How to Stop Hair Loss From Oral Contraceptives
Most people are unaware that oral contraceptives can actually prompt hair loss in women. Sadly, a number of the women won't necessarily correlate their hair loss with their birth control pills, which tends to delay treatment until the loss has become noticeable. Yet there are a number of things a woman can do to stop this hair loss from happening and actually experience a growth instead. Most will take some time and patience to work, but the techniques have proven beneficial for a number of women.
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Instructions
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Consult with your physician. You'll need to discern whether your hair loss is from the oral contraceptive or due to another reason entirely, since women can also experience "pattern" baldness just like men, though it isn't as common.
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Ask your doctor if you should switch to a low-androgen index oral contraceptive, since this form of birth control is less likely to cause hair loss. And according to the American Hair Loss Association, low-androgen index birth control pills have been used to treat hair loss in women with positive results.
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Start using minoxidil. For women, it is best to start using a topical solution containing minoxidil as soon as they notice signs of hair loss. This product works well at maintaining a woman's current head of hair with mild to moderate hair growth.
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Discuss the possibility of hormone replacement therapy. Women going through menopause have experienced positive results from hormone replacement therapy to treat hair loss. You may also be able to use this form of treatment for hair loss due to oral contraceptives. But you'll need to discuss this option with your doctor, since all forms of treatment won't necessarily work on all women.
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Begin taking an androgen receptor inhibitor, like Aldactone or Tagamet. While these types of medications are often used for other medical conditions, they have shown positive results in the treatment of hair loss in women. However, they aren't currently approved by the FDA for hair loss, so you'll need to discuss this option with your doctor. According to the American Hair Loss Association, doctors will prescribe these types of medications for hair loss, but only in women.
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Tips & Warnings
According to the American Hair Loss Association, a woman going through treatment for hair loss, no matter the reason, should maintain the level of vitamins and minerals in her diet. Though this isn't a treatment for hair loss, but it can aid in the efficacy of whatever option she is currently on.
