Help! Need some success stories. Low Ferritin and hair!

[njshep]

I’m 52 and the last almost 5 years I have had extremely heavy periods due to a fibroid. Had unsuccessful surgery two years ago. Periods throughout most of this time have been 20-24days apart and lasted sometimes 10 days. Flooding, horrific clots ,etc. at worst my hemoglobin was 99 and my Ferritin a 3. Only recently do I think I may be close to the end.I’m day 40 with no period and the last few have been noticeably lighter.
Moat recently, my ferritin was 25,the highest it has been in years. But it along with transferrin saturation and tibc still show iron deficiency. I take iron but it has not been able to keep up with the loss. Like filling a bath tub with no plug.
I need some hope that without the periods being so frequent andheavy that I might be able to get my levels up to a point where it will make some difference in what once my once healthy and full of body hair but now thinned and lifeless.it’s so discouraging.
Hasanyone seen any reasonable improvement once ferritin gets up on their hair specifically?

Yes - I had to take iron supplement - it definitely helped. I'm now 2 years post menopausal and not gone backwards.

Thank you.
did your hair specifically get better or did it just not get worse?

I'm not menopausal (your thread showed up on my home screen) however I had extremely low iron long term after my first child.

Only symptoms I had was raised anxiety, tiredness and a ridiculously sensitive scalp with hair loss.

GP fobbed me off with many "new mum" excuses for about 18/24 months dueinf which time my periods were soaking through tampons and pads (again apparently hormonal, turns out low iron can actually make them worse so catch 22.)

Eventually a GP took pity on me and tested my bloods.

I was given iron tablets and tried to include more meat in my diet plus tool vitamin c to help absorption.

I think it was a month for the scalp sensativity to go and about 6 months to a year for the hair loss to correct itself.

Basically, yes, iron can really effect your hair as your body starts sending iron rice blood to vital organs etc and thus less blood to your scalp. It's a pretty untalked about side effect!

@njshep - it grew back. My hair had got a little thinner and I had a bald patch at the back. Hair has grown back in that patch and is thicker overall.

OP. I was flooding, it was pouring out of me in my early 40s.

I did the following:
HRT
Mirena coil
Ferrous sulphate every 48hrs on a empty stomach with a high strength vitamin C tablet plus no food or drink for two hours afterwards (took mine on waking at 5am)

Plus I found transexamic acid really helped too.

My ferritin was 16 (scale was 11-280) and I got it up to 70 in three months using all the tools above.

Good luck!

Thank you.
mice bern on iron for years but I think it just didn’t do anything g bc the periods are so incredibly heavy. I’m hoping that now that I think I’m getting to the end of things - lighter, less frequent periods, I may have some hope of my hair actually improving with the iron.

Yes- I saw a trichologist, you need a level of 50-100 for hair growth. Iron supplements really helped me. That said, then my thyroid went weird (due to peri) so now I take levothyroxine and that has really really helped too.

Thyroid is connected to hormones so best get that checked too of you find your hair has become thinning and/or brittle and dry

Yes, I had my thyroid checked and it was ok. I think it’s being in single digit ferritin levels for so long that has messed with hair.
that’s it’s gotten up to 25 is at least hopeful it’s trending in the right direction.

Yes- Mirena, iron transfusions, B12 injections and Levothyroxine. It took about a year to get back to normal - every time I brushed it there was a handful in the brush. HRT seemed to have a positive effect too.

I’m going to try to pursue iron infusions. It’s been too long….