Do we really lose 100 hairs a day?

[Jmangel]

So I went to GP as have noticed my hair has been falling out like crazy over the last few weeks to months - arms always covered in hairs etc. and loads coming out when I wash it.

I was hoping GP would check thyroid function as have also gained weight and feel low energy at times. He was not impressed and said it was all age related, I'm 45, and probably peri menopausal and totally normal. He then said everyone loses 100 hairs a day - the thing is I had a LOT of hair to start with, it was very thick and curly and has probably reduced in volume by half. But my half is probably other peoples' normal so he said there was nothing wrong with my hair and if he had a penny for every middle class woman who came in asking for TFTs he'd be a rich man !!!
But what if my hair keeps falling at the rate it is??
Do I need to go private to get a thorough investigation do you think? Btw, I am NOT middle class - ridiculous statement and I was completely floored by him and couldn't think of anything to say back at the time and sort of left with my tail between my legs.

Yes, 80-100 hairs per day is normal.

Having said that, middle age can also lead to some hair thinning as can iron deficiency and as you mention an underachieve thyroid. It's worth checking but more likely to be one of those things.
Humans also moult to some extent so you can lose more hair sometimes and then less again.

If he had a penny for every middle class woman who came in asking for TFTs he'd be a rich man

I think it is a 'normal' to lose but with your other symptoms, I don't see any harm in checking your thyroid. He was really bloody rude! I'd be fuming.

*a normal amount to lose

That was a really unprofessional remark on his part. Is it possible for you to see a different GP who might take you seriously?

Plus it's no normal for you and for it to be reduced by half is a lot by anyone's standards. There are a lot of GPs who seem to dismiss anything a woman goes in with as a 'female problem', mainly male gps it has to be said.

That's awful. My mum was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in her 40s and she mainly asked for the test due to tiredness. But once diagnosed a whole host of her health issues turned out to be thyroid related - anxiety, cholesterol, even silly little things like her eyebrows had become very thin. She must have had it for years without realising.

I was about 20 at the time, unusually tired and gaining weight, so I went to have mine checked too - yep, underactive thyroid! If my mum hadn't been diagnosed I wouldn't have either, and left untreated it could have affected the brain development of the baby I had two years later.

What I'm trying to say is that it's worth the GPs humouring the "middle class women" who come in asking for TFTs because some of them may direly need treatment.

Your gp is a dickhead.

Mine suggested taking silica and selium (both in hair and nail vitamins) and it made a massive difference. Low iron can also cause hair loss.

Very unprofessional of your GP.

What are TFTs?