Hair loss and menopause

Hair loss can occur because of the menopause

Suffering from hair loss can be a disheartening and upsetting experience for most women. Unfortunately, during the menopause it can often occur due to plummeting levels of oestrogen and an increase in testosterone. In this page, our menopause expert Eileen Durward addresses why this unhappy symptom occurs and what herbal remedies can be used to encourage hair growth.

And introduction to hair loss and menopause

Many women suffer from hair loss when going through the menopause. Every person naturally loses between 50 and 100 hairs a day. If you begin to lose more than this, you may notice areas of baldness on your scalp, clumps of hair coming out when you wash or brush your hair, or thinning of hair around the front and sides of your scalp.

Hair is made from keratin, the same material as nails. This is produced by cell structures known as hair follicles lying beneath the scalp and the hair that people wash, brush and style is actually the dead secretions from these follicles. Individual strands of hair can stay on the head for up to six years before falling out.

Why does menopause cause hair loss?

Although most people wouldn’t automatically think of hair loss as a menopause symptom, the hormonal changes which the menopause causes can have all sorts of unexpected effects on the body.

The hormones oestrogen and testosterone have the most important influence on hair growth. During the menopause, levels of oestrogen decrease. This hormone is important for promoting hair growth. While oestrogen levels drop, testosterone levels increase disproportionately. This causes the hair that does grow to be thinner than before, and can also cause facial hair.

However, there are other causes of hair loss. These include factors as simple as what you eat to more serious issues such as stress, certain illnesses and medication. It is important to get to the root of the problem in order to find the most effective treatment.

Diet, lifestyle and home remedies for hair loss

There are few women who would be willing to sit back and watch their hair fall out. Instead, a number of home remedies can be employed alongside herbal or conventional remedies to make sure that your hair is kept as healthy as possible.

Be nice to your hair. Use gentle shampoo when you wash it and try to avoid tugging and tangling it. Dying it regularly can cause hair to become unhealthy and more likely to fall out. A scalp massage can stimulate extra blood flow to the scalp, which may prevent further hair loss
There are certain foods which can improve the quality of your hair. Protein and iron rich foods (found in red meats) are good for strengthening your hair. Vitamin C, found in citrus and other fruit, is also beneficial, not least for helping you to absorb iron into your bloodstream
Keep stress to a minimum. This will also help you sleep well at night, reducing another factor which might cause you to lose your hair. Exercise will help reduce stress, improve sleep and circulation of blood to the scalp to help you keep your hair on.

Are there herbal remedies to help me?

If your hair loss is the result of hormonal changes caused by the menopause, using a soy based supplement will be a good start. The best are made from fermented soya beans because absorption or take-up by the body is better.

"Good product! Good value for money! Seems to be working."

Eileen's TOP TIP: Hair complex is a good source of vitamin B, silicon, protein and essential trace elements and can help existing hair growth as well as maintaining hair quality and strength

Whatever the specific cause of your hair loss is, A.Vogel Hair Complex, containing millet and stinging nettle, is a good specific remedy to help support healthy hair growth.

Stress at this time of your life will not help improve your head of hair, so if you feel you are not coping, face up this issue rather than ignore it. If you think your hair loss is caused by medication, seek help and advice from your doctor.

What about conventional medicine?

There is a range of hair loss treatments that a doctor may prescribe or recommend to help with your symptom.

If the menopause is the cause of your hair loss, your doctor may ask you to consider taking HRT. However, it is important to understand the benefits and side-effects of this treatment.

If you are worried about your condition or and concerned that it may be caused by an underlying health condition, seek medical advice.

14 Comments

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Ann — 02.05.2024 06:04
Hi. Can you tell me if Kelp is good for hair loss. I am 60 and lost a lot of hair since menopause almost 18 years ago. Have tried everything doctor recommended and homeopathy . I am very upset and trying to stay positive is getting difficult now. No problem with my nails which grow very fast.
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- eileen —
  Hi Ann Kelp may be helpful for improving hair condition but I am not sure if it would stimulate new hair growth. It would be a question of trying it for at least 3 months to see if it would be of any benefit.
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Jacqui — 22.12.2018 23:00
I am 52 and have been on tamoxifen for 2 years and have take it for another 8 years supposedly. I have been told I can drink and eat soya products so is it fine to also take your soya product . The NICE guidelines are very outdated.
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- Eileen — 27.12.2018 08:54
  Hi Jacqui We investigated this fully before we launched Menopause Support, reviewing all the research and getting the opinion of the top researcher in this area. Fermented soya isoflavones, taken in the quantities we have in Menopause Support, are not associated with any increase in the likelihood of oestrogen-sensitive cancers (or any other types of cancer). If there were any likelihood of increasing the risk of any form of cancer then I can assure you that we would not market this product. However, we do know that there are women who have had breast cancer or are vulnerable to the hereditary hormonal cancers who may not be aware that they need to be very careful taking anything that may affect hormone levels in any way. Because of this we tend to err on the side of caution and advise women in this situation to seek medical advice first.
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Clare — 24.08.2017 12:04
Hi. I have been taking Menopause Support for a week and a half plus a natural Thyroid Support supplement as thyroid was borderline on low side. I am also taking A. Vogel Menopause Sage plus a hair skin and nail supplement. My hair feels soft but in the morning I can see hairs on the bathroom floor. Not handfuls, just hairs. My hair feels thinner and I am starting to worry as I have always had very thick hair. My diet is good and lots of water. I do not want to take conventional medicine as they dont agree with me. I do have more energy to be fair! Any advice regarding the hair thing would be welcome as tried to do all the right things.
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- eileen — 24.08.2017 15:04
  Hi Clare Hopefully, the tips above will help and I would suggest a supplement specifically for the hair and just make sure that you have plenty of protein with every meal if possible. If there are no changes within 3 months then it is best to see your doctor in case low thyroid function is a factor.
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Sandie jones — 15.08.2017 09:10
I need help with menopause. Feel im going mad. Tried HRT didnt seem to help
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- eileen — 16.08.2017 11:52
  Hi Sandie What are your main symptoms?
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- Sandie — 16.08.2017 14:29
  Feeling very low and hair has gone horrible, skin goes all rough. I have fibromyalgia aswell so dont know what symtoms are what.
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- eileen — 17.08.2017 07:58
  Hi Sandie Unfortunately, Fibromyalgia can make menopause symptoms worse and the menopause can make fibromyalgia worse so it can be a bit of a vicious cycle with symptoms overlapping. Falling oestrogen levels can affect the hair and the fact that your digestion has more than likely been affected by the fibromyalgia means your absorption of minerals needed for proper hair growth has probably been affected too. It may also be due to low iron caused by heavy bleeds in the run up to the menopause, or if your periods were historically quite heavy. Low protein intake can be another problem. Consider taking a supplement to support healthy hair growth and have a good look at your diet to see if you need to add in more protein. Also, drink plenty of plain water because dehydration doesn't help hair growth either. It takes about 3 months for new hair to start growing. If, after this time, you don't see improvements it might be sensible to ask your doctor to check for low thyroid function.
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- Sandie — 17.08.2017 08:04
  Thank you. I do take vitamins and iron and drinking more water. Ive come off HRT felt one i was on made things worse. Going to try herbal menopause supplements. Hopefully make me feel happier.
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BEVERLEY — 19.07.2017 10:41
I have researched and i am so upset that as a mature woman in her early 50's is going through this awful torture and as I look into my mirror and see the dramatic hair loss I have injured.
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- eileen — 19.07.2017 13:57
  Hi Beverley Have you had this checked out by your doctor? Low iron and low thyroid function can contribute to hair loss so if you haven't been tested for these recently it would be a good idea to see your doctor.
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- frances webb — 06.10.2017 08:40
  I am woman of 50 years of age my hair is coming out bad I have bold parts in my hair what can I take for this please I am worried over this
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