Menopause is the time in a woman's life that marks the end of her fertility. It's a natural part of aging, but the hormonal changes accompanying this phase in life can usher in both emotional and physical distress. Not only do women experience hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disruptions and vaginal dryness, they can also suffer from hair loss.
Hair Loss
One of the main culprits in hair loss is a hormone called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT is converted from testosterone by 5alpha-reductase type II, an enzyme found in the hair follicles. When testosterone changes into DHT, it binds itself to the follicle. This causes the growth cycle to become much shorter than before, producing thinner and shorter hairs that are superficially rooted to the scalp. These hairs easily fall out and eventually the follicle stops producing hair.
Menopausal Hair Loss
Women don't need to experience an increase in testosterone to suffer from its effects, according to the American Hair Loss Association. It only takes a decline in female hormones to cause problems. During menopause, hormone levels begin to decline, especially estrogen and progesterone. With this decrease, testosterone is more likely to be converted into DHT, causing hair loss.
Heredity
Going through menopause doesn't necessarily mean you're going to lose your hair. Many women undergo menopause without this complication. There is a genetic component to hair loss, even when associated with menopause, notes the American Hair Loss Association. Some women are simply predisposed to experience this symptom as they end their fertility.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
To combat this hair loss as well as other symptoms of menopause, women can take hormone replacement therapy. Both estrogen and progesterone are supplemented orally or topically. These female hormones are "the most common systemic form of treatment for androgenetic alopecia for women in menopause," asserts the American Hair Loss Association.
Side Effects
Estrogen replacement therapy isn't without risks. It can increase your chances of heart disease, blood clots, breast cancer, endometrial cancer and gallbladder disease, according to the National Institutes of Health. It may also cause nausea, bloating, headaches, mood swings and breast tenderness.
