How To Stop Hair Loss From Birth Control

How To Stop Hair Loss From Birth Control

Nearly all sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 50 have used birth control at one point or another. It is one of the most common contraceptive methods that, when used properly, is more than 90% effective at preventing pregnancy. Although birth control is quite useful, it does come with some side effects, the most common of which include nausea, headaches, and even hair loss. Hair loss from birth control is usually mild and often stops within a few months after you begin taking your birth control pills. In this article, we discuss how to stop hair loss from birth control and a few hair loss treatment options.

Different Types Of Birth Control Pill

Oral contraceptives, commonly referred to as birth control pills, are popular medications that are often referred to as birth control pills. These pills contain hormones that help prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg, or help prevent sperm from reaching the egg after sex. Common side effects of the birth control pill include:

  • Nausea
  • Weight gain
  • Lighter periods
  • Mood changes

There are two different types of birth control pills: combination birth control and progestin-only birth control.

For more information on how birth control pills work and the different types, you can visit our blog here.

Does Birth Control Cause Hair Loss?

Any type of hormonal birth control can cause hair loss, although most hair loss caused by birth control is only temporary. Women may be at a higher risk for hair loss from birth control if they already have a history of hair loss in their family. Normally, hair grows in multiple different cycles. Anagen is the active phase of hair growth. During this phase, hair grows from a follicle for between 2 and 7 years. After the anagen phase, hair enters Catagen phase, which lasts for 10-20 days. The telogen phase is the last phase of hair growth, during which between 25 and 100 hairs are lost each day. This phase can last for up to 100 days.

Birth control causes hair to enter the telogen phase prematurely, resulting in minor hair loss. If baldness or another hair loss condition runs in your family, hair loss can happen even faster.

How Does Hair Loss Happen?

Among all possible reasons for hair loss, the most common causes are increasing age and hereditary hair loss. As the body ages, it becomes less efficient at processing and utilizing key nutrients, including iron which is needed for healthy hair.  Iron helps keep red blood cells healthy which carry oxygenated blood to the scalp and hair. In old age, hair strands become smaller, thinner, and lose pigment.

Hair loss can also be initiated by hormonal changes, stress, and infections. Traumatic events such as illnesses and accidents can cause a form of hair loss known as telogen effluvium. It is also common for women to experience hair loss after pregnancy. During pregnancy, an increased number of hairs enter the resting phase of the hair loss cycle. After pregnancy, as estrogen levels return to normal and hair exits the resting phase, it is common for some women to continue to lose hair slowly for the next six months.

Risk Factors For Hair Loss From Birth Control

Women who have a history of hair loss in their family are significantly more likely to experience hair loss from birth control. Some women lose just a small amount of hair, while others lose large clumps that may require them to seek hair loss treatments. If you switch from one type of birth control to another, you may increase your risk for hair loss.

How To Stop Hair Loss From Birth Control

The most effective way to avoid hair loss while using the birth control pill is to choose a pill with a low androgen level. You should be sure to use this pill exactly as directed by your doctor.

If you’ve recently started to use the pill and have noticed your hair shedding or looking thinner than normal, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider as soon as you can. They may check your hair for signs of telogen effluvium using a pull test or schedule a blood test to check your hormone levels.

Depending on the cause of your hair loss, you may need to make changes to the type of birth control pill you use, such as using a pill that has lower androgenic activity or switching from a progestin-only pill to a combination version that contains estrogen.

If you already have noticeable hair thinning, hair growth medications such as finasteride may help speed the regrowth process and restore your hair.

Your healthcare provider may recommend using minoxidil, either on its own or with medications to control inflammation, if your hair loss doesn’t resolve in three to six months.

Hair Loss Treatment

Although there are many different types of hair loss treatments, finasteride is the most popular and effective. Finasteride is a hair loss treatment proven to treat male pattern baldness and other types of hair loss.

Start your online hair loss visit today and receive your FDA-approved finasteride in just 2-3 days.

To learn more about finasteride and how it treats hair loss, visit our blog here. 

How To Stop Hair Loss From Birth Control: Summary

The birth control pill is one of the most popular and effective ways to prevent pregnancy. It does, however, come with some side effects, including hair loss. Hair loss from birth control can be treated with a variety of methods such as the prescription medication finasteride.

 

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