IMPO: iron deficiency mimics Androgenetic Alopecia hairloss!

[CanadianCutie]

I'm only 19 and I've been losing hair rapidly for over 1 year now. i had numerous tests done for everything and all my test came back normal. recently my family Doctor decided to test my ferrtin levels and found that i had extremely low iron, well below the normal range. apparently done of my docs, including specialists, had bothered to check my iron! they checked my total blood count earlier and that wasn't low enough for concern. now i'm taking prescription iron tablets, hopefully my hair will stop falling.

I learned that you need iron to grow hair. if your iron is too low then you began to lose hair rapidly...as i had. in fact iron deficiency is the number one cause of hair loss in pre-menopausal women and it mimics the symptons of Androgenetic Alopecia or male pattern baldness.

So girls beware, i had some endo tell me i had PCOS even though i'm thin, i don't have acne or high testosterone...etc....b/c he couldn't find out what was wrong with me. i was put on spironolactone and this made me have my period for one month stright. it also made me sick and caused me to lose more hair b/c of the blood lost. thankfully, i listened to my body and stopped after one month. everyone in this forum should get their ferrtin levels checked, and save yourself from the trouble i had to go thru.

 

[hairblues]

i was misdiagnosed by a 'specialist' in hair with PCOS as well..Meanwhile the medication made me so ill. My Gyno was furious that the guy put me on such a high dose of spironolactone with no evidence to do so. Meanwhile the specialist had done a battery of tests and nothing was abnormal except that i have a steroid that is very slightly elevated....

Recently I went to another endocrinologist and she said that their is definitely no way i have PCOS. She sent me to a hair specialist some of her patients recommended.

This specialist looked at my old blood test and found my ferritin was 12. He said for some people hair won't grow healthy below 40 and to regrow my hair should be at 70. he explained the study this was based on and it was interesting. He's not 100% sure but he feels strongly i should get my ferritin up. He said for me to use Keto 2% shampoo just in case I'm having slight DHT problems. Im also using the hair laser and taking biotin, iron and Vitamin D.

Its too soon for me to say if anything is working or if its just low ferritin etc...but i like my Dr and i might try PRP treatment if I don't see a difference when i get my ferritin up in 70 range.

i will say this. I never had a 'short hair shed' It was always long hairs...The long hairs decreased after i started my regimen BUT i had several weeks of a short hair shed with white bulbs. I read half the stories thats a good thing and that its working and i read half the stories that its a bad thing and miniaturization.

Im going to be retested in two weeks for my ferritin and i am going to go back to specialist--awesome thing about him is he does not re charge if you go back to ask questions or for him to check your head etc.