Menopause and Hair Loss - Are There Remedies For Women?

Are you losing your hair? If you are nearing your mid-forties and have a slowly thinning head of hair, you may be in menopause. Yes, of course I'm talking to the ladies now! Everyone knows that men lose their hair as they get older, but many don't know it can happen with women in menopause, too.

Why does this happen with all the other symptoms of menopause? Of course as usual, the main culprit is hormone imbalance. Actually about one out of every three women will experience some degree of alopecia, or thinning hair, as a side effect of their hormone imbalance. This is because when estrogen levels start to drop in comparison to the testosterone levels, the hair will start to fall out just as it does with men. This can be only a temporary situation with women though, and usually isn't as severe as the "male pattern baldness" experienced by men.

Of course in rare cases hair loss in women can be caused by a very traumatic event, or stressful time in a women's life, and even by problems with the thyroid gland. When a thyroid function is out of balance, this can cause hormonal changes as well. Stress can bring this on as well as genetic causes, either way the end result can be both dry skin and hair loss in women. Not exactly what you had in mind as you get older is it? There may not be cause for alarm, however if you do experience a sudden loss of hair and are also feeling sluggish, stressed out, and out of sorts, a trip to the doctor may be in order to rule out hypothyroidism. This is the term for when the thyroid is not functioning up to it's normal levels. Some course of treatment may be in order depending on the severity of the condition.

So what are the treatments for women that are experiencing mild hair loss, with no other underlying medical condition or disease? If your hair loss is only caused by the change in hormone levels, there are some things to do that can help put your body back in balance. Considering a natural herbal remedy can be a good first step in treating these symptoms since there are many that you can choose from. Herbs such as black cohosh, dong quai, motherwort, and even gingko biloba are said to ease this problem. Soy is also a booster of estrogen as well, which may help to some degree if eaten on a regular basis. Soy is also healthy in other ways, so the benefits are certainly worth considering.

Another reason for hair loss is lack of good nutrition, so make sure you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals that you need, and your diet is filled with plenty of veggies, fruits, and whole grains. General health is indeed one of the ways to keep healthy skin and hair, so don't neglect your body by eating junk food.
As a last resort many women are actually turning to the same method that men sometimes use, minoxidil, for hair loss. It's not recommended for women of child bearing age, but if you are already in perimenopause then that is probably not a consideration. Does it work? That is a matter of debate, since many statistics seem to be slanted more towards the companies that sell these products. However there is evidence that minoxidil has some effect on hair growth at least for some folks, so you may want to give it a try!