Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Catherine Olmsted on July 6, 2009 at 9:14am

I have 2 children as well and no alopecia. Live your life and have kids! It is genetics and you'd be surprised how many people have it. Did you know male pattern baldness is a form of alopecia? People develop AA at all times in their lives it's so unpredictable. AA is an overactive immune system which in so many ways is a great thing to pass to your kids. I say as long as you can be accepting of yourself then that's all your kids need should they receive the genes. No kids? What are you waiting for! they're great! My kids make my world go 'round:)

Permalink Reply by Laura Lee on July 6, 2009 at 9:45am

Oh, I'm definitely happy to have kids no matter what, just want to know what I should expect :).
Who knows... maybe in the next couple of years... :)

Permalink Reply by sharon levers on July 27, 2009 at 6:33pm

i lost my hair in march of this year so ive read as much as i can about the subject i to read that it can be genetic but nobody in my family has suffered this condition my mum had a lovely head of hair even when she died at the age of 84 so im not sure what to believe

Permalink Reply by Laura Lee on July 28, 2009 at 1:22pm

that's the issue i'm finding-- too much conflicting information.
I guess the worst case scenario? My child would have alopecia. At least he/she would grow up with a role model WITH alopecia in his/her life. I'd love to be able to set a great example of how it's not such a crippling issue.

Permalink Reply by RENEE on July 28, 2009 at 3:13pm

Hi Laura,

I had the same concern as you about starting a family. No one else on either side of my family has any form of alopecia. I have done some extensive research in the past two years about the disease, and it does not appear to be hereditary. I am now 8 months pregnant. I did see a genetic specialist who advised me the chances of my baby being born with alopecia or getting it later in life was slim to none. Just b/c I have it means nothing to my children. Have a baby and be happy. As difficult as my younger years were growing up with alopecia I know if my child were to have the condition we would get through it. Good Luck Renee

Permalink Reply by pamela s mcnurlen on August 6, 2009 at 6:30am

Laura, I have 5 grown children and all have full heads of hair, nobody in my family has had it, I developed it after being very anemic and going thru alot of stress. I moved to california and started my own business and am happier then I have been in years, and my hair has started growing like crazy after 20 years of universalis. I don't believe its genetic but it seems to run in people who have family members with auto-ammune problems, My case was being ill and stressed, I wish you all the luck in the world. Be happy and have that baby.

Permalink Reply by Jessica Ashley Richardson on September 30, 2009 at 3:47pm

Laura,

It is my believe that Alopecia Universalis is indeed genetic. I my grandfather has had A.U. for over 50 years... he lost all his hair for the first time in his mid 20's, grew it all completely back over the course of 3 years. He lost it all over again after his wife of 40 years, my grandmother, struggled with and eventually passed on from cancer. I also think that it is only genetic in some cases, but can also be caused by other factors, like large amounts of physical, mental, and emotional stress. Other than my Pop-Pop, I am the only other member of my entire family who has it. However, a plethora of related Auto Immune (including skin) diseases also run predominantly in my family, on my father's and mother's side. Including Lupus, Psoriasis, Eczema, Asthma, Arthritis, etc. It's a theory of mine that you don't necessarily have to have any family members with Alopecia to inherit it from the family genes, but just a strong history of auto immune disorders. I have also read that most people with Alopecia tend to have a list of other usually minor auto immune disorders like the ones I listed above, which may make them more susceptible to obtain A.A. I myself have had pretty severe Asthma and Eczema my whole life, along with many other recent ones such as Raynaud's Phenomenon, a vocal chord dysfunction, and gastritis. Here's a list of auto immune diseases that will hopefully help you possibly trace back any of them to your family tree and make some connections. Have a fantastic day!
http://www.squidoo.com/list_of_autoimmune_diseases

Permalink Reply by Cindy Alday on October 26, 2009 at 11:13pm

Hi Laura...I do feel that AU is genetic, but for the life of me I can't figure out the pattern. We are into our 3rd generation of AU. For my family, it is from birth, so we've never had to cope with the loss of hair, it just wasn't ever there. Here's how it is hitting in my immediate family....Dad - AU, Brother and I - AU, Niece - AU, Nephew - hair. I have an aunt and uncle also on my Dad's side with AU. Uncle had a girl with AU and a son with hair. Aunt had 1 girl with hair and a girl and a boy with AU.
So far, my cousins, with our without AU, that have had children seem to be not running into AU. It will be interesting to see how things turn out for my niece and nephew in the next few years.

I say, don't let AU stop you from having a family. It is only a cosmetic thing and the opportunities available today are so much better than they were when I was a child in the 70's. I'm 42 now and wish I would have had the "younger" styles available when I was growing up. I truly believe it makes you a kinder and more understanding person in this world.

Cindy

Permalink Reply by jacke hill on March 17, 2010 at 11:44am

mine is genetic my dads mum had alopecia but hey thats life i have been like this for so long i dont care no more