Hair loss all over body and tiredness

[ThatsGoingToHurt]

Ive got a telephone appointment coming up with my GP (couldn’t get F2F)

Ive recently had some bloods done and they have come back normal (iron, B12, etc)

I started to notice my hair was thinner around July last year but around Christmas started to notice major hair loss. I’m now receding at my temples and my hairline is noticably thinner at the front. I would estimate that I’ve lost over 50% of my hair (my hair was thick to begin with)

my eyebrows and eyelashes have also thinned. I’ve lost most of the hair on my body. I now have no arm hair, barely any leg or armpit hair.

I’ve got brain fog and I’m exhausted end up going straight to bed after the kids. I can sleep 9/10 and still feel like I’m having to drag myself through everyday.

What tests should I ask the GP for? I’m 42 so I could be per but my periods are still like clock work. I’m worried that I’m going to be dismissed by my GP. I do a demanding job using my brain but I’m mentally and physically exhausted everyday and now have a memory like a sieve!

Morning cortisol - to check for Addisons / adrenal insufficiency. Have a google. This is not the same as adrenal fatigue which seems to be thrown about at the moment; there is no such thing as adrenal fatigue- you either have low cortisol and therefore adrenal insufficiency/ Addisons or you don’t. (Sorry to throw that in but just pre empting someone coming along and mentioning adrenals that doesn’t understand it)! It’s very rare but the hair loss and fatigue are classic signs.

You also want a full autoimmune screening including for lupus and thyroid issues. You should also investigate the possibility of early menopause, although yes the fact you have regular periods does make this less likely but your oestrogen could still be in decline.

My first thought was thyroid issues - losing body hair is a key symptom.

Could be peri menopause. Hormone blood tests are a bit hit and miss, best way to guage is to try hrt and see if it helps.

@Xrays is spot on.

Get a copy of your blood test results that have been tested so far.

Normal isn’t the same as optimal and many bloods are marked normal when in fact you could still be symptomatic. Ferritin for example is ‘normal’ at 20 in some labs but nice guidelines say levels under 30 should be treated and levels need to be above 70 to support hair growth. B12 ranges are lower in the U.K. than abroad and vitamin D is marked as normal at 50 but needs to be above 75 for bone protection. Both can affect energy and hair growth. Thyroid is another one that has iffy ranges and many (mostly women) suffer far too long before finally dropping into the ‘abnormal’ range. Good luck getting autoimmune screening, it can be a battle. Even getting a cortisol blood test can be hard work!

I hope you get some answers/treatment & soon feel better.

I have addisons and loss of body hair occurred a few years before I was diagnosed. Docs often miss it as it's very rare

Same. I thought it was weird I had stopped needing to shave my legs and arm pits!

Paid for a private blood test as it tests more than the NHS ones my GP requested (TSH, FT3, FT4 whereas GP request just TSH for Thyroid). Unfortunately the results have back faulty so they are going to send me another test pack out. GP phone call not for another 10 days.

Got a f2f gp app on Monday. Got private thyroid test results back and it says they are normal TSH 2.33, FT4 15.4 and FT3 4.3.

Do you have the reference ranges for those thyroid results please?

TSH 0.27 - 4.2 u/ml

FT4 12-22 p/mol

FT3 3.1-6.8 p/mol