Premenopausal Hair Loss | Ask Yvette

Hi Yvette,

I am 47 years old with 4 children. I gave birth to three of my children at 40, 42 and 44. I think I have been premenopausal since shortly after the birth of my last child. I am active at the gym and at home. The hair on my head has been thinning for a couple of years, but I still have thick eyebrows and decent eyelashes. However, over the past year I have noticed the hair on my legs has thinned out. This week I realized that not only has my leg hair thinned out it is virtually gone. Upon further inspection, I realized my arms are bare as well. No hair!!! To make matter worse, my pubic hairs are a tragic bedraggled cump. It’s Kinda freaked me out a bit. Have others reported this?

Hi there,

Thank you for your message and I’m really sorry that you’re having problems with thinning hair on your body. I always think that our hair particularly defines us as women, and it can be quite upsetting when things start to go wrong.

I would suggest that your first port of call should be to ask your GP for a blood test to check for (peri) menopause and thyroid function. If the issue is thyroid related, then you will be prescribed a form of synthetic thyroid which you will have to take daily, more than likely for the rest of your life. Your GP will also make sure that your bloods are done again within a couple of months to verify the correct dosage has been achieved and thereafter once a year.

If you issue is menopause related, then this is more than likely due to decreasing levels of oestrogen in your body. The oestrogen hormone has a wide range of important functions in our body, including maintaining hair skin and nails. As oestrogen levels in your body drop, then your body’s testosterone levels may also be responsible for the thinning of your hair, this particularly if you have noticed the odd whisker or two developing on your face. Your foof hair will also be affected by the drop in oestrogen.

But don’t despair! You can boost your body’s oestrogen by using either of these options:

1. Medical HRT – available from your GP; vaginal specific oestrogen is available as a small pessary and contains a low dose which is beneficial for the pelvic area as well. It will also help to keep the vaginal cells healthy and can be used as a “rest of life” approach.
2. Phytoestrogen supplements

The choice is yours.

We also find that women benefit from looking at the ingredients in their shampoo/conditioner; avoiding those containing harsh chemicals and sticking to more organic soaps will certainly help as well.