While hair loss is not a life threatening ailment, it can negatively impact the way women view themselves. According to the American Hair Loss Council, there are several causes of hair falling out in women, including genetics, hormonal problems, stress, nutrition imbalances, medical treatments and illness. The good news is that many types of hair loss are temporary and can be treated with creams approved by the Food and Drug Administration, through hair replacement surgery, or more simply by wearing a wig or changing your hairstyle.
Genetics
Genetic baldness occurs because the body stops producing new hair. Just as men suffer from male pattern baldness, women can suffer from female pattern baldness, which is passed from parent to child. The American Hair Loss Council notes that female pattern baldness occurs when the hair thins over the top of the head and down toward the ears, and rarely affects the front hairline. It usually occurs after menopause, but can develop as early as during puberty.
Hormones
Changes in hormone balances can cause women to lose their hair on a temporary basis. These changes occur during pregnancy and childbirth; when a woman starts or stops taking birth control pills; or if the function of the thyroid gland is altered. Women may also experience hair loss as they pass through menopause or take medications to help them deal with the effects of menopause, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
Stress
A cause of sudden, severe hair loss in women is physical or emotional stress, according to Medline Plus. A woman's body can suffer from physical stress when giving birth, suffering from an illness, or undergoing surgery. Emotional stress can arise due to life changes such as marriage, death, birth, relocating or changing jobs. Hair lost due to stress will typically slow and reverse over six to eight months.
Nutrition Imbalance
Medline Plus notes that hair loss can occur when women experience imbalances in their diets and levels of nutrition. Crash diets can shock your body by altering the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your diet, and extreme dieting can redirect the body's energy from non-essential functions such as hair growth to maintaining its essential functions such as cell repair.
Medical Treatments
Some medications can cause hair loss, such as the drugs taken during chemotherapy or radiation for cancer treatment. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration notes that hair will grow back once the treatment or course of medication has ended.
Illness
Hair loss can be a sign of lupus or diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can also occur when the body is shocked by a severe fever, and redirects its energy to the essential function of healing rather than non-essential functions such as hair growth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that patchy hair loss can also occur during the secondary stage of syphilis.
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