This Hair Loss Thing Is New To Me – Patti’s Hair Loss Story

In the last 2 months I have lost about 3/4 of my hair. Plus pubic hair. Weird! This is all so disconcerting and difficult. I have turned into a hat junkie … and I am grateful for them, but it gets real hard some days. I am
thankful for so many things and for this website. It’s good to read the stories from the other ladies out there who understand. and all the helpful advice. Is the loss of pubic hair normal too! I have been diagnosed with hypothyroid, adrenal fatigue, high cortisol (stress), and all my hormones are very low. I just started on bio-identical hormone treatment and a number of supplements from my nutritionist and I am starting to feel better. But there are some days that I don’t want to leave the house! Many blessings to all of you beautiful precious women out there! Patti

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Dear Patti,

Thank you so much for writing. I always say this at the beginning of my responses to emails so that there is no misunderstanding. I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice, these are just my thoughts and opinions.

Your extreme rapid hair loss loss, 3/4 of your hair in 2 months in conjunction with the fact you have also lost your pubic hair, would in my opinion definitely point to some underlying cause other than typical androgenetic alopecia (female pattern baldness). Of course I have no way to know for sure. This was just my initial thought after reading your email. Especially since you mentioned that you have been diagnosed with hypothyroid, adrenal fatigue, high cortisol, and that all your hormones are very low. That is a lot of stuff happening and any one of them or all of them could be responsible for your hair loss. But the pubic hair loss still left questions in my mind so I did some research on the internet and found that any of the following could be responsible for pubic hair loss:

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Hair Loss – pubic hair loss may occur for many of the same reasons as any hair loss.
Menopause
Normal Aging
Underactive adrenal gland***
Addison’s Disease
Liver Cirrhosis
Pituitary Disease
Hypopituitarism

*Source
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You mentioned you were diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and this list mentions “underactive adrenal gland” as a possible cause for pubic hair loss. Nothing is definite and I do not know what has caused your rapid hair loss and pubic hair loss, this is all just speculation. You were prescribed bio-indentical treatment which I know is prescribed to menopausal women, you didn’t indicate your age, but I did read several times when I was looking for information that pubic hair loss can also be caused by menopause.

One other thing I thought you might find interesting was an article written by Ella Morgan from Articleclick.com, titled “What Causes Pubic Hair Loss”

She writes:

Although most people are concerned about hair loss when it happens, many people don’t realize that pubic hair loss can also happen, whether or not hair loss happens on other parts of the body. Pubic hair loss can happen for several reasons, and many times it is a symptom of something serious. Anyone who finds that they are losing their pubic hair, even if they are not losing their hair anywhere else, should try to find out the reason.

Pubic hair loss can definitely coincide with hair loss on other parts of the body. When people are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, for instance, they will often lose most or all of their head and body hair. This is normal with chemotherapy, and most cancer patients are warned about this ahead of time. Since cancer patients are usually forewarned, there is no reason to look for any other reason for the hair loss. Many women lose more head and body hair, including pubic hair, during or after menopause, and this is also a normal occurrence. Losing most or all of your hair during or after menopause is not normal, however, and a doctor should definitely be consulted if this is happening. Many women also lose head and body hair after childbirth, which is also a normal occurrence. This usually gets better over time. Other causes of head and body hair loss can include iron deficiency anemia, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune deficiency diseases, and certain skin-irritating diseases, such as Eczema. With skin conditions, if the condition is concentrated around the pubic region, then only pubic hair loss will be noticed. Sometimes severe stress can cause loss of hair in the pubic region, although this most often coincides with losing hair on other parts of the body. Other things that can cause pubic hair loss include cirrhosis of the liver, Addisons Disease, hypopituitarism, and an underactive adrenal gland.

The main thing to remember if you notice that you are losing a large amount of hair in your pubic region is that this is a symptom of something else. Losing pubic hair doesn’t just happen for no reason – there is always an underlying cause. Even if you don’t find it necessarily alarming when you are losing large amounts of pubic hair, such as you would if you were losing the hair on your head, you still need to find out the cause. Whatever it is that is causing the hair loss, it can usually be treated easier if you catch it early. Your doctor may have to do several tests to find out the reason behind the loss of hair in your pubic reason, and will have to ask you several questions, but finding the underlying cause is important. If you and your doctor decide that it is due to stress, then treating the stress with relaxation exercises, therapy, or possibly medication can help stop the hair loss. If it is due to a skin condition in the pubic region, your doctor will probably be able to prescribe a topical medication that will ease or cure the condition.

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Patti, I hope this information is of some help for you. Unfortunately I don’t have a whole lot knowledge about pubic hair loss because I have never experienced it myself. Perhaps some other women will be able to comment on it themselves. The key is to work with a good doctor you feel comfortable and confident with. In spite of it all your email seemed very high spirited, so it seems you are keeping a positive attitude about everything, which is great. I hope your treatment works to help rectify the problems you are experiencing. Please keep us updated on how you are doing.

~Y