Find Out Causes and Stop Hair Loss In Women

We often tend to associate hair loss and baldness to men, but women are not spared of this either. There seems to be an increasing trend of women losing their hair and getting bald. As of to date, there are believed to be more than 20 million women in US alone that are suffering from this disorder. This can be very distressing to many women as they have always deemed their hair as their crowning glory.

In men, the main cause of hair loss is due to the conversion of the male hormone testosterone to its derivative i.e. dihydrotestosterone by the dihydrotestrone enzymes or DHT in short. However in women, the reasons are somehow different from that in men.

Here's a list of the possible causes of alopecia in women:

1. Genetic

As in men, women can loss their hair due to genetic causes. This is similar to that of men and it's called androgenic alopecia. It happens to about 50% of all women and it normally occurs between the age of 50-60 yrs old. Women suffering from this genetic disorder tend to have hair follicles shrinking up to a point where they cease to grow hair anymore.

2. Hormonal changes within the body.

Hair loss in women during menopause and perimenopause is very common as their estrogen levels are dropping during this phase of their life cycle. The imbalance in the levels of both estrogen and testosterone results in thinning hair on certain areas of the head that are sensitive to androgens. This is known as female pattern hair loss.

3. Iron Deficiency

Women losses blood monthly through their menstruation cycle and unless they eat sufficient iron-rich food to replace those that were lost, they tend to suffer from iron deficient anemia and this may lead to unwanted hair loss.

4. Excessive use of chemical hair products and styling

Women tend to fuss over their hair, and many would dye their hair often or do all sorts of styling to look good. Little do they know that these may weaken hair and causes them to break or fall out easily.

5. Stress

Hair loss may be an indication of the level of stress that is taking a toll on your body. Elevated stress hormones can cause hair to enter into a stage of dormancy and stop growing for months before dropping off completely.

6. Polycystic Ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (or PCOS) occurs commonly in women, and it can affect as many as 1 out of 15 women. The hormonal changes that come with this disorder often lead to a series of health problems including excessive hair loss

7. Use of Medication

Many drugs used to treat an underlying illness may also causes some side effects and alopecia may be one of them.

8. Childbirth

Hair loss usually follows after childbirth because of the drop in estrogen hormones. However, this is often a reversible change whereby hair will start to grow back before the child's first birthday.