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Progesterone Made My hair loss WORSE.

I started shedding more than your average 100 hairs a day when I was about 48 (peri-menopause) I went to an endocrin. Dr. He put me on bio identical hormones. You take progesterone and estradiol on a schedule that produces bleeding once a month. I take the progesterone for the first 11 days of the month. It did not take me long to notice that the progesterone was causing my hair to fall out even more.

Yet, all the articles I read say that progesterone helps stop hair loss. I know that, for me, that is just not so. Women need to made aware of the side affect for some people in taking progesterone.

I still have not found an answer to my problem. But, I am sure it is a multi condition problem. I have low thyroid and low iron. I take medication for the thyroid, but there is little I can do for the iron. I have what is called microcytosis which means the blood carriers are smaller than normal.

After trying to stop my hair from falling out for the last 12 years, I have come to believe that it is not possible.

Comments for Progesterone Made My hair loss WORSE.

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Oct 31, 2016
 Progesterone Made My hair loss WORSE.
by: Alyce

Why are you so quick to blame progesterone for your hair loss? What about the estradiol that you are taking? My guess is that is the problem. Read this website carefully, it clearly tells us not to take any kind of estrogen, but hey ho, let's blame progesterone! Read the Hair Loss page on this website.
Oct 31, 2016
 progesterone hair loss
by: Anonymous

You say that you are taking both estradiol and progesterone. If you read through this site on hair loss, you will see over and over again that estradiol, or other forms of estrogen should not be taken. We are surround by estrogens in the environment, food, etc.! The point is to get progesterone to the become dominant hormone, not estrogen. It is not the progesterone that is causing the problem but the conversion of the estrogens into testosterone/androgens. . Please go to the search bar and look it up. I too have hair thinning issues. I know what you are going through. It can be very confusing. I am now up to 300mg of progesterone a day. I also have had low thyroid and take ThyroGold supplement which contains all the thyroid hormones. Iodine is crucial. Please look up Iodoral or Lugol's iodine and Dr. David Brownstein's account of the the importance of iodine. I have found these to be extremely helpful. My energy is good, I am slim, sleep well. There are many good things to be grateful for. Vitamin D3 levels MUST be in optimal range. A diet of primarily of good healthy high fats, moderate protein, low if any carbs! If you have been on estridiol and progesterone for years, it will take a bit of time to sort it out - to make progesterone the dominant hormone. Don't give up. All these things take time. Although I can't say my hair is filling in yet, the benefits of this amount of progesterone in so many other ways outweigh the doubts. I too was on HRT ,wrongly, for a long time many years ago, when I was in my early 40's! It was an "experiment" ! Although I stopped it approximately 13 years ago, I continued to take phyto estrogens, soy ( which is terrible for thyroid) and many problems began that I wasn't even aware of at the time. We all make mistakes but when we don't give up, a light leads us to the help we need. When I found this progesterone therapy site, my eyes opened. I am grateful to Wray Whyte who devoted 20 years of her life to the study of progesterone. She has helped thousands of women. Also, it is important to use the right form of progesterone. I love Natpro. Also, Ona's Progesterone is very good and comes in varying strengths, up to 10%. Natpro is 3%. Both are great. Please don't give up! I wish you the best.
Oct 31, 2016
 hair loss
by: Kaye

Hi I just read your note and am thinking your hair loss could be a side effect of low thyroid. Are you getting the proper meds for it? I'm sure its one of the symptoms. Not sure about how progesterone affects hair loss.
Nov 01, 2016
 Low or high cortisol also causes hair loss
by: Karin

Hi, I also have hair loss. You have my utmost empathy. It is horrible. I started the progesterone cream earlier this year due to blood tests showing that I was estrogen dominant. 9 months down the line I went for more blood tests. My progesterone is fine now (quite high) but I now found out that my estrogen is low, but more importantly that my cortisol is very low. This is due to years of stress and 11 years of insomnia. The cream has helped the insomnia and hair loss enormously but these things are still not completely resolved. I only found out in the last week that low cortisol can also cause hair loss. I seem to remember reading that there is a link between thyroid and cortisol. So the reason for me posting is to say have you had your cortisol levels checked? Are you stressed? Too high or too low cortisol can also cause hair loss. I would not have believed it before. Just a thought. I hope your hair recovers very soon.
Nov 01, 2016
 Hair loss
by: Lisa

7 years ago, I started bio-identical pellet implant hormone replacement therapy. About 2 years in, I lost half of my hair. I also, am not quite sure exactly what caused it. I had a few "incidences" and also believe it was a multi-faceted result. I was diagnosed with "diabetes" (although I've tested negative for every type!), I got a perm and the stylist over-processed it...it could have been a number of things or a combination of them. I do know, with getting the pellet implants every 3 months for 4 years straight, my estradiol level at one point was 209, which I think is quite high! I've done well on Prometrium alone, and have even started backing off on that as well. In a nutshell, I was perfectly healthy and felt fine before I started the HRT. I can't help but think that the pellets played a huge role in my "diabetes" and hair loss. I've been taking Puritan's Pride healthy skin hair and nail vitamin supplements for 3 years now, and my hair is pretty much back to normal. (I take those because they have a good amount of biotin in them, plus they are also just a good all-around multi-vitamin.) I just wanted to share my own experience, and I hope everyone can find what works for them to get their hair back!
Nov 01, 2016
 Dr David Brownstein v mercola
by: Anonymous

Hi Alyce sounds like you are in a much of a pickle as the rest of us. I read your article and sympathize with you. The anonymous reply you received sounded interested but when I looked into high levels of iodine consumption as stated by dr Brownstein it went against the info I have always regarded by Mercola as true. It really is no surprise that mankind is so messed up when it comes to health as there is rarely concrete guidance as to what we should do. Hope you manage to find the answers to make you better.
Nov 02, 2016
 Dr David Brownstein v mercola
by: Alyce

Hi Anonymous

I most certainly am not in a pickle. Progesterone saved my life and my hair loss. Nothing more to add really, except that I will never stop using progesterone.
Nov 02, 2016
 Dr. Brownstein vs Mercola
by: Anonymous

Yes, it is true that Dr. Mercola has a very different view about iodine. You must take into account that Dr. Brownstein is the expert in this field, and one of the myths about iodine is that in higher doses it can cause low thyroid. This is not true. If that were true , how is it possible that the over 6 thousand patients Dr. Brownstein has seen had low thyroids AND were iodine deficient? How could iodine have been the culprit? I respect Dr. Mercola a lot and buy his supplements, but on that subject I scratch my head, as do others, as to why he doesn't quite get this. Most , if not all, of us are iodine deficient. It is in every cell of our bodies. It is in breast tissue and ovaries! Please read Dr. Gabriel Coausens on the subject of iodine as well. It's quite interesting indeed. I hope this helps.
Nov 07, 2016
 Hairloss/ bioidentical progesterone cream
by: Anonymous

Progesterone caused hairloss for over 18 months! Bioidentical! Was only on for 4 months! Trying to figure out the right supplements!! Have to wear a wig! Any comments will help
Jun 14, 2017
 Progesterone or Not?
by: SD

I have been on progesterone cream for almost 2 years. I am 37. Before taking I had gone through a terrible divorce...my stress was out of control.

I exercise daily, eat well, high protein, low nutrition, hormones, and hair loss. I found that when I first started the cream, my shedding slowed down greatly. I finally felt like a normal human again. But, to my dismay, the uncontrollable shedding has started again. Some days I think I can't even look at one more fallen hair. I wear extensions daily just to make up for the lost hair. I am seeing more of loss on my crown and part.

I take several vitamins including evening primrose. I haven't been taking 100mg a day because I was hoping with my diet I could balance my own hormones.

I am so confused. I have spent thousands of dollars with supplements, doctors, hair pieces.... I just feel like shaving my head most days. I really don't know if I should continue the cream or if stopping will just make it worse. Did I curse myself by taking it? Help!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 05, 2018
 Estrogen is not converted into testosterone
by: Anonymous

Estrogen is not converted into testosterone in the body in any quantity, male or female. Do not spread misinformation.
Jun 06, 2018
 Steroidogenic Pathways
by: Justine

Please see this chart from Genova Diagnostics for a clearer understanding of how the body converts cholesterol into the various steroidal hormones.
Dec 01, 2021
 Not necessarily Progesterone
by: Anonymous

Low iron causes hair loss. Have you tried an oral spray rather than a tablet? That avoids the gut as its absorbed through the membranes of the mouth into the blood stream.
Dec 02, 2021
 Not Necessarily Progesterone
by: Joy

Hi there

There are a number of reasons that could cause Hair Loss. Low iron as you stated is one of them.  Hormones, Stress, thyroid issues etc can also cause it.  The body needs time to adjust to progesterone therapy, while it is adjusting it could cause some hair loss which will improve as progesterone becomes the dominant hormone provided it is used correctly.  There is a lot of misinformation on the internet today by uninformed people giving the incorrect use on progesterone.  This website provides the correct information on How to use Progesterone Cream. Between 100-200mg per day is needed using a good organic cream such as Natpro which is a 3.33% cream. More maybe needed if symptoms are severe.

Again you are correct.  Any form of oral progesterone is not the best Delivery Method as about 96% gets destroyed by the gut and liver.

A Vitamin D3 deficiency can also cause hair loss, it also reduces the benefits of progesterone and is vital for every single functioning cell in our bodies.  Levels must be optimal at all times.

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