The female sex hormone oestrogen makes body hair fine and soft. Androgens are male sex hormones, including testosterone, which are responsible for masculine characteristics such as facial hair and coarse body hair. A woman's ovaries and adrenal glands naturally make a small amount of androgens.
Androgen Action. The role of androgen on hair growth is undeniable. However, the influence of androgen on hair follicles depends on the hair location on the body.
Hormone Therapy: No, It will not Cause You To Grow Unwanted Hair and Here's Why. In today's youth-obsessed culture, the idea of taking hormone replacement therapy and growing unwanted hair is enough to keep many women away from this necessary treatment.
With hirsutism, extra hair growth often arises from excess male hormones (androgens), primarily testosterone.
For women, the hair may grow in areas where men often have a lot of hair, but women often don't. This includes the upper lip, chin, chest, and back. It's caused by an excess of male hormones called androgens. All women naturally produce small amounts of androgens.
Strength training significantly changes body composition, which lowers high levels of androgens in females [3]. For a general prescription, strength train 2 to 3 times a week with a rest day or two in between sessions to allow for all the beneficial adaptations to take place.
Progesterone is our natural androgen receptor blocker. In other words, it protects the hair follicle from testosterone. Progesterone is why women's hair grows so thick during pregnancy.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance that affects people AFAB. It happens when their ovaries create excess androgens, including testosterone, which leads to increased DHT levels. This causes a variety of symptoms, including irregular periods, excessive hair growth (hirsutism) and acne.
Estrogen and Progesterone
These hormones also help with hair growth. Estrogen and progesterone can help keep your hair in the growing (anagen) phase. Therefore, these hormones can help your hair stay on your head longer and may even help your hair grow faster.
When the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, hair grows more slowly and becomes much thinner. A decrease in these hormones also triggers an increase in the production of androgens, or a group of male hormones. Androgens shrink hair follicles, resulting in hair loss on the head.
As with male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness comes from hormone imbalances, specifically dihydrotestosterone imbalances, or DHT. This hormone is similar in structure to testosterone, but it is significantly more potent [3]. DHT can attach to receptors on the hair follicles, causing the follicles to shrink.
Estrogen and progesterone levels fall, meaning that the effects of the androgens, male hormones, are increased. During and after menopause, hair might become finer (thinner) because hair follicles shrink. Hair grows more slowly and falls out more easily in these cases.
Your hormones are out of balance.
A sudden increase in hair growth or loss in women is often caused by an imbalance of male hormones, which are naturally present in both men and women in differing amounts. If you get an increase in testosterone, for example, excess hair can be the result.
In addition to keeping your bones strong, estrogen and progesterone keep your hair healthy. A decrease in these hormones causes an increase in androgen production which causes hair follicles to shrink and contribute to hair loss.
Zinc. Zinc improves ovarian function thereby decreasing androgens and increasing progesterone, which is a natural androgen blocker. Zinc also downregulates the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase and therefore reduces the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Certain medications can inhibit the biosynthesis of androgens. Ketoconazole and abiraterone acetate are examples of CYP17A1 inhibitors that can block androgen production. Finasteride and dutasteride are examples of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors that block that enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into DHT.
The actual secretion of androgens by these cells is controlled by luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland.
Females with high androgen levels may develop acne, facial hair and other issues. Males with too little androgen may have low sex drives and develop breasts (gynecomastia). Adrenal gland tumors and other conditions can affect androgen levels.