The Case:  Stacy has noticed her hair loss and  thinning for several years. Started after she stopped taking birth control. She tried taking vitamins & had a dermatologist examine her scalp Her gynecologist recommended she go back on birth control pills Many women experience hair loss for a variety of reasons. And, many go through the same trials and tribulations as Stacy - seeing specialists and trying every supplement that promises hair growth or thicker hair. But, without knowing the root cause of the problem, these approaches seldom work.    The Investigation When I first met with Stacy, I reviewed her past test results and noted that she had a lot of stress in her life. The blood work she’d had done by other practitioners was very basic, so I knew that we had to get more extensive tests done if we were going to solve this health mystery.  I suspected that her hormones were at play in this mystery so I invited Dr. Deborah Matthew back on the show to discuss Stacy’s case.  Dr Deborah Matthew is a Functional Medicine physician, author, speaker, wife, and mom of 4 boys. Like me, she focuses on the cause of the problem instead of simply prescribing something to cover-up the symptoms.    How Common is Hair Loss for Women? Hair loss and thinning hair is much more common in women than most people think. Forty percent of women experience some form of hair loss by the age of 40. That goes up as women age. By the age of 65, there are 50-75% of women who note hair thinning. Despite the prevalence, many women find hair loss or hair thinning to be distressing and frustrating.     Causes of Hair Loss for Women There are many different factors in determining the root cause of hair loss. It may be one thing or it could be a combination of several.  Here are the main culprits in female hair loss:  Nutrient Deficiency - Iron, Zinc, B12 Poor Gut Health Telogen Effluvium (Caused by Acute Stress) Adrenal Problems (Cortisol Overload from Chronic Stress) Hormonal Shifts - Menopause or Perimenopause Birth Control Pills Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Hypothyroidism Autoimmune Diseases (Hashimoto’s, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis) Baldness Gene    Treating Hair Loss for Women The treatment depends on the root cause of the problem. You want to determine what that is (or if it is a combination of factors) and treat accordingly. Thankfully, most of these are able to be corrected fairly easily once the root cause is identified and there are so many functional approaches that address looking at this from every angle. The last cause (genetics) is really the only one that is more difficult but Dr. Deb shares that  women who are experiencing balding caused by genes do still have options.  In those cases they can look at PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy, laser light treatments or in very extreme cases hair transplants are also available.  Hair transplants can be very expensive, costing upwards of $10,000 but again, this is really only used for extreme cases that are less likely than most of the other underlying causes. PRP can also be expensive and depends on the practitioner but may be in the neighborhood of $1500 and may require ongoing treatment. Laser light treatments range in efficacy. Dr. Deb recommends avoiding the ones that look like a comb and instead use the ‘cap’ that you put on your head.  She specifically mentions LaserCapMD and Cappilus as popular brands. These caps start at $1000.    Conclusion Determining the cause of Stacy’s hair loss issues was our first step in solving her mystery. I tested her hormone levels and found that her thyroid and adrenals were challenged (which was also causing gut issues)  We worked on natural approaches to deal with her thyroid issue, specifically to help her convert her T4 to T3 using Thyro-CNV, extra Selenium and a liver supplement called LV-GB Complex.  The detailed blood work also revealed that Stacy’s iron was actually sub-optimal so we added  1 capsule of Ferrochel Iron from Designs for Health