I cannot believe I have not written about this before. So many women want to be able to test their hormones for imbalances, but either cannot get their doctor to do it, or cannot get it does as frequently as they would like. There is an online service called The Canary Club which provides at home saliva test kits to test for specific hormones. I was recommended this site by a thyroid doctor I had a phone consultation with, Dr. Richard Shames. Who by the way, was a wonderful, caring and understanding doctor. Sort of a rarity these days. I had consulted with him over my suspicions that my dosage of synthroid could be causing my extremely exacerbated state of hair loss far beyond my androgenetic alopecia. After looking over my previous test results he told me it would be fine to go back down to the dosage I was doing best on, which was 88mcg and that is the dosage I am on today. I am doing MUCH better at this level as opposed to the 112mcg.
I ordered the test from the company and it arrived shortly after. However, I still have not done the test, it has been sitting on my desk for quite some time now. I seem to never remember to take it during the times they specify, which they state in the instructions “Menstruating women should do this saliva sample testing on day nineteen, twenty or twenty-one of their cycle. Day one is the first day you notice bleeding” and I also drink coffee every morning which kills that day as a test day.
The test comes with a whole list of instructions on what to avoid on the day of the test.
Do Not Eat: chocolate, onion, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower/broccoli.
Do Not Drink: coffee, tea, or caffeinated drinks (ex.coke, guarana)
Do Not Use: sublingual hormones or troches as of the night before collection. Avoid antacids, bismuth medications or mouth washes.
According to my order panel form, it tests for: Progesterone, Testosterone, Estradiol, Cortisol 6am-8am, cortisol 11am-noon, cortisol 4pm-5pm, cortisol 10pm- midnight, DHEA+DHEA(s) pool, Free T4, Free T3, TSH, and Thyroid Antiboides [click to continue…]
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If you had a test that would tell you with some degree of certainty whether or not you were destined to lose your hair, would you take it? We don’t really have to make that decision because it isn’t available for women, however, men now have that choice. There has been much buzz surrounding the new genetic test called, “Hair DX.” According to their website, ” HairDX reports about a genetic variant found in more than 95% of bald men. Scientists found that people with this genetic variant are at 60% risk of going bald by the age of 40. HairDX also reports about a less common genetic variant of the same gene, that if present indicates a greater than 85% likelihood of not going bald before the age of 40. ”
A friend of mine sent this to me in an email, I’ve never actually spoken about my hair loss with this person so of course I’m thinking… SHE KNOWS!! But she sent it to like 50 other people at the same time so I guess that is me just being paranoid. Or is it? 🙂 The story is about attitude, but the subject matter was of particular interest to me. Here it is:
Before I share my story, I would like to thank this site for opening the door to a world of hope, understanding, and amazing strength. You are truly a remarkable young lady with a tremendously huge heart. Your words and intellectual spirit speak volumes about the very fibers of your being. Having this site, is a delight…… for sometimes, we have all been in a very dark and desperate place. Again, Thank You So Much!!!!!
I’ve managed to catch a cold/flu buggy thing again. Lucky me. But I was doing a bit of pondering over this last week as I would take my dog for his early morning walk (which he is still waiting for today by the way) about life. I’d walk along the streets in the brisk morning and just think about how lucky I am to be here, to be healthy (for the most part) to have my hearing, my sight and my wits about me. I am alive. What a gift huh? It isn’t going to last forever, we only have this moment because the future is uncertain and not promised to any of us. How could I have let the last 8 (almost 9) years slip away. Not lived, but only existed. What a waste that has been. My hair loss has caused me more agony and devastation than anything. I’ve felt I’ve lost myself a little bit each time I watched tons of my hair fall out and my scalp showed a little more. I’ve felt depression so deep and never thought I’d have strength to get out of bed again.
I finally decided that I would go see Dr. Roberts, a dermatologist in Portland, Or. She specializes in hair loss for women. I Just wanted to make sure that there were no real issues. I was hoping that it was all in my head. You see, I have always had extra thick curly hair. Stylists would tell me how lucky I was to have such thick curly hair. I would always say, “I wish I had straight hair”. Anyway- I decided that the shedding was not normal and the thinning didn’t seem normal. So, I decided I would go get checked out. I got checked once before and that was/is a bad memory and did not want to go through that again. I was 9 months pregnant and a Kaiser dermatologist said “You have Male Pattern Baldness disorder and it is hereditary”. He just looked at me and not anything else, no special scope was used or hair strand tested. I was in his office for 10 min. I went home and cried. I told my OBGYN at my next appointment and she said it was from the hormones and since I was about to have a baby that this sometimes happens and I should expect my old hair back. I did accepted it and then my hair was fine again (my hair did go straight while I was pregnant). Well that was in 2001. Now it is happening again and I had my last and final son in 2003.
