What Are Some Tips for Trying To Determine Your Norwood Destiny?

[hanginginthewire]

Mid to late 30s. Probably a Norwood 2-3 right now. My entire scalp is thinning (well at least I THINK so - the area on top just BEFORE the crown seems pretty strong) and significant temple recession. Lately I pull at my hair (a little) to see how easily hairs fall out - the universal donor area is obviously the strongest. My nape is pretty bad ( which scares me). I'm particularly interested in the sides of my head but up higher - an advanced norwood loses hair up where just before the skull starts to curve, right? If the area just before the crown on top of my scalp is strong, that's a good sign, no?

Any tips you guys know of to try and figure out where you are headed? What is the telltale pattern that gives encroaching advanced baldness away, or is there one? I know to look at relatives but I have a small family and it runs the gamut from general thinning and recessing (Dad, maternal grandpa, 1 older brother) to horseshoe bald (maternal uncle), to no visible loss to speak of (other older brother). So it seems like an open question.