Scalp Hair thinning problem. need help!!

[aneela]

Hi,
I am 37 years old PCO sufferer (154 lbs) with 2 kids living in pakistan. Both kids are miracle of metformin + other treatments. I am a new member on this forum.

I have scalp hair thinning problem which is becoming severe with every passing day. I am taking the following medications on a daily basis:
Metformin 1gm at night time,
1 tablet of Lutevit plus (multi-vitamin),
1 capsule of "Hair Gro" (dietary supplement)

but nothing seems to help now.

The only thing that helped was Birth Control Pill which I took for 9 months but my gynae said continuing it for long may cause Blood cancer. so i stopped taking it few months back.

I would like to know the following:
a) is there any treatment or solution for the falling hair problem?
b) what food should i avoid to make this problem less severe?
c) will cutting out sugar completely from my diet help?
d) is there any food that i should take to help this problem?
e) exercises and work outs should help?
f) do i need to increase the dosage of metformin? (current dosage is 1gm at night time)

Response from fellow members will be highly appreciated as help on PCO is not that common in Pakistan.

Thanks
Aneela Jameel

[concernedmom]

Hi Aneela. My daughter and I are also struggling with hair loss due to PCOS. There are several discussions and a lot of information about hair loss and PCOS in two other websites. One is the Women Hair Loss Project, and the other one is The bald truth talk. You may find information useful for you there. I am learning that each woman is completely different, and that causes for hair loss are different as well. It is all a matter of getting as much information as possible so that you can ask your doctor not only the right questions, but also suggest treatment, because sometimes they don't know.
In most cases the cause seems to be an over production of testosterone, but other women shed hair due to an imbalance in other hormones. Getting out of BCP can also cause a lot of shedding at first. Low ferritin count is also associated with hair loss.


Good luck.

[Guzadog]

Hi Aneela,

I would suggest that you check out some of the other treads and read the "stickies" - there is lots of information on medications, diet and exercise, etc. that you might find very helpful.

The birth control pill can mask the symptoms of PCOS and, while there are some increased risks with the birth control pill and some illnesses there are also decreased risks for some illnesses (including cancers). I've never heard of a link between blood cancer and the birth control pill.

There are a number of treads on these boards about hair loss and I know a number of women use a drug that helps (but I can't remember the name).

For myself, diet (low carb (ie. minimal sugars, "white" carbs - ie. white rice, white bread) and lots of exercise helped me lose weight and minimized the PCOS symptoms.

Good luck to you and welcome to the boards!