Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by SandyA on April 30, 2015 at 9:00pm

I was 51 and in full blown perimenopause when my first FFA symptom of eyebrow thinning appeared. Official diagnosis was one year later.

If I remember correctly from my FFA research, it is this believed hormone connection that is the reason why dutasteride is looking promising as a treatment for FFA b/c of its antiandrogen effects.  

Permalink Reply by Maddy, California, U.S. on April 30, 2015 at 9:09pm

My FFA started when I was in perimenopause, when I was about 46-47 years old. I never saw any signs of it before then. I also started experiencing general anxiety, horrible periods, mood swings, night sweats, etc, around that same time. I still think mine was somehow connected to the flu/flu vaccine during this same time period though. During that same time frame, I caught the flu (real Influenza) and was in bed for 7 days with a high fever and chills...and then it took me months to get my lungs back to normal. Anyway, the next year I decided to get a flu shot, and within 2-3 weeks, I lost a lot of hair on my right temple. I think my immune system just went into overdrive with all the crazy hormone fluctuations and then getting so sick on top of that. The following year, I got another flu shot and most of the hair on my left temple fell out. I finally connected it after the third year (started losing some at top hairline), but by then I had already lost a lot of hair. I was also on bioidentical hormones during part of this time...so I always wonder if that could have contributed to it. I definitely think mine was related, in some way, to hormones since I had never seen any signs of it before perimenopause. 

Permalink Reply by yukonalopecia on April 30, 2015 at 11:15pm

I also have been dealing with generalized anxiety for over a year, heart palpitations and night sweats. Interesting that they all seem connected.

Permalink Reply by Sas Holland on May 1, 2015 at 2:30am

Hi, I am 51 years old and was diagnosed in sept 2014. I am not premenopausal yet, I still have very regular periods and no symptoms of menopause at all. I began losing my eyebrows about 11 years ago and my FFA of the frontal hairline has developed very very slow in those past 11 years without me evennoticing. I had no itching, redmess, flaking, tenderness whatsoever. My FFA is very little active showed my biopsy in sept. last year. I cannot notice anything at my hairline since I know I have FFA, but it defenitely has receded in those 11 years some 1,5 cm.
So losing my eyebrows started when I was about 40 years old, not premenopausal, but I had a lot of worries/stress at the time about one of my children. I think that stress may have contributed to me developing FFA.

Permalink Reply by MJ on May 1, 2015 at 5:57am

I had just stopped taking Tamoxifen, an estrogen blocker,after being on it over 3 years. My body tried to come out of the drug induced menopause, but after a few months i just went raging into full blown menopause at 50. At the same time, I was experiencing stress and anxiety like never in my lifetime. I definitely think hormones and stress are factors, but we still need the missing link...women have been having stress and hormones throughout the ages but managed to age with their hair in tact.
MJ

Permalink Reply by Will Be Healed on May 1, 2015 at 8:17pm

When I had my second child and had a serious illness immediately following, was when I first noticed the FFA symptoms. I was only 32, which was in 2009. I am not premenopausal, but maybe the post pregnancy hormones coupled with my illness and asparin that I took daily for a year could have been the problem. The doctor tells me that my body was in overload mode and that is what triggered my FFA.

Permalink Reply by MnM on May 2, 2015 at 12:01am

I was diagnosed with FFA 3.5 years ago at 28, I got it under control and when I got pregnant with my daughter I was completely symptom free my entire pregnancy. Six months postpartum it came back with a vengeance, two years later I am still struggling to get it under control. We plan on having another child, so I hope pregnancy will keep it quiet for awhile. I definitely think there is some hormonal link, but not sure what, especially since I was diagnosed at such a young age.

Permalink Reply by Will Be Healed on May 2, 2015 at 1:54pm

MnM, curious if you did anything special to get the FFA in control, or if it got under control on its own.

Permalink Reply by MnM on May 3, 2015 at 10:36pm

Before I got pregnant I was receiving steroid injections, using clobetasol foam and I did a round of prednisone. Since I've had my daughter I've been on some combination of spironolactone, paquenil and actos. I use clobetasol daily and received some steroid injections. Unfortunately nothing has really helped consistently over the past two years. I just went off all my oral meds (actos & spironolactone) three weeks ago as I'm hoping to get pregnant again. Pregnancy seemed to be the only thing that made it "go away" for some time.

Permalink Reply by Sas Holland on May 4, 2015 at 1:57am

I have not been taking any medicin nor have I gotten any medical treatment whatsoever and my FFA hasnot been active since my diagnoses last sept 2014.it seems nothing is happening to my hairline right now withoyt any treatment. So it seems this ilness is very unpredictable, it looks like it has burned out for now without doing anything about it. But I know it can always start again.
The only thing I do now is trying to reduce stress by Zen meditation, twice a day for 20 minutes

Permalink Reply by MnM on May 5, 2015 at 9:33pm

Sas Holland, I think I'm done with medication for good now. I've tried so much without much progress, so not sure if it's worth it. I think you're right on track with the stress reduction.

Permalink Reply by LoriO on June 14, 2015 at 8:44pm

Hi, I'm new here and and still figuring out how discussions and comments work.  

I was just diagnosed with FFA after slowly losing hair for the last three years.  It didn't seem to be anything to worry about until I changed health plans and they changed the birth control I was on for the last 25 years.  I then went completely off birth control in January and that's when my hair really started to fall out.  

So I think there is a hormonal component.  I don't know if I was in perimenopause, or if I am in menopause right now. Everything was masked by being on birth control pills. I haven't had a period since December, but I'm told I have to go a year to know if i am in menopause or not.  

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page