Perimenopause, also known as menopausal transition, is best described as the phase between fertility and menopause. You begin to experience fluctuations in female sex hormone levels. This ushers a change in the body that brings with it a number of symptoms, including menstrual irregularities, hot flashes, mood swings and sleep disruptions. For some women, it may even cause thinning hair.
Development
As estrogen and progesterone levels steadily decline, the female body can develop what's often referred to as androgen dominance. But this dominance isn't caused by any increase in the production of male sex hormones. The decline of estrogen and progesterone can eventually leave androgens as the prevalent hormone in the body.
Dihydrotestosterone
With androgens being the dominant hormones, they can create enough of a hormonal imbalance in the body to trigger hair loss and subsequent thinning. Like male pattern baldness, this thinning is associated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which binds itself to hair follicles, causing them to miniaturize. This disrupts the growth cycle of the hair, producing finer and thinner hairs than normal. Eventually, these follicles will stop yielding hair growth.
Symptoms
Hair loss in women is quite different than in men. Even when it's prompted by perimenopause or menopause, women experience a diffused thinning over the crown of the head. Rarely will any hair loss affect the hairline.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
The most common form of treatment for female pattern baldness as a result of perimenopause is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Doctors can prescribe estrogen and progesterone to supplement the loss of these hormones in the female body. As hormone levels come into better balance, you may then begin to see a slowing in the progression of hair loss and the regrowth of lost hair.
Other Treatments
If HRT fails to provide results, another medication may be used to treat the condition. Many women respond favorably to minoxidil, a topical medication administered directly to the scalp twice a day. Though the reason minoxidil works on female pattern baldness or thinning is still unknown, you must continue to use the medication to maintain results. Once you stop applying the solution, hair loss continues as normal.
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