unwanted body hair

[Becca2023]

I was recently diagnosed with pernicious anemia and I’ve been getting unwanted body hair on the chest and stomach and neck, my doctor said the anemia can cause this as it makes your hormones unbalanced, I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this… I have been tested for pcos and it’s not that.

[wedgewood]

My response will not really help you , but i have been reading posts on this forum for 9 years .and I’ve not heard that Pernicious Anaemia can cause unwanted hair

. I have a relative with Endometriosis , and it has caused unwanted hair . . Hope that you are able to get an answer . Best wishes .

[Treesong2023]

Am no specialist..but on hrt..

Jeez, GPs say anything sometimes.

We in here have learnt not to believe everything they say..

I am sorry to hear your upset regarding hair growth. I can imagine your concern.

But that all sounds hormonal to me? Maybe thyroid as well..

I would suggest you get your estrogen / progesterone etc checked, and testosterone maybe? Even if you have PA, the GP should check that all out as well. Be firm in making a request for that more tests. 🌻

[Becca2023 in reply to Treesong2023]

that’s what he said that anemia can affect your hormones so it could cause that

[Cattywampus]

I actually thought it was the opposite and that your hair could become more sparse. I certainly had very little hair on my legs at diagnosis which has now grown back

[Lurcher-lady in reply to Cattywampus]

Same here Cattywampus

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

I have commonly heard of hair-loss as a B12 deficiency symptom.

I've even seen a video (on the Pernicious Anaemia Society website I think) of a woman whose "lost" hair returned after B12 treatment, but in it's original colour - so the front of her hair was dark, the rest prematurely grey (which can also be a B12 deficiency symptom). Impressive recovery.

I lost all armpit hair which never returned (no big loss to me !) and my hair (on head, particularly from temples back) went flyaway thin, poor condition -then fell out in big webby handfuls when washing it. B12 injections, ferritin and folate supplements helped to stop that. Occasionally recurs when not doing so well, but never quite as bad as initially.

So loss often mentioned here - but like wedgewood , never heard of the opposite problem due to B12 deficiency. Have you tried a search of HealthUnlocked fora ? (right-hand of top bar : magnifying glass)

[Nackapan]

I would definitely get more investigations. Hormone levels.

Thyroid?

Never heard of more hair growth with PA .

Loss yes.

[Hidden]

I'm pretty sure I have Cushing's Syndrome (waste of time talking to a GP tho'). It causes excess facial and body hair.

Cushing's Syndrome is caused by high levels of cortisol, so if you're under a lot of stress, or have been in the past, you might try asking for your cortisol levels to be tested (my GP refused to do this for me)

[B12life]

I agree with the other posts. Have any and all hormones checked. do some research on (medical resources and journals) for causes for excessive hair growth. You may have both b12 deficiency and a coinciding hormonal issue. Yes it is possible to have more than one condition at the same time that are not related. That makes it all the more fun to sort out what symptoms belong to which problem. Best of luck!