Hormones

[moki]

Hi i have been using Progesterone cream for meanopause symptoms for a few years, i decided to stop as i think my menopause has finished, now my hair has gone drastically thin overnight so i used the progesterone cream again but it didnt make my hair any thicker so i stopped using it altogether now. I have decided to have vitamin B12 Injections to see if they will thicken my hair back up, is there a connection to hair loss thinning to using progesterone cream and lacking vitamin B12 now.

[Marz]

Hair loss can be linked to so many vitamin and mineral deficiencies. One of the most common signs of low thyroid too ...

[Baggy8]

Before supplementation. It may be worth a visit to your GP to request blood tests and a conversation of other possible causes. The sudden hair loss and ceasing of your

[Highland49]

It's very common to have both B12 deficiency and thyroid problems. Sadly, the NHS usually only test your TSH, which shows how the pituitary gland is working, not the thyroid. If you can, you could have a full thyroid panel done, which would include B12, folate, iron, magnesium, vitamin D and selenium, as well as FT3, FT4 and thyroid antibodies.

I've used both Blue Horizons and Medichecks.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Highland49]

Highland49, TSH shows how the pituitary gland is responding to levels of hormones produced by the thyroid gland. As such it is a secondary measure of thyroid function so can only be used as an indicator. In general it is a very good indicator of thyroid function, if trying to identify the most likely cause of a group of symptoms that could be caused by a number of conditions. It can also be a useful indicator of whether a thyroid problem is under control. The problem is that GPs think that it is enough on its own with the result that they don't look at the full context, including what their patients are telling them so it doesn't occur to them that if nothing is coming forward as glaringly obvious then they should try digging down another level, eg to test levels of hormones produced directly by the thyroid gland. They can also overlook the possibility that there may be a problem with the pituitary, or a problem with both pituitary and thyroid, and completely fail to understand that the normal ranges are averages. Just because someone falls in an averaged range doesn't necessarily mean that the level is okay for them ... so on-going monitoring over time may actually provide a much better picture and context than just taking TSH as a single measure at a single point in time.

There are similar problems with most other blood tests, particularly where the normal range shows a significant spread (which includes serum B12 and also to some extent active B12).

The real problem with the use of TSH is the way it is used and, in particular the mistaken logic that has GPs pronouncing that people are okay just because one test result is in the normal range.

[Highland49 in reply to Gambit62]

Yes, so we really don't know what is good for us as individuals as we don't have our "healthy" readings to refer to. The actual symptoms and worsening or improving of, seem to be so overlooked.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

moki, as others say there are a large number of things that will cause thinning of hair - including B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, thyroid function.

The most common non-dietary cause of B12 deficiency is a type of auto-immune gastritis, which stops you absorbing B12 properly. This can also affect absorption of other vitamins and minerals, including iron. There is also a high probability of developing hashimotos - auto-immune thyroidosis - if you have PA (40%).

Ideally you should go for testing of B12 levels before embarking on injections as they will make it very difficult to actually test if you do have a B12 absorption problem such as PA. It would also be advisable to test for other vitamin, hormone and mineral problems that could be causing the thinning.

In terms of the menopause - hormones levels can continue to be a problem for many years after your last period.