Sudden Hair Loss after HRT

[phurrballe]

Dear Dr Redmond:

I am a 54 year old woman; I had been on FemHRT hormone replacement for 5 years after menopause had started. April 2008, my OB/GYN and myself decided I should wean myself off. I did successfully come off the HRT with little problems. In August/September 2008, I noticed the textrure of my thick coarse hair change and become drier and more wirey. I proceeded to condition it with more diligence, stopped beating on it with products and hair tools and paid more attention to treating it well. This had no effect. I then noticed a marked amount of hair loss.

I always lost hair when I washed it or styled it but the amount now has been alarming. I cannot begin to explain the heartbreak when I see the amount of hair in the drain and as far as other times, when I run my hand through my hair, no less than 4 or 5 hairs come out each time. I am not losing it in clumps (yet) and I am lucky I started with a massive amount of hair but I would now guess I have lost almost half the volume of my hair since October 2008! The hair that remains is now dry and frizzy, feels thin and fragile.

I know hormones or lack there of, as well as age and genetics, play a role in hair loss and I would expect that to be the case over several years. But this has occured over a span of months only and I am devastated. I went to my regular doctor and then the dermatologist. No disease was found and very extensive blood work revealed nothing, in fact my DHEA was low!

I am grasping at straws because I do not think this is a normal rate of loss for just stopping HRT but I could be wrong. Before I come to see you, is this something that you think would benefit from a comsultation and evalutaion at your office? I do not want to wait any longer if this can at least be slowed to a more managable rate .

Thank you very much

Lee Ellen