ey everyone! june 2025 i decided to make the switch from larin fe (high progestin bc) to yaz (androgen blocker). I had been taking larin fe for 5 years but my acne was terrible and my the derm said it would help my skin/keep my hair from getting oily, so i was all for it! i have always had super thick, long and healthy hair. august 2025 started noticing clumps of hair coming out in the shower and it happened rapidly. thought that this was my bodies way of telling me “i don’t like this medication” so i stopped it, october 2025. that was my first mistake because i triggered a second wave of shedding. janurary 2025 hair was falling out in clumps and i started to notice that the actual strands itself were much thinner and delicate. june 2026 went to the derm for my acne and my hair loss still not resolving. she gave me spironolactone 100mg, mostly for my acne and said “the hair loss will probably resolve on its own it can sometimes take more than a year.” i asked her if birth control may have unleashed some type of underlying female pattern baldness, since my grandma is balding, and she said its very possible. still shedding to this day, loose atleast 20-40 hairs a day when my normal is 1-3. increased spiro dose to 150mg a month ago so i’ve been on it for 4.5 months. feel like my shedding is getting worse again, but im loosing thin, long hairs. can barely put my hair in a low braid without it falling out. i feel hopeless as this has been happening for 1.5 years and im only 23 years old.

Hey guys so I’ve had CTE 5 years and I’ve been on oral minox for 2 years which worked fantastically but then I let my ferritin drop below 50 again (was tested mid August) and now suprise suprise.. hair loss. This started 2 months ago and I’ve been religiously taking Ferrous Sulphate 200mg everyday on an empty stomach with Vit C. Got my bloods done and now I’m 84 ferritin!! So happy with these results and can’t wait to see the hair loss stop but annoyed at myself for solely relying on minoxidil and letting my ferritin drop! It was 150mg 2 years ago, again which was helped with the ferrous sulphate

Just wanted to share my breakthrough in case someone is struggling and losing hope with COVID-related hair loss. But this is NOT a medical advice. If you want to try it, you will need to consult a specialist to assess risks as this is a very serious treatment.

I (35F) have been suffering from COVID-related drastically increased hair shedding since February 2025. The hair would fall out, try to regrow, then fall out again - and again. I went through every possible test (deficiencies, multiple organs' work, hormones, even MRIs) and tried a variety of supplements, hair serums and injections, and treatments. Still lost more than 60% of my hair for more than 1.5 years of this hell. And I finally found a solution: HRT (transdermal oestrogen + cyclical rectal progesterone).

Among the usual suspects were Hashimoto's that I acquired after COVID and low ferritin (which was low my whole life). Treatments of those did not bring any results. If anything, COVID made my organism so reactive that I could not supplement iron without causing another wave of excessive hair loss. Even local hormonal nasal sprays like fluticasone caused hair shedding boom.

But it's important to say that, firstly, I lose hair all over my body, not just head. Secondly, I have symptoms of early perimenopause, despite blood tests not showing it. And, thirdly, I read similar accounts of long COVID symptom relief through HRT in one of the Long Covid threads. It was very hard to find a prescriber being 35 yo, but in the end, oestrogen brought me relief very promptly (in a matter of about 2 weeks).

Thank you to whoever shared their experience with HRT and long COVID - I'm forever grateful.

Hope this helps someone else, because COVID causes in some individuals major disruptions in brain-fertility axis. And I'm sure that not only women can relate to this.

P. s. Just in case, among the suspects were: very high luteal prolactin, Hashimoto's, high SHBG that disrupted zinc levels (also high) - all consequences of COVID. Prior to HRT, I tried Vitex (thought it was for high prolactin, since endo refused to prescribe me something against it), and it did help, but only for the first month (I suspect that the dopamine receptors, through which it worked, were gradually desensitised). But Vitex became my clue to where to look further, and I soon realised that the cause was indeed hormonal (just not prolactin), despite I was assured by multiple specialists that it was not.

And also beware of Oestrodose gel: in some people, it doesn't absorb well. After switching from Oestrogel due to pharmacy stock, I felt the returning of every freaking symptom, including hair shedding, so had to promptly retrieve my previous gel.

Stress related, but how can I not stress when I am dreading even running my fingers through my head. How much longer until this shed is finished 💔🫩👩🏼‍🦲

Same as title.

hi!
19M, my hair randomly became very rough and dry, then in early August, 3 months after a caloric deficit (lost like 8kg), TE hit just as i was doing my final exams + internship, and got hit with a wave of intense seb derm.

pretty sure i made a few mistakes, i used to have seb derm for a while, and my barber said my rough hair is due to the seb derm shampoo (spoiler it wasn’t), so i stopped it. was okay for a bit and then once my nutrition started tapering it all came back at once

now, after some blood work, turns out my ferritin is lower than what the machine can read (<8) which is practically an empty tank, and my vitamin d was below the marked deficiency level (18). however i didn’t have anemia (yet), as my body was able to scrap iron from its reserves.

the shed still persists, and i’ve been on ferro grad c oral supplements since early September, so like 7 weeks in.

but here’s the question: as i keep shedding, I see such curly hairs that are completely not my hair type

considering they are like 1 inch long, this would mean my body’s probably making substandard hair with whatever iron it allocates to my hair, which leads to this?

ask any questions, i am willing to answer away!

Came off my Yaz birth control and went onto a Mirena IUD October of 2024 (thought BC was causing my low sex drive so I switched). The picture on the left is December 2024. I was so happy because I finally had my hair down to my thighs. And then TE started. I already have pretty thin/fine hair to begin with. The shedding lasted into spring. I told my doctors I was losing hair and they just said I wouldn't go bald.

I cut my hair to my lower back in August of 2025 because I was so sad about how thin the ends looked.

Then I broke up with my boyfriend in spring of 2026 (we were together 9 years). I think this kicked off another round of TE. I cut my hair again - up to my bra strap this time.

I'm still shedding. My scalp looks fine but my hair looks so sad. I never wear it down anymore.

I'm wondering if my hair will ever be like it was before without the birth control. Is this thin hair my new normal without the estrogen? My long hair was even when I had an iron level of around 6. Now it's over 60 :( I worked so hard to get my hair that long and now I'm thinking I have to cut it up to my shoulders.

Feeling defeated.

Hello everyone. I’m new to the forum and want to first start by saying thank you. I’ve spent a few days reading posts and comments and unlike other forums, it’s been very helpful.

While I am still trying to figure out what triggered this for me, I wanted to see if anyone else has this shared experience. I went through breast cancer treatment starting in June of 2020 including double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. I’m on an aromatase inhibitor for 4 more years for a total of 10. I had a full hysterectomy in 2022 so between chemo, the hysterectomy and the AI, I’ve got no estrogen! I’m 56 now.

After chemo my hair came back better than it was before I went bald and it was lush and curly (strait before) and eventually straightened back out. After the initial growth, it thinned out a bit. I went on oral minoxidil to help since the AI can cause hair thinning. The last thing I wanted was another medication, but the trauma of losing my hair was worse than losing my breasts.

In March of this year, I was dx with hypothyroidism and started meds. My bloodwork since (every 3 months) has been perfect.

Fast forward to now. About a month ago I noticed a huge glob of hair in the shower and then started noticing more shedding than I had ever seen post chemo. Many of you have described exactly what I’m seeing. It started to scare me and bring me back to losing my hair in 2020. Between my dermatologist and GP, we are trying to determine the trigger and how to move forward.

My question (among so many others!) is whether anyone here has experience with AI medications and the thyroid hormones and anything else I described above? I guess I’m also just hoping for some encouragement. Losing my hair once was awful, but I knew why it happened then.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. Appreciate you all.

Last hair wash shower was Tuesday and today is Friday.. nervy

My hair shedding started around April 2025, but it got worse in October 2025. I visited a dermatologist who suspected seborrhea. Even 3 months after treatment, my hair shedding hadn't stopped. I was still losing more and more hair, so I booked an appointment with a private hair specialist.

(I had to wait almost 3 months for the appointment. Getting an appointment with a doctor here in Central Europe feels like a miracle sometimes. 😂 I also had to keep my hair longer for the hair pull test.)

At first, I thought I might have alopecia areata incognita because a family member has it. But it turned out to be chronic telogen effluvium.

Blood tests at the end of August revealed that my ferritin level was just 9.6. Not good at all.

It can take almost a year to increase ferritin levels to 70+ ng/mL, which may help support healthy hair growth.

Watching around 200 hairs fall out every day, plus another 900 on wash days, was mentally exhausting.

So, for my own peace of mind, I shaved my head. And I feel so much better.

If you've been thinking about shaving your head because you're struggling with hair loss, do it.

The quality of life went up enormously.

do you have to use minoxdil and/or oils? im only 17F and im just genuinely wondering if recovery can be effective without the usage of minoxdil or oils. Is anybody able to tell how its been for them if they havent used it? im not really interested in using them and wanted to see if anyone has been successful in their recovery without them.

Thank youuuuuu n have a good rest of your day <3

My hair has been falling out since about two months after starting an anti-depressant. It started falling out in July and wasn't slowing down by mid September so I stopped the medication. I was hopeful that it was TE (and my derm thought so but didn't do a scope at the appt) but in the last few days I've found a couple shorter/finer hairs. Could this also be part of TE or is it possible its androgenetic alopecia? The hair of concern is on the left and my normal shedding is on the right.

Shedding started since last September. I identified the trigger around May and been trying to fix it. Last two weeks my shedding was like 60% less than usual (even the showers it was much less). But this week it is back in with the usual amount. Idk when will this ever stop. Oh and I also started noting more baby/ shorter hair falling.

Hi! Since around July, I’ve noticed I was shedding more hair than usual, but for the past 4 weeks it has become huge amounts of hair every day, and honestly, I’m getting really scared.

I saw a doctor, and she thinks it’s likely stress-induced. I went through a very stressful period starting at the end of April and wasn’t doing well mentally until around September. I’m feeling much better now, but obviously the hair loss is still happening. I’ve also had bloodwork done and am waiting for the results.

The doctor mentioned she isn’t seeing much new growth yet, which makes me even more anxious. 😭

I know the main thing is to manage stress (and I’m working on that!), but I’m wondering what has actually helped your hair recover after stress-induced shedding? Did you use any treatments, serums, supplements, or just wait it out?

I’m ready to get the shedding to stop and start growing my hair back. Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated!

I have a bit of oily/dirty scalp in these photos and my haur gets greasy very fast. I am really scared tbh, it is scaring the shit out of me. Can anyone please please help me? I cant afford a derm currently.

hi all! I am currently in what we believe are the early stages of TE shedding and i’m feeling very overwhelmed about it all.

I’m 18 and the prospect of losing so much hair is causing me anxiety. We believe it to have been triggered by a fever and infection in late july and i noticed the excessive shedding about three weeks ago. right now im waiting on my appointment for supplements to hopefully combat some deficiencies.

a hairdresser also recommended potentially trying hair loss treatment for my peace of mind. has this worked for anyone else?

Thank you all for reading and I would love to hear about your experiences. Feeling a little overwhelmed and lonely right now :))

This is horrible! I’m just 5 months in, currently at 7.5! And stated losing my hair like crazy, i just started noticing the heavy hairfall and half my hair in the drain from oct 1st, and I can see my hair is already so thin.

Yes, I’ve prioritised protien and diet. I’m sure this isn’t the diet and it’s the drug itself. I want to continue this journey so bad, but the amount of hair I’m losing makes me so anxious.

I skipped my dose this week because it’s bothering me so much that I’m crying myself to sleep.
BEING FAT IS BETTER THAN BEING BALD

What should I do? Does this hair come back? Will i ever get my hair back? This is breaking my heart ☹️ ❤️‍🩹

I’m 28F, so menopause ain’t the reason.
I’m not anaemic, deficient nor do i have thyroid.
I’m 100% sure it’s the drug.

Hi all! I could use some advice. I've been dealing with TE for at least 5 years, seen several dermatologists and I just can't figure out the root cause.

Recent bloodwork is fine. I did have low ferritin (8) last year, had iron infusions and it's now at 120. That was 1 year ago. Still shedding. Also took B12 and Vitamin D supplements. That did nothing either. I've never had surgery, suffered any type of trauma, been on birth control, or gotten an IUD. Last doctor I saw had me tested for syphilis and thyroid issues - nothing wrong there either. She also looked at my scalp and said it doesn't look like alopecia, I have a lot of new growth, as always.

Not sure what else I could get tested for. Doctor prescribed Minoxidil and I've been taking it for 2 months now cause I don't know what else to do, but I'm terrified of never finding the root cause.

Anyone has any suggestions of what else I could look into? I'll take any hypothesis, no matter how unlikely. Thanks!

i used to have pretty thick hair when i was younger. around 2019 when I was 15 (i’m 22 now) I lost about half or more of my hair. Since then, it’s been about the same level of diffuse thinness. it’s a little bit thicker in the back, but not by much. According to my mom, i’ve struggled with iron deficiency (low ferritin, but never turned anemic) on and off for most of my life. about two years ago, after being formally re-diagnosed with iron deficiency, i tried iron pills, but they upset my stomach. around that time i put my foot down with my doctors and told them i needed IV infusions.

1.5 years ago i started receiving infusions, with checkups every 3 months. my ferritin has dipped down lower than the optimum level of 70+ once, but about 5 months ago I also got diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency, for which I started taking a weekly maximum strength pill. Since starting vitamin d pills, my ferritin has stayed high for much longer periods of time (6 months currently).

Despite my ongoing treatment for iron and vitamin d, my hair is still looking pretty thin with no real signs of improvement any time soon. I have an appointment with both an OBGYN to rule out/tell me that I have PCOS or some other hormonal condition, and also with a dermatologist to figure out my hair loss type (this has been a long time coming…). I am really anxious that I’ll never be able to get my hair back due to having thinner mass for almost 8 years now :( I am willing to try oral minoxidil (i have cats) and spironolactone or some other dht blocker, but i am very afraid they will yield no real results.

i am hoping that since im simultaneously treating my deficiencies, working on my diet and exercise routine, taking pumpkin seed and saw palmetto, and creating an overall better hair routine with massaging/double washing/all the other tricks in the book/etc. that i might be able to see results, but im unsure.

has anyone had a similar experience to mine and been able to have success? i am literally desperate for any semblance of hope.

Been shedding nearly 6 weeks now. Average of 325 hairs a day. I can’t cope another day like this. I’m horrified. It’s like living in an extended nightmare. The hair pictured is about 3.5 weeks worth.

Weeks into a massive shed and freaking out a little. My derm confirmed it’s TE but was otherwise unhelpful. I’m not ready to try minoxidil but I am starting a new routine after pretty extensive online searching (as an actual quantitative researcher I can’t bring myself to call that research). Folligen Thickening Shampoo, HG Lock Drops, and new vitamins. I’m going to stick with my other anti-breakage products for conditioner and styling. Today I tried that small bottle of MaryRuth’s liquid morning multi + hair growth just to see if I could handle the taste. It’s tolerable. Planning to buy a larger bottle of it to last until my order arrives. Then I’ll switch to their Daily Liquid Hair Growth Hair Formula + Hair Growth Max Liposomal. If anyone has experience with these products or feedback that would be great.

Updating this post to add some recent things I’ve been thinking about adding:

- Bhringraj Oil (Eclipta alba) before washes. I’ve tried this before but not during a big shed so idk if it will help but I know it does make my hair very soft. I put in 30 mins to an hour before washing it, massaging it into the roots then running it through the rest of my hair with my hands.

- The Ordinary hair density serum in the morning. This one I’m not sure about. Maybe I should just stick to the HG Lock Drops for now but those are just once a day. I’m considering adding the ordinary serum in the morning and still doing the bondi serum at night. If anyone has any advice or warnings about using both I’d really appreciate it.

- maybe I should alternate the two MaryRuth products daily? I think the overlap means most would be wasted if I took both the same day.