Could my hair loss be caused by menopause?

If you’re noticing excessive shedding while washing your hair or constantly pulling clumps out of your hairbrush, menopause could be the cause.

From your mid to late 40’s and 50’s, menopause brings a lot of changes to a woman’s life. Here, we explore the connection between menopause and hair loss and simple yet effective ways to treat it for fuller, thicker and healthier hair at any life stage.

Connection between menopause and hair loss

A woman experiences a lot of physical and emotional changes during menopause that are all due to fluctuating hormone levels. From hot flashes to mood swings and even insomnia, menopause comes with many symptoms. One that isn’t talked about as often, but is equally as common, is hair loss. Many women notice thinning around the hairline, sides or top of the head during menopause. Perimenopause hair loss is also a precursor to menopause hair loss and could be a good time to begin paying attention to prevention techniques.

Causes of menopause-induced hair loss

The main culprit of menopause hair loss is low estrogen levels. Estrogen plays a crucial role in many functions of the body including hair growth by increasing the duration of the growth phase while delaying entry into the resting phase. IT also helps to maintain hair density and health allowing for longer, stronger locks.

When estrogen levels drop significantly during menopause, it can disrupt the normal hair growth cycle. The decline leads to decreased nourishment to hair follicles, resulting in thinning hair and even baldness for some women.

Some studies have also shown links between stress and hair loss, and there’s nothing quite light experiencing monumental changes to your body to cause stress. This type of hair loss occurs when high levels of stress disrupt the normal growth cycle of hair follicles, leading them to prematurely enter the resting phase and subsequently shed. Moreover, stress hormones like cortisol may also influence hair growth negatively by suppressing cell proliferation in the hair matrix.

Dealing with the emotional impact of hair loss during menopause

Dealing with hair loss is never fun. It’s particularly emotional during menopause when hormones are already wreaking havoc on your stress, energy and mood levels. It can be a real knock to your confidence and leave you feeling a little out of control.

While we all deal with emotions differently, taking a holistic approach generally works best. Focus on incorporating positive lifestyle changes and habits that boost cortisol and ensure your general health is being cared for. You may even want to seek support from online communities, a counsellor or other psychology professionals. And don’t forget, every woman will experience menopause. Talking about your own struggles with others can help you deal with the emotional impacts of hair loss during menopause.

Educating yourself on the prevention and treatment options available to you will also help to restore a sense of control. There is a lot of positive research and clinical outcomes, as well as recommendations from women who have been through it, to help you manage hair loss during menopause and minimise the emotional impact.

Managing menopause hair loss

Doctor-led treatments including hormone replacement therapy tend to be a popular choice for women experiencing menopause. However, if you’d like to start by changing your at-home routine, consider targeted ingestible supplements that treat the root cause of hair loss.

Hairology is a once-daily ingestible capsule that addresses hair thinning and health on a cellular level. It supports and maintains healthy hair follicles to revitalise and strengthen strands from within for longer, thicker hair. In clinical trials, hero active, AnaGain™, visibly reduced hair loss by 34% after 28 days of supplementation.

Adding a high-quality marine collagen supplement like Natural Marine Collagen into your daily routine ensures your scalp is in optimal condition for hair growth and health due to its rich amino acid profile and ability to stimulate tissue regeneration. Collagen also makes up a crucial component of the structural integrity of hair follicles, providing strength and resilience to hair strands.

Beyond your inner beauty routine, gentle scalp massages stimulate blood flow to the follicles and may enhance hair growth. Experimenting with different hairstyles while avoiding excessive heat styling tools that damage fragile hair can also prevent further breakage. Finally, managing stress through techniques like meditation or yoga helps maintain hormonal balance and contributes to overall well-being during this transitional period.