Ok, so lets talk about female hair loss...

[Indadhanu]

I have no idea where this is meant to go, I suspect it may have something to do with my PCOS... but I'll put it here anyway...
And please be gentle with me, it's not funny.

I'm losing hair.

I've always had less body hair, I rarely have to shave my legs, the hair is patchy and I do have extremely noticeable bald spots. But since we're mostly in the habit of removing body hair, its never really bothered me. I have 'normal' pubic hair and underarm hair, no excess facial hair, so when I got the PCOS diagnosis I didn't think to link the sparse leg hair with it. I just thought it was because I used to wax a lot, and they just didn't grow back LOL!

Anyway, what is happening on my head is odd, really not following the PCOS hair loss 'pattern' again. It's not thinning, I just have patches of thinning and what I suspect is turning into balding. Mostly at the front, it started as a bald patch on the right above my temple. Then I got one on the popposite side, same spot above the temple, now it's thinning all along my hair line in patches.



I know, how vain of me to be worrying about it, how selfish to worry about my hair. But it's really starting to get me down, since its so much more noticeable. I try to style in a way that covers it but theres not much I can do if my whole hairline moves back! And I'm worried I'll start getting patches in the back. My mum has a bald patch, which started after my brother was born at 33 weeks (16 years ago, who has CP), and has grown back now except for one bit. She put it down to stess but I'm also wondering if its hereditary (not sure about family history as mum was adopted).

(I also have the terrible acne that comes with PCOS, and I've started getting excessive bruising on my arms, hands, legs and feet, to the point where even a tiny tap, or prolonged pressure on one spot, will cause a bruise. Not sure if its related, but the combination of hair loss, pimples, and bruises is making me feel really uncomfortable in my skin).

Surely I'm not alone?

[AnyDream]

I'm not sure about the hair thinning - except to say it's pretty common. I've had an insight into the world of wig-wearing this year, you'd be surprised how common thinning/balding is in women when there's hormonal imbalances, and how many women resort to wearing wigs. (hehe I can spot a wig at 20 paces these days - you'd be surprised once you've got an eye for it how many you see).

I think the bruising's a bit of a worry. You're not taking anything with a blood-thinning property are you, like fish oil, ginko or aspirin, nurofen, etc? If I were you I'd be having a chat with my GP and getting a full blood work up etc...just to be on the safe side.

BTW I had pimples, hairloss and bruising while I was having chemo - I know how demoralising it can be I'm sure it's something that can be treated though, so try to stay positive and remind yourself it's a temporary state, kwim?

[briggsy's girl]

the thinning is a fairly common PCOS symptom - the reason there are so few photo's of E and I together on FB is because i'm so conscious of the hair thinning (hell, there's not much there at all) - male pattern baldness can happen in pcos sufferers as the testosterone levels in your body are higher than normal. the endocrinologist i was seeing said he could help - if i had finished my family - the meds he would have suggested were testosterone or androgen blockers (cant remember which) and would be deadly to a male child if we conceived...

i know only too well how demoralising it is. i've had some extremely heartless comments made, and i really do feel uncomfortable in my appearance - the hair loss has more impact on me than the fact that i'm overweight!