I thought she was going to do more than just the basic test. I'm not having any other symptoms- except some fatigue, but I don't get enough sleep- so I'm pretty sure mine has more to do with my diet. It is definitely frustrating.

Good luck to you, too!

BabyH
07-25-2011, 01:16 PM
Yeah, I need to go back and check what thyroid tests were done. I don't know if it was just the basic or the more detailed. I told her we have a family history of thyroid issues, so I thought she was going to do more than just the basic test. I'm not having any other symptoms- except some fatigue, but I don't get enough sleep- so I'm pretty sure mine has more to do with my diet. It is definitely frustrating.

Good luck to you, too!

Mine is still falling out too - just this morning I noticed a lot more than usual, but I'm also pretty stressed out (putting house on market, crazy neighbor issues, DS not sleeping...) but just FYI, I take the 5,000mcg pills of Biotin, which is a lot more than I was taking before. Not sure if it's helping at all, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something to help. Also, thyroid levels can vary from too high or too low so many times during the day..... do you think it's worth seeing an Endo who maybe with Rx you a low dose thyroid med to see if it helps at all? (An Endo did that for me a few years ago - I found that it didn't help, but I was willing to try...) What about a sleep study?

LarsMal
07-25-2011, 01:27 PM
Also, thyroid levels can vary from too high or too low so many times during the day..... do you think it's worth seeing an Endo who maybe with Rx you a low dose thyroid med to see if it helps at all? (An Endo did that for me a few years ago - I found that it didn't help, but I was willing to try...) What about a sleep study?

I'm going to try biotin/diet for a while and see what happens. My aunt has a good endo so I will follow up with him if I don't see any improvement.

Sleep- I WOULD sleep if I wasn't constantly interrupted by one or all of my children several times during the night!

BabyH
07-25-2011, 06:09 PM
I'm going to try biotin/diet for a while and see what happens. My aunt has a good endo so I will follow up with him if I don't see any improvement.

Sleep- I WOULD sleep if I wasn't constantly interrupted by one or all of my children several times during the night!

That's why the sleep study would be so nice ;) I had mine pre-DS, but maybe I need another one? Hmmm.... lol.