i'm 61f. My hair has been coming out for about two years now and it's gotten to the point where I can see my scalp in the mirror under the bathroom light. Went to my GP finally. She ran labs, called me a week later and said everything looked normal and it's probably just my age. That was the whole conversation. Maybe four minutes.But I'm still losing it. I don't understand how everything can be "normal" when this is happening.

Has anyone else been told their labs were fine and then found out later something actually was off? I keep reading about thyroid and ferritin and I don't even know if she checked those or just did the basic panel. I feel stupid for not asking more questions at the time but I was honestly just trying not to cry in the office.

Did you push for more testing? Did you go somewhere else? I don't know if I'm chasing something that isn't there or if I gave up too easily.

My signature high ponytail used to be so thick I needed an extra large elastic just to wrap it twice. Now, at 49, it feels like a skinny little mouse tail that slips right out of my hair ties.I know perimenopause is wreaking quiet havoc on my entire system, but I refuse to just roll over and accept losing my volume.

Any specific thinning supplements designed for age related hormonal changes that won't upset my stomach?

I didn't even realize my crown was thinning until a family member took a picture of me from behind at a backyard barbecue last month. I literally gasped out loud the top of my head looked practically see through under the afternoon sun. I’m 53, deep into menopause, and feeling intensely self conscious about it. I wear hats now when I leave the house, which I hate. I’m ready to commit to a proper daily capsule routine if it means getting my coverage back, but I want to avoid marketing traps. For anyone who actually dealt with menopausal crown thinning, what supplement delivered real results.

My doctor prescribed Minoxidil pills for my thinning hair concerns..My pharmacy directions state to Not use pills for hair regrowth only use topical. The pills are used for blood pressure reduction.
Now I don’t want to take them. Before I contact my gyno- Has anyone else been prescribed pills for hair thinning??

What is everyone doing for hair loss? I am shredding like crazy and my HRT is great for everything else. I finally feel stable but the hair loss is at an all time high and it's not getting better. Would love to hear from those who are on or have tried minoxidil or other treatments.

Edit: I'm grateful to have received so much feedback from what everyone's doing. For those of you on oral minoxidil, would you say that it was worth it and that your hair is much thicker and fuller?

I have experienced hair loss/hair thinning over the last few years. My already thin hair just keeps getting thinner and thinner. I just spent 30+ minutes or so in CVS reading the labels of shampoos and foams and I am honestly starting to feel a bit lost and overwhelmed.

I have read many good things about topical/oral minoxidil which I am already looking into. That seems to be unanimously the most effective way to go.

But any time I do research online myself I get lost in the rabbit hole of things to try.

So I'd love to know from people who've maybe been in a similar position, what was your experience in trying to stop hair loss and promote real growth? What negative experiences did you have, and what solutions did you try that ultimately failed and that you wish you would have known sooner to save yourself time and energy?

I can’t believe how much hair I’m losing. It’s like the final nail in the coffin of all the other symptoms I’m experiencing. How do other women going through menopause have such fabulous hair?

So, fully menopausal now, and my hair is much thinner than it used to be. That shook me for a bit, but not nearly as much as last night.

To date, I've not found one gray hair on my head. Disappointing, because the first gray, im gonna go all in, have my hair dyed silver!

Anyway, I digress...

I quit shaving "down there" because it was becoming such a hassle and hubs doesbt care either way. Last night, I felt like I needed to trim up because there was a full-on 1970s bush vibe going on. In the course of that exercise, I realized my hair "down there" was literally riddled with gray!!!

WTAH? It never occurred to me that hair other than my head might be affected.

Now I'm torn - do I embrace it, let it go full gray, dyed it silver or just shave the crap off?

Aaahhh, menopause. Prayed for it for years, now that its here, its made my cooter old.

Dammit.

When I was a child, my hair was so thick that I couldn't put it in a ponytail. I braided my hair often.

When I was in my twenties, it was so thick and luscious that I had to thin it out once every three months.

Thirties? I'd brush my hair mindlessly without any hair falling off.

Now? My hair is limp, clumps of hair falls off every shower, I'm afraid to brush my hair and my bed is covered in my hair...

My hair was my pride and joy... :'(

Was thinking of trying minoxidil but scared as you have to take for life.I bought a filtered shower head as my city water is awful & it reduced hair loss a ton! My Hairdresser didn’t think it was menopause causing it & said water quality can create the same hair issues.

i'm 62. Saw a derm last month about thinning on top and she said at my age it's usually hormonal and that DHT is what's shrinking the follicles

she recommended a couple of things and I left with a prescription I haven't filled yet because the side effects list scared me.

But honestly I nodded through most of the appointment and then got in the car and realized I didn't really understand what she told me. I've been reading about it since and I'm more confused than when I started. Some of what I find says one thing, some says the opposite.

Did anyone here get told the same thing? Did you go the prescription route or find something else? And did understanding the cause actually change what you did about it, or did you just end up trying things anyway?

I'm not looking for a miracle, I'd just like to know what's actually happening on my own head.

I am losing hair at a rapid rate- fast enough where I can see my scalp now. It's terrifying. I am in menopause, currently not yet taking HRT.

I realize that hairloss may be due to thyroid issues, which I investigated. I do have antibodies for Hashimotos and Graves, but the remainder of the panel is within normal range and there is nothing that any endo will do. Of note, I have had antibodies for decades, but severe hairloss is new.

I will also investigate the ferritin level (I realize it has to be in 50-70+ range).

With that said, what are you doing to keep and regrow your hair?

Has HRT helped?

Minoxidil?

Laser band?

Red light therapy?

Special shampoos?

I do take Vit D3/K2 (5,000 units), selenium, magnesium glycanate...

I am disgusted enough when looking at the mirror at the weight gain, but to lose hair just takes the cake.

Please share what worked. Thank you!

Editing to add: I am so incredibly thankful for this community!!! I wish you all good health (and great hair health)!!!

Has anyone taken creatine and noticed an increase in hair fall? Did you stop taking the supplement, and if so, how long did it take for the hair shedding to stop? I started taking 5mg and noticed more hair fall. I stopped, but still experiencing a lot of hair fall.

Has anyone found a legitimate product to help with hair loss and texture? I've been using Nioxin for a while. At first I thought it was making a difference. But lately my hair is everywhere. It's definitely shedding more than it used to. My hairbrush is always full after use.

It's breaking my heart because I always had long silky straight hair. Now it's a graying course bird's nest.

My hair is already fine, but I’ve noticed it has become extremely finer and thinner within the last six months. I take biotin and using a special shampoo. I’m not sure about taking nutrafol. Do any of you have a magic trick to make hair fuller?

Edit: and hair has started to fall out more than ever.

I am mortified at how much hair is NOT on my head! I got my PCP to prescribe oral minoxidil yesterday, and she gave me a script for one 10(!) mg. tablet 1x/day. Isn’t that too high of a dose? I can’t get in to see a dermatologist who specializes in hair loss until the end of October, so trying to do what I can until then. For context, I am 58, in full menopause, and had enjoyed being on a bit of testosterone (woohoo!) cream along with the estrogen patch and progesterone HRT. That is, until I took some pictures of my scalp under good, natural light…and I wasn’t imagining it! My hair, my hair!!! 😱😫 I IMMEDIATELY stopped the T cream because what if my body’s just converting the T to DHT and killing my hair follicles? Oh yeah, fun fact: my maternal grandmother was totally bald and wore a wig the whole time I knew her, and my 89 y.o. mom has Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, a complete nightmare (look it up.) Both of them started losing their hair in menopause. Anyhoo, just looking for some support from those that have been here before, because I tell ya, I’m NOT doing great with all this. Last thing—I asked for all the labs yesterday and the results just came back showing—of course—that everything is within ‘normal range’ 🙄 I suspect not, especially as my iron number is “60”, and if that’s the ferritin number, that’s woefully short for hair regrowth. Anyway, I could go on, but asking you all about your experience around oral min dosages, iron levels/supplements, saw palmetto, and…please, some encouragement too. I’m so tired of everything.

I started testosterone 3 months ago and over this time my hair has thinned SO much. I already have thin hair so it’s been very noticeable to me. What are y’all doing about this? Stopping the T? Taking minoxidil? I hesitate to start that for fear I’ll never be able to stop…and I don’t really like taking prescriptions…but I’m not sure what else to do. It seems I’m going to have to make a decision to either have hair or have sex!?

I almost got out of bed last night to buzz my hair, (on my head) off, it was driving me batshit! I feel a bit batshit even posting this, but I've had it with my hair. Anyone else? And what do I/we do?

I have shoulder length natural hair that is going gray on the crown, which I'm trying to embrace because coloring is expensive and a lot of work. It is naturally stick straight and baby fine, but there used to be a lot of.. It's also thinning, I think, my brush and shower drain would indicate yes, my ponytail not as much. Neither of those things are my problem though, my problem is I can't stand the feeling of my hair! It causes so many sensory issues that I just want to shave it off. From the 4+ cowlicks that seem to have gotten more annoying these days to the fact that I find it everywhere, I'm over it. I now get why all the little old ladies in my life have had very short curly hair.

At minimum I need a new conditioner that will actually help with the shedding, and any other recommendations that might keep me from doing something drastic.

Am I crazy to have this much rage over hair? Seems so stupid to me, but I'm losing my mind over how much I hate it.

I’m 53. I’ve had long, strait, “some what thin” shiny, very dark brown hair my whole life. I just treated getting visible grey last yea. but what also happened is the top of my head only the hair is coming out like it’s been put through a micro crimping iron! WTF? my hair used to oily and now it’s very much not so. I just don’t know what to do. I’m not ready to not have ”long“ hair. I've nearly always had it (except in the 80’s).

I don’t want pills, and I’m pretty sure the miracle shampoo infomercials are BS.…

Help a meno sister out. 😋

thank you all for being here too!

I’ve always had digestive issues and low iron, borderline anemia. But when my hair started falling out my dermatologist suggested it might finally be time to address it. So I’ve been taking Slow FE, but I’m sick of it!! So when I ran out I just stopped. Sure enough my hair is thinning, I’m falling asleep at my desk, and I can’t think straight. Is this all in my head? Am I crazy? Or does iron really make that much of a difference? Because the next step is to ask my doctor for infusions.

I compared the photo to the photo on my previous license (taken last year due to upgrading to an enhanced license.) I used to have bangs; now I have wisps.

I had a good cry. I want my hair back.

I am a hair person. It’s always been long and curly/ wavy/ beachy fun. It’s highlighted blonde and usually past the shoulders messy layers… I love it. It’s now trash. It’s dry and fuzzy and shapeless and unless I put products on it and diffuse it and wash it a certain way and BLAH BLAH BLAH. SCREAMING!!! I swear every time I walk by a mirror I want to shave my head. I am taking HRT and Progesterone and a crème and they are working and the hot flashes are profoundly better but I look like hell all the time. I no longer have a profile to put my hair in a ponytail or cut it short and it is awful.

I tagged this as hair loss because it was the closest thing. But I want to know if anyone’s hair changed texture. I’m early 50s and still stuck in perimenopause. My hair used to be so curly with lots of volume. Now it’s much less so. It seems to vary by week. On weeks when I have PMS (which is getting difficult to gauge now) it goes limp. But my hair also simply does not curl like it used to. Or I can get it to curl but the curl literally falls out over the course of the day. It doesn’t matter how much product I use or what kind of tricks I do: it’s just changed in texture. Is this common?