Does Perimenopause Make You Want To Pull Your Hair Out? Or Is It Just falling Out On It’s Own?

There are very few things that are more emotionally challenging to a woman than when a woman starts to lose her hair. Hair loss can be a common and upsetting perimenopausal symptom that can affect a woman’s confidence.

It is a challenging symptom of perimenopause that many women struggle with and it should be given the proper attention that it deserves. Understanding this symptom better and being aware of it’s triggers will help women manage it in the best possible way.

On the market, there are a variety of supplements, shampoos, lotions and potions that are available to remedy hair loss, but most women find these to be of little or no help.

During perimenopause, hair loss happens because of overall hormonal imbalances. This can include estrogen dominance, low thyroid reserve, fatigued adrenal glands or elevated male hormones called androgens.

What Causes Hair Loss During Perimenopause?

The causes of excessive hair loss during perimenopause vary from woman to woman, but they generally fall into two categories: psychological and physical.

Psychological Causes for Hair Loss During Perimenopause

Anxiety, emotional stress and fatigue can all lead to hair loss or hair thinning during perimenopause. Women often try to push through these symptoms and overdo it. If these psychological stressors are not controlled, they can result in instability. When you are under stress and not managing it well, the adrenals become overworked.

When that happens, they have trouble stepping in to help the ovaries produce their hormones. This is all part of the HPA axis that works together to maintain proper balance. Stress hormones are produced in the adrenal glands and are created from the same hormone that creates sex hormones that the ovaries produce. This can lead to further perimenopausal hormonal imbalance. Usually this is temporary until the stress is managed better and balance regained. Then the hair loss or hair thinning will stop when the stressful periods are over.

Physical Causes for Hair Loss During Perimenopause

Hormones are complex and interrelated. Therefore, it’s important to find out precisely which ones are out of balance. It could be that your “bad” estrogen (2-OH estrogen) is too high, or that you are creating too much testosterone or that your hormones aren’t healthy because your body doesn’t have the proper fatty acids it needs to make them. This can all be addressed with a Functional Medicine approach, looking at the body and all of its systems holistically. A combination of appropriate supplements, dietary changes, liver and gallbladder detoxification and, in certain cases, bio-identical hormone replacement can make all the difference in the world. The important key to balance is to find out which hormonal imbalance you have so that a customized treatment and recovery program can be initiated.

Understanding Why Hormone Balance is So Important

It is important to remember that hormonal imbalance is the main cause for hair loss during perimenopause. Testosterone is the main hair-producing hormone in the body but DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a hormone which comes from testosterone, has the opposite effect. DHT is responsible for the underproduction of hair in certain areas, especially the head. Even though DHT is produced with testosterone, it is controlled by estrogen and influenced by the declining levels.

Watch my video that explains more about the other signs of excess male hormones in a woman’s body here

Estrogen and testosterone in women’s bodies are balanced when they are young. This ensures that DHT is controlled. As women approach perimenopause, estrogen levels can fluctuate. This can leave DHT production unmanaged, which can result in excessive hair loss or hair thinning during perimenopause. To manage this symptom, maintaining proper estrogen hormone balance is important to keep balance in your system.

Our Hormone Rescue and Recovery Program is a Natural Treatment for women who suffer with Perimenopause and change of life symptoms.

Our office utilizes Nutritional Supplements, Dietary Modifications, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Testing, Hormone and Endocrine Support and Lifestyle Guidance to help you feel good again.

Have Questions? To request a Free 15 minute Phone Consult to see if this program is right for you, Fill out our online questionnaire. It’s Quick an easy and is one of the first steps to becoming a patient.

Perimenopause and Hair Loss- Very Few Things Can Challenge A Woman Emotionally The Way Hair Loss Can.