Not sure what is going on. Please help.

[Wiggleplum]

Delete Please

[dr.schibly]

Hi Wiggleplum...

What you are describing is male pattern baldness which typically occurs in young women when their testosterone levels are high. Testosterone can be converted to dihydrotestosterone or DHT at the hair follicle site, and DHT is the hormone responsible for this type of hair loss.

The most common cause of high testosterone levels in younger women is a condition called PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome. In this condition, progesterone levels are usually low due to anovulatory menstrual cycles (your cycles may be irregular, heavy or painful due to low progesterone levels) and testosterone is typically high. This is a kind of "double whammy" because progesterone prevents conversion of testosterone to DHT at the level of the hair follicle.

I would suggest seeing a physician experienced in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to check your levels of progesterone and testosterone - and to restore your progesterone for you if needed.

In the meantime, saw palmetto often helps reduce testosterone levels in women. I usually start with 320 mg twice a day. Be sure to buy a pharmaceutical grade supplement so you know you are actually getting what is indicated on the label. You should not use propecia or avodart because you are of childbearing age (these medications cause birth defects in male fetuses) but there are topical solutions that you can use. These either prevent DHT from attaching to the hair follicle or block the enzymes that convert testosterone to DHT. The one I usually recommend is called Kevis 8. It is a bit pricey though. There are other topical formulations by entrepreneurial dermatologists that you can find online as well which may be a little less expensive.. I have not used these and don't know how well they work but you might want to look into them.

In any case you want to address this ASAP because prolonged exposure to DHT will kill the hair follicle, meaning the hair loss will be permanent.

I am in the process of writing a book on hair loss in women - what causes it, how to recognize and diagnose the cause of YOUR hair loss, and what to do about it. If you would like to be informed of when that book is released (it will be available as an e-book initially) you can sign up for a notification at http://www.treathairlossinwomen.com. I also have a pinterest board with some pics on it at http://www.pinterest.com/bschiblymd.

All the best.... I hope that helped.

BSchibly MD