Hypothalamic amenorrhea

Hypothalamic amenorrhrea: Will my hair return?

I’ve selected this question below for this week’s question of the week. It allows us to review some concepts in hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Question

I have hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) and hair loss. Will the hair loss stop once the HA resolves?

Answer

Hypothalamic amennorrhea (HA) occurs when reduced stimulatory hormones from the hypothalamus leads to reduced estrogen production by the ovaries. The results is a cessation of normal menstrual cycles. It estimated that HA effects about 1.62 million women between the ages of 18 and 44 years in the United States and about 20 million women around the world. Three main types of functional HA are psychological stress, intense exercise, and eating disorders.

So now to the question at hand - does resolution of HA lead to return of hair density?
The answer is complex as it really depends if the hypoestrogenic state and other other changes associated with reduce hypothalamic function lead to an acceleration of underlying androgenetic alopecia or not. This really requires a proper up close examination.

If there is zero evidence of AGA and the diagnosis of the hair loss is truly a ‘telogen effluvium’, then it may return. Often there is evolving AGA in these situations. Be sure to review with an expert if there is any component of androgenetic alopecia present