Most women experience alopecia, or hair loss, and thinning due to elevated or decreased hormonal levels. Hormones play an important role in all functions of the body. Primarily responsible for the "communication" that takes place in your body, hormones regulate and change most organ functions in the body, according to Discovery Health. The hormones testosterone, progesterone and estrogen are the most active hormones in the female body and have the most affect on hair loss in women.
Testosterone
Male hormones, called androgens, are responsible for both female and male pattern hair loss. Female pattern baldness occurs when dihydrotestosterone levels become elevated in the scalp. DHT, a by-product of the male hormone testosterone, is produced at the follicular level where enzymes turn testosterone into DHT, according to the American Hair Loss Association. A genetic predisposition to baldness causes testosterone to be turned to DHT more readily. Additionally, low levels of female hormones may cause male hormones to become elevated in women, resulting in hair loss.
Progesterone
Progesterone, produced during ovulation, decreases after menopause. In the absence of hormonal replacement therapy, the body tries to fix the hormonal imbalance itself by producing an adrenal cortical steroid called androstenedione. Androstenedione possesses male qualities. The production of this hormone causes hair loss, according to Power-Surge.com.
Estrogen
Hair loss may occur when estrogen levels become elevated and then decrease suddenly due to pregnancy. Estrogen interrupts the normal hair-growth cycle, causing hair follicles to remain active when they should have entered the resting phase. Hair continues to grow throughout the pregnancy. According to Family Doctor.org, when the pregnancy ends, estrogen returns to pre-pregnancy levels and hair follicles enter the resting phase in bulk. The mass change to the dormant phase severely retards growth and results in hair loss.
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