PCOS and hair loss

I'm losing so much hair on my head because of my PCOS.  I've always had extremely thick hair and it's so depressing to see the hair falling out so much.  I started Metformin 1500mg about a month ago but it seems like i'm losing more hair now then before.  Is there any hope of regrowing some of the hair lost?

My regular OB/GYN is convinced that weight will cure the PCOS but from everything I've read that is not the case.  Don't you just love doc's who think everything is caused from being fat? (big eye roll)

While I'm on the subject, what do you ladies do to control the facial hair?  I get my mustasche waxed every 2-3 weeks and pluck the chin hairs.  Does anyone shave their face hair?  I'm afraid it will grow back darker/fuller.  All I need is a 5 o'clock shadow, lol!!

Unfortunately one of the side effects of the WLS can be temporary hair loss (due to protein levels). I also have very thick hair and lost quite a bit daily prior to surgery. And I am still loosing quite a bit after surgery. I am hoping once I get back up to the protein levels I should be at, then it will slow down.

I know that some doctors have tried rogain or other products with women as well. I dont know if that is an option or not for you.

I will say that I think the growth of my "mustache" has gotten slower since losing 70 lbs. But I am also experiencing somewhat normal cycles compared to where I was a year ago. I also have hair on my stomach that I shaved and i dont have to shave that near as often.

There are plenty of skinnier women out there with PCOS, so losing weight isnt a guarantee for a cure. However losing weight may help us with some of the issues related to PCOS such as Insulin resistance.

have you been on soulcysters.com ? I havent been there in years, but you may want to see if there is any information over there on the shaving question.

Thank you for your response!  It's been such a relief to find this forum and know that other women are suffering from the same things.  I'm hopeful that after some weight loss my PCOS symptoms will be less severe.  

I just checked out soulcysters.com.  Looks like a great place with lots of info.  Thank you for the link!

Hi,
I do have PCOS but have NOT had any weight loss surgery yet...hopefully I may be able to. I have horrible facial hair...especially on my chin. I am so self concious about it!  I had laser hair removal done..it did get rid of some of my hair but definitely not all of it. The doctor would shave/trim my hair if it was too long for the laser, so I asked her about that. She said that it is a myth that it will grow back darker/thicker. I have been doing that off and on since I quit getting the laser treatments, like every 3-4 days depending on how bad my hair is. I hate for it to grow at all...but...guess it's something I have to learn to live with. It's embarassing so I try to get it off my face as soon as I notice it growing back. Hope this helps you!!

I have pcos, but my problem is I have too much estrogen.  I do have a friend that had horrible beard growth but she lost a lot of weight and not only did her beard stop growing, she got pregnant unexpectedly.   She has gained a lot of that weight back since the baby was born, and her beard has started growing back.  I really think it depends upon the type of pcos you have.  My gyn said there are some very thin women who have pcos. 

In my case, I do believe weight has played a huge factor and I'm really hoping my fertility will be improved after I have wls. 

BTW, I would be afraid to shave too because of being thicker and darker.

I had the sleeve, so I am waiting for the beard to go away, too.

I shave it, as often as I think I need to.  Not everyday, and no, I don't think it has come back in darker/fuller.  And so what if it does - just shave that too!

Oh, and I just started using Vaniqua about a week or two ago.  It says it takes about 4 weeks to show results, and I am eager to let y'all know how it works out for me.  It is expensive, though.

The thicker/darker thing with shaving is a myth--don't worry about it.  I shave in between laser treatments.

Hair loss on the scalp and hair growth in "male" places in PCOS women are both due to too many male hormones.  There are anti-androgen medications you can take that can help: spironolactone, finasteride, flutamide. Birth control pills also help.

 I shave every flippin day.  I agree on the myth thing.  

Just lube up appropriately with a good cream or lotion and a good razor so you don't get bumps.  I use conditioner most of the time!

 soul cysters has a lot of great information if you havn't heard of the website...

You need to control your androgen levels. I lost lots and lots of weight and it hasn't helped with my hair at all. Recently I have begun flutamide, which is a very hardcore anti-androgen. I have only been on it 6 months, and while I have not noticed any hair regrowth, it has helped my hirsuitism immensely. 

For some people treating excess androgens with spirolactone is enough. Your doctor will most likely insist you try this before a stronger medication. Personally I was allergic to spiro. I also tried many other medications before my doctor agreed to give me flutamide. It's important to start treating this now because some people say that hair follicles that are dormant for more than 3 years are permanently dead. 

Soul cysters has  A LOT of great info. 
you have to treat excess androgens from the inside and the outside. The first thing you can do now is get yourself something that removes the DHT from your scalp, there are dandruff shampoos that do this and for a bit of extra money, nioxin is great. 
Good luck. 

I can sympathize big time with all you ladies!! I've been exhibiting the symptoms of PCOS most of my life, but wasn't diagnosed till 5 years ago, and properly treated with meds for about the past year. I've had slowly progressing hair thinning for 10 years now (since I was 21), and being on the pill didn't help, so I'm off now. Even regulating my meds hasn't seemed to help much, and a biopsy done by my dermatologist last year showed that it's androgenetic alopecia, related to the PCOS. One of the surgeons at the many seminars I've been to for WLS suggested that the surgery might actually turn things around for me--because it will "reset" my hormone levels, there's a good chance my hair will grow back. So the question is, do any of you know if he's right? LOL  Is there any hope for me to actually have hair like I used to, before I make it to menopause and it all falls out again? ;)  (Thank goodness, I'm lucky enough that it's only a loss problem--no facial hair to deal with.)