Menopause symptoms are vast, some more common and well known than others. Hot flushes, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, and mood swings are some of the well known menopause symptoms. Hair loss is one of the lesser known pitfalls of menopause. It catches women unaware and can make the change ever more brutal. Approximately the same percentage of women experience hair loss after menopause, as men do when they reach middle age. However the type of baldness differs in the sexes. While male pattern baldness is easily visible, the baldness in women is subtle and harder to detect. Women experience baldness on the entirety of their scalp which makes itself known by the parting line growing wider, a lot more hair in your hair brush and an excessive amount of hair fall when you wash your hair.

The menopause symptom of shedding everywhere you go, forms part of the perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause process. Excessive hair fall is also common after you’ve given birth to a child. It is known to be triggered due to hormonal changes occurring in your body during these times. A number of other menopause symptoms are also triggered due to hormonal changes in your body. While hormone replacement therapy is prescribed for most of the other symptoms, it seems to fail to curb hair fall. Moreover it can possibly make it worse.

What Causes Hair Loss In Women After Menopause Symptoms Start?

Hormones

Pregnancy increases the levels of hormones in the female body which in turn increases the quality and quantity of hair. So in menopause, when these levels decline, the health of your hair declines with it. Female hormones go down, while the male hormones are prone to increase. Due to this hair loss can increase.

Other factors

Factors such as high amounts of stress, genes, nutritional deficiencies, bad diet, low levels of iron, illness, medications and your medical history, can all contribute to your hair loss. Knowing your medical history and taking tests can help determine the precise reason for your hair fall and help you find a proper way to help curb it.

How to stop hair loss after menopause?

Bring down that stress

Hormonal imbalance can be caused due to high levels of stress. Menopause symptoms lead to a fall in the production of oestrogen in your body which can cause mood swings, depression, anxiety, and mess with the hormones governing these centers in your brain. Hair fall is a consequence of these changes in your body. There are various ways to reduce stress. Yoga and meditation are high on the list of stress busters. These not only help reduce hair loss by balancing your hormones, but they provide relief from many other menopause symptoms.

Exercise

Exercise should be a part of your daily life. But if it has not been, it’s never too late to start. Exercise can reduce or help you get rid of various menopause symptoms like mood swings, weight gain, insomnia, and weirdly also hair loss. Exercise helps balance hormones and in turn can help the growth of your hair. The thought of exercise might not be an attractive one for most people, but it doesn’t have to be forced. Exercise can be quite enjoyable. The key is in choosing the form of exercise you enjoy, one that is suitable for your body and is compatible with your goals.

Diet

Whole grain, fruits and vegetables are the key to unlocking the paradise of healthy hair denied to you by menopause symptoms. The diet that you prescribe to must be balanced and low in fat. A number of supplements including B6 and folic acid do wonders to curb menopause hair loss. The antioxidants and other properties of green tea make it extremely beneficial for hair loss during menopause. Fatty acids found in foods such as walnuts, almonds, and salmon, are a boon for your hair.

Drink Up!

Water is crucial for the smooth functioning of all parts of your body. Most women consume liquid in the form of aerated drinks and juices, instead of water. The majority of these drinks have a high amount of sugar content in them which can harm your body in various ways. So a simple tall glass of water is recommended to maintain your health. 8 ounces of water is the minimum amount you should aim to gulp down every day.

Leave it alone

Hair loss, especially during menopause, can be made much worse by the styling tools and chemicals you hair might fall victim to. Straightening irons and curlers are the devil’s weapons, inflicting irreparable damage to your hair from all the heat, leading to breakage and hair loss. It also weakens the hair from its roots and can cause hair loss of epic proportions. So it is important to keep the use of these tools to a minimum. Even dyeing and perming your hair can cause the chemicals in it to cause hair fall. So you should opt for natural hair colour and condition your hair after every wash to keep it protected from all the elements, natural and man made.

Medications

Some of the medications you might be prescribed can have hair loss as it’s side effect. You should consult your doctor to possibly switch your medications to ones that might not cause the given side effects. However if you’ve been given medications, it is most probably for a just cause. So it is advisable to not stop the medications before you’ve consulted your doctor, as it could lead to adverse effects.

Benefits of Vitamins for menopause hair loss

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps promote the growth of cells in the body including your hair. It also helps to moisturise your scalp. The amount of vitamin A has to be regulated as too much of it can also cause hair loss. Vitamin A can be found in milk, eggs, potatoes, spinach and kale, among other things.

Vitamin B

Biotin is a vitamin B wonder element for your hair. A fall in the levels of biotin in your body leads to a definite increase in the menopause symptom of hair loss. Having a biotin deficiency is really hard to get as biotin is present in a number of food that is included in our daily diet. An intake of biotin can help hair growth only if the hair loss is specifically caused by the lack of it in the first place. If the cause is something else, biotin will not help in hair regrowth. Vitamin B also helps provide oxygen to your scalp and hair follicles, which is important for the health of your hair.

Animal food is a rich source of vitamin B12. However if you are a vegetarian, vitamin B12 supplements are readily available. Leafy green vegetables, whole grains, meat, and fish, are a good source of vitamin B.

Vitamin C and E

Vitamin C and E have similar antioxidant properties that help hair growth and protect it from ageing before it’s time. Vitamin C also creates collagen, a protein that forms an important part of the hair structure. It also helps your body absorb iron, which in turn helps hair growth. Vitamin C is found in various citrus fruits as well as strawberries and guavas, while Vitamin E is found in sunflower seeds, avocados and spinach.

Vitamin D

Alopecia is one of the leading causes of hair loss caused by a fall in the levels of vitamin D. vitamin D is also known to create new follicles that can help new hair growth. Vitamin D is beneficial for a number of menopause symptoms other than hair loss, such as mood swings and bone health. The sun is the biggest source of vitamin D, along with cod liver oil, fatty fish but in the UK a lot of people take Vitamin D Supplements.

Zinc

A fall in the levels of zinc lead to hair fall as it is an important component of the growth and repair of tissues. It also aids the oil glands around the follicles to maintain the health of your hair and stop it from falling or breakage. However you might want to refrain from loading up on zinc as too much of it in your body can also cause hair loss. So it is better to opt for natural sources of zinc like whole foods, beef, spinach and pumpkin seeds instead of supplements, unless they have been prescribed by a doctor.

Iron

A deficiency of iron in the body can cause anemia, leading to severe hair loss. This is prominent in women of all ages including ones suffering from menopause symptoms. Iron makes sure that all your cells are oxygenated. These cells include your hair. So stack up on seafood like oysters and clams, along with eggs, and spinach to bring up the levels of iron in your body.

Protein

Hair is made of protein. So it goes without saying that a fall in protein levels can contribute to the menopausal hair loss. Protein deficiency also stunts hair growth. It is an extremely rare occurrence for people to have protein deficiency, especially if your diet is rich in meat.