What to Do About Hair Loss During Premenopause?

Premenopause is the period before the onset of menopause in women. This can begin as early as the late 20s or early 30s, depending on heredity and health. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone all work together to regulate the reproductive system as well as other processes in the body. All of these hormones lessen with age, and they often become imbalanced. As a result, a woman may experience some hair loss.

Premenopause and Hair Loss

• We experience some hair loss each day as our bodies renew cells continuously. However, if you notice that suddenly you are losing large amounts of hair you may have developed a hormone imbalance; especially if you are approaching your mid-30s. To determine if your hair loss may be due to the imbalanced hormones of premenopause, you can have your hormone levels tested by a doctor. You can also take a self-test at the official site of Dr. John Lee, the pioneer of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. (See Resources.)

Remedies

• Your health care practitioner will often prescribe a synthetic hormone like progestin or Premarin. While these can help some symptoms of menopause, like mood swings and hot flashes, they may or may not help with hair loss. A more natural way to balance your hormones is to use progesterone cream. Since this supplement is bioidentical (in other words it metabolizes just like your own progesterone), it is more likely to keep your hair production at levels similar to when you were younger. You can apply this over-the-counter cream on soft skin areas of the body like the inner arm, inner thigh, breasts and abdomen. You only need to use ¼ to ½ tsp. a day to get results, since it is absorbed directly into your body. Make sure the product you use has at least 20 mg USP progesterone per dose.

  A good topical solution you can try is minoxidil, marketed as the brand name Rogaine and available as a generic product. Minoxidil can safely be used in conjunction with progesterone therapy. Apply the minoxidil directly to your scalp twice daily for at least four months before deciding whether it's working or not.

  A natural and inexpensive remedy that originated in the Mediterranean region is rosemary and sage shampoo. GrannyMed.com advises that you boil equal parts of rosemary and sage in a pot of water. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth and add it to a small amount of unscented castile soap (olive oil-based soap). Use this mixture daily as a shampoo. Rosemary and sage both have astringent properties, and it is believed that the action of thoroughly cleansing and stimulating the pores and hair follicles will result in renewed hair growth.

  Finally, massaging your scalp at least once a day when you shampoo will increase blood circulation so your follicles will receive enough nourishment and oxygen to do their job.