| Answer: | HRT has many side effects, of which hair loss is one. The main culprit behind this appears to be progesterone rather than oestrogen deficiency. When progesterone is low, the body compensates by making more androgens, and it' s this that can lead to male-pattern baldness.
When you go though the menopause your body produces less oestrogen, but it doesn' t necessarily mean you are deficient. Oestrogen is made in body fat and in sufficient quantities usually until around the age of 80. However, progesterone deficiency is far more common. Conventional HRT uses synthetic progestin, which the body cannot use as effectively. So women on HRT are likely to be more proges-terone deficient.
HRT is frequently prescribed without first checking a woman' s hormone levels - and even if this is done, the usual blood test only measures redundant hormones and not those in circulation. The most effective way to test is via a saliva test, which shows the level of active hormones (see Resources, page 483). In the unlikely event that oestrogen is deficient, appropriate levels need to be prescribed. Where prog-esterone is deficient, natural progesterone cream, available on prescription, helps to correct this. Then the excess androgens reduce and scalp hair returns to normal.
Also helpful for relieving menopausal symptoms are vitamin B6 and E, zinc and magnesium, and herbs such as dong quai and white peony, in addition to the essential fats found in evening primrose and borage oil. There are supplements that contain combinations of these nutrients and herbs. |
