Meno-Pause and Hair Loss in Women

Have you had "the Talk" with your mom yet? No, not that talk — the menopause talk. Hot flashes and hormones aren't exactly great dinner topics, but if you can both get past the awkwardness, chatting with your mother about her menopause experience may help you get through your own with more ease.

You can expect some of the changes, but some can surprise you. Need some examples? Well here are two. The first is gray hair. That one is often expected (although these days, you can’t always tell that a middle-age woman has gray hair because she colors her hair). The second, which can be surprising, is hair loss and dry scalp. Let’s learn more about these two “mane” changes.

You would be surprised to know that around 50 per cent of women going through menopause experience significant hair loss. So, now you must have understood why it is important to know about hair loss linked to menopause.

Symptoms of menopause-related hair loss in women

• Noticeable frontal thinning of scalp hair by age 50
• Emotional and psychological effects of hair loss, leading to lowered self-esteem, social anxiety — and, also reduced job performance
• Anxiety, mood swings, hot flashes and irritability
• Unusual levels of stress with sleep loss.

Causes of menopause-related hair loss in women

• Changes in hormone levels (loss of oestrogen and progesterone)
• Increased testosterone
• Stress (physical or emotional)
• Certain medications, scalp and dermatological issues and heredity.

  Menopause is a natural process and you can’t really avoid or postpone ageing, but it doesn’t mean there is no cure for the menopausal hair loss condition. Menopause related hair loss in women can be curbed and allow you to take menopause in stride. Here are few things you can do for hair fall control during menopause:

• Pay attention to your hair and overall health

  Drink green tea, get enough vitamin B6, lose weight, and use a hyaluronic acid-based shampoo. They may help restore some hair growth in 3-4 months.

• Beat stress

  Get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and use relaxation techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing. They can help you in hair fall control and other menopause-related symptoms, such as anxiety.

• Eat soy foods

  Add soy foods to your diet. Soy-isoflavones have oestrogenic effects, without the risk or side-effects of synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT). They have been clinically proven to treat hair loss in women.

• Vitamins and minerals

  There are so many vitamins and minerals that we’re told to make sure we have enough of but which ones should we be focusing on for hair health and in particular, hair loss? Read this article: CAN DIET REVERSE HAIR LOSS? REALLY? It will help you.

  If these steps don’t work, make an appointment with our doctors to see if there are any underlying causes of hair loss, such as a disease, disorder or a medication. Because, hair loss can be caused due to many reasons; both in men and women. Hence, it is always important to address the exact cause of hair loss.

  Before going for a consultation with our doctors, you can do certain things to get an appropriate hair fall treatment. You can track the menopausal symptoms as mentioned above (if any), their frequency as well as their severity. You may also note when you had period and report any irregularities observed. Also, make a list of medications and supplements you’re currently using.

  Based on your symptoms of menopause and hair loss condition, our doctors will recommend you a customized hair fall treatment plan.