While male hair loss often gets the most attention, female pattern hair loss is also common. Hair loss in women can have many causes, from hormonal changes to existing health conditions.
Hair loss can affect everyone and may be particularly difficult to cope with if you identify as a woman. It can affect your confidence and your self-esteem
Women can experience pattern hair loss, just the same as men. However, instead of receding hairlines, women often experience thinning hair and widening parts instead. You may also notice bald patches begin to form.
You may experience hair loss for many reasons, such as stress, hormonal changes, or health conditions. The treatment that is best for you will depend on what causes your hair loss.
Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article uses the terms “women,” “men,” or both when discussing people assigned female or male at birth to reflect language that appears in source materials.
While gender is solely about how you identify yourself, independent of your physical body, you may need to consider how your personal circumstances will affect diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment. Learn more about the difference between sex and gender here.
Causes of hair loss in women
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Many different factors might lead to hair loss in women. Speaking with a doctor may help you find out what the cause is.
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As a woman, you have a range of reproductive hormones that fluctuate throughout your life, from your monthly cycle to pregnancy and menopause.
These hormones include progesterone and estrogen. They are responsible for developing and maintaining your reproductive traits and managing other hormone levels as well as other general bodily functions. For example, they affect:
breast development during puberty
growth of your uterine lining
strengthening your bones
heart health
These hormones also affect the health and growth cycle of your hair. They help keep your hair growing and prevent it from shedding too often. When these hormones drop, such as during menopause and after childbirth, it can have a significant effect on your hair, causing thinning and hair loss.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), if you experience hair loss after childbirth, you should notice that it returns to its baseline after your child’s first birthday. If this is not the case, you may wish to speak with a healthcare professional.
During menopause, this decline in estrogen and progesterone causes the production of other hormones to increase. These are androgens. These hormones are what cause male and female pattern baldness, which is the leading cause of hair loss in women. They cause your hair follicles to shrink, which leads to hair loss on your scalp.
Medical conditions
A wide range of health conditions include hair loss as a symptom. Often these are autoimmune diseases, where your immune system attacks certain cells in your body, leading to different symptoms. Some autoimmune conditions that can cause hair loss, among other symptoms, include:
Periods of emotional turmoil and stress can sometimes cause temporary hair loss. This is telogen effluvium and occurs as the result of changes to your hair growth cycle. According to the American Hair Loss Association, hair loss from stress is the second most common cause of hair loss.
This is because feelings of anxiety and stress cause the release of cortisol, your body’s stress hormone.
According to a review from 2023, cortisol can encourage the transition from growth to the rest phase, as well as damage your hair follicles. This leads to your hair falling out without a healthy growth phase to replace shedding hair.
You may also notice your hair thinning on other parts of your body, such as your eyebrows and genital region. However, hair loss from stress is reversible.
Nutritional deficiencies
If you are not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals, you may notice hair loss or thinning. This is because your hair follicles require nutrients to maintain the growth cycle. These vitamins and minerals include:
Vitamin A: Sources of vitamin A include oily fish, leafy greens, and dairy.
Vitamin B: Sources of Vitamin B include peas, whole grains, and certain fruits like bananas and oranges.
Vitamin C: Sources of vitamin C include oranges, broccoli, and citrus fruits.
Vitamin D: Sources of vitamin D include red meat and liver, as well as oily fish like mackerel.
Vitamin E: Sources of vitamin E include seeds and oils, such as sunflower oil, almonds, and peanut butter.
Iron: As well as causing anemia, a lack of iron in your diet can cause your hair to fall in a similar manner to female pattern baldness. You may want to increase the amount of spinach and lean proteins to boost your iron intake.
Selenium: Increase your selenium intake by consuming more Brazil nuts, beans, and lean proteins.
Zinc: Boost your dietary zinc by consuming oysters, red meat, or poultry.
If you have difficulty including enough nutrients in your diet, nutritional supplements can help.
Hair loss treatments
The type of treatment that suits you best will depend on the cause of your hair loss. This is why it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional if you experience hair loss. They will help by identifying the cause and prescribing the most effective treatment for you.
Hair loss due to hormonal changes like childbirth or stress will likely stop once your body adjusts or you are able to find ways to manage your stress levels. If hair loss is a symptom of another health condition, treatment will focus on the underlying problem.
However, there are plenty of options for the treatment of hair loss from other causes:
Spironolactone (Aldactone):Spironolactone works by binding to androgen hormones to stop their action on your hair follicles. Some 2020 research notes that nearly two-thirds of women taking this medication for a year experienced improvements in their hair growth.
Corticosteroids: Steroid injections can help regrow hair in women. It typically involves several injections into sites of hair loss every 4–6 weeks. You can expect to see regrowth within 3 months of the regimen.
Minoxidil: Topical minoxidil (Rogaine) is a hair loss treatment you can apply directly to your scalp.
Latisse: If your hair loss is affecting your eyelashes, Latisse is a branded medication specifically for this area.
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Many factors can cause hair loss in women, from hormonal changes to stress and nutrition deficiencies. A range of health conditions may also cause the symptoms of hair loss.
Often, if your hair loss results from temporary hormonal changes like childbirth, you can expect to see regrowth after some time. However, causes like health conditions and menopause may require long-term management. A wide range of treatments are available for women experiencing hair loss.
Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on some prescription medications.
