There are several hormones which you can screen in case of having massive hair loss. They are Prolactin, Testosterone, DHEA, luteinizing hormone and follicular stimulating hormone. Thyroid Level Test: This is another most important test which you can go for; they are T3, T4, and TSH.
Hormonal Hair Loss: Abnormal Hormone Levels
According to the American Hair Loss Association, the following hormones can cause hair loss: High testosterone. High cortisol. High or low thyroid hormone.
Tests for Hair Loss in Women
Scalp biopsy -- A small section of scalp, usually 4 mm in diameter, is removed and examined under a microscope to help determine the cause of hair loss. Hair pull -- A doctor lightly pulls a small amount of hair (about 100 strands) to determine if there is excessive loss.
Iron deficiency (ID) is the world's most common nutritional deficiency and is a well-known cause of hair loss.
Test the health of your hair.
If your dermatologist suspects that the cause of your hair loss could be a disease, vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalance, or infection, you may need a blood test or scalp biopsy. These tests can be done in your dermatologist's office.
Hormone therapy
If hormone imbalances due to menopause, for example, cause hair loss, doctors may recommend some form of hormone therapy to correct them. Some possible treatments include birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy for either estrogen or progesterone.
The answer is yes! Fortunately, unlike genetic hair loss, most hair loss caused by hormonal imbalances is reversible.
Estrogen Excess
Just like excess testosterone and excess DHT can cause hair troubles, so can too much estrogen. For some women, excess estrogen may trigger hair loss because of a gene variant that affects the functioning of an enzyme (aromatase) that processes estrogen.
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.
Low progesterone and estrogen are also often to blame for thinning hair during menopause. Hair loss from menopausal hormone deficiencies can take many forms. Most women notice thinning throughout their scalps, which may be visible when you part your hair or you might notice a thinner pony tail.
Hair loss can also be triggered by hormone changes that occur during menopause. During menopause women's estrogen and progesterone levels drop causing hair to grow more slowly and become thinner.
Telogen effluvium is often caused by stress, trauma or medications, hair growth is typically restored within 6 month.
DHT attaches to the androgen receptors on the hair follicle and shrinks them, making the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle shrink and the telogen (resting phase) increase.
Lifestyle changes, such as a healthier diet, exercise, and stress reduction will also help you get your hormone levels back on track. Once equilibrium is restored to your hormones, hair loss associated with your hormone issue should slow or cease, and in many cases, hair that was loss may be replaced by new growth.
Family history (heredity). The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition that happens with aging. This condition is called androgenic alopecia, male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness.
Here's the truth: You can't change the size of your hair follicles. If you were born with fine hair, it's genetics, and no product will completely alter that. Of course, there are ways to maintain your hair health, add volume, and keep it from getting any thinner.
Androgen hormones, sometimes referred to as “male” hormones, like DHEA and testosterone, play the largest role in your overall hair growth.
How are hormonal imbalances diagnosed? Healthcare providers typically order blood tests to check hormone levels since your endocrine glands release hormones directly into your bloodstream.
It depends on your situation. Not all women need, want or are candidates for estrogen therapy. Estrogen can reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. If you have a uterus, you'll likely need to take progesterone along with the estrogen.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
The Progesterone hormone is produced during ovulation but decreases after menopause. So, to fix this lack of Progesterone, the body goes ahead to make an adrenal cortical steroid called Androstenedione. The production of this hormone leads to hair loss.
Lower estrogen and progesterone levels: Estrogen and progesterone stimulate hair growth, which is why pregnant women—who are producing extra levels of these hormones—tend to experience thickening hair during their pregnancy.