Birth control pills can result in hair loss as a side effect. However, this is usually temporary.
As with any medication, the birth control pill can cause side effects. Some people may find that their hair thins or falls out while they’re taking the pill. Others may experience hair loss after they stop taking it.
Keep reading for a look at the connection between birth control pills and hair loss, and learn what you can do if hair loss is affecting you.
Birth control pills prevent pregnancy in a few different ways. Most pills contain synthetic forms of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Normally, a rise in estrogen causes an egg to leave the ovaries during the menstrual cycle. This is called ovulation.
Birth control pills stop the surge in estrogen that causes an egg to be released. They thicken the mucus around the cervix, making it harder for sperm to swim up to the egg.
Birth control pills also change the lining of the uterus. If an egg does get fertilized, it usually can’t implant and grow due to this change.
Types of birth control pills
Birth control pills come in two different forms, which are based on the hormones that they contain:
- combination birth control pills, which contain both progestin and synthetic forms of estrogen
- minipills, which only contain progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone
Birth control pills
Hair normally grows in cycles. Anagen is the active phase. During this phase, your hair grows from its follicle. This period can last for two to seven years.
Telogen is the resting phase. During this phase, your hair doesn’t grow. Between 25 and 100 hairs are shed daily in this phase.
Birth control pills cause the hair to move from the growing phase to the resting phase too soon and for too long. This form of hair loss is called telogen effluvium. Large amounts of hair can fall out during this process.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) lists several risk factors for hair loss, including:
- having a family history of hormone-related hair loss
- switching from one type of birth control pill to another
- ageing can slow down new hair growth and also cause hair to lose its natural color
- having a hormonal imbalance, such as polycystic ovary syndrome
- developing thyroid disease
- using hairstyles that pull your hair back tight
Hair loss caused by birth control pills is usually temporary. It should stop within a few months after your body gets used to the pill. Hair loss should also stop after you’ve been off of the pill for a while.
If the hair loss doesn’t stop and you don’t see regrowth, consider speaking with a healthcare professional.
They can recommend medications to help with hair regrowth, such as minoxidil 2% and finasteride.
These medications work by moving hair follicles into the growth phase more quickly. It may take a few months of use before you can see results.
Birth control pills can result in hair loss as a side effect. However, this is usually temporary.
If hair loss runs in your family, consider birth control options that contain more estrogen than progestin. These pills are low on the androgen index, and they can actually stimulate hair growth by keeping your hair in the anagen phase longer.
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