HRT and PCOS symptoms (esp hair loss)

[GoodLuckBabe]

Hi, I’m considering asking for HRT due to a variety of symptoms that I think might be peri-menopause linked. Am 47, nearly 48. But I have also suffered for 10 years with thinning hair and facial hair which I have put down to PCOS (diagnosed in my 20s with a scan/blood test). Dermatologist quite a few years ago advised minoxidil which I use.

I suspect if I consult my regular GP I will be given whatever is the bog standard HRT combo. I would like my existing hormonal issues (PCOS) taken into account and am curious as to whether there is any form of HRT that could help with the hair loss in particular. I have probably lost 2/3 of the hair on the top of my head and am considering a wig. I can live with the facial hair as it can be plucked/shaved!

am wondering whether to pay for a private menopause clinic appt as my experience is the GP will only consider one issue in isolation (I can understand they are very limited by the appt length).

Anyone got any experience of HRT and PCOS symptoms? And any views on whether it is worth going private for something like this? (I can afford it, but not rolling in it so would be a hefty outlay for me)

No experience of PCOS, but all I got told for hair loss was to take iron. If you can afford private, I’d do it.

I have PCOS and am in peri-menopause. I've searched high and low for info on PCOS and menopause and HRT (including discussions with different HCPs) but there seems to be little research done. I'm trying to manage without HRT for this reason.

Interesting - I haven’t found anything either. Maybe they are just unrelated issues - or maybe like a lot of women’s health issues there is just not much research 😔I have thought about managing without and have done so far. But getting fed up with insomnia twice a month for a few days each time, and an increase in migraines. Plus you often hear that thinning hair is due to lack of oestrogen in menopause - how do I know mine is not that? I mean I suspect not due to the accompanying facial hair (face to head transplant??) but who knows…

I have a long history of acne and thinning hair (no cysts but lots of other pcos type symptoms). I use minoxidil and take daily iron (I've also been anaemic). I have had good results with HRT - slightly better skin and no extra hair loss. Femeston tablets were probably the best in terms of my hair. Oestrogel/Utrogestan combo has also been fine. The key thing is to avoid any of the androgenic progestogens, like the ones in the combined patches. A bit of googling will tell you which progestogens are androgenic and which are anti-androgenic.

I'm just about to start using Slynd as the progestogen part of my hrt. It's a mini-pill but can be used for hrt. It's an anti-androgen so should in theory be good for hair loss caused by pcos.

The oestrogen should be good for hair, as long as the balance is right.

Hi, sorry my earlier post was a bit dry! I'm so sorry you are going through this. It's so difficult when you know you have a condition, and then get these symptoms and nobody really seems to understand. Women's health research has been very poorly done, but is getting better but PCOS seems to be the Cinderella. I think it falls into the just too difficult category. I really hope you find something that works for you.