Just a little warning about menopause and thinning hair

[EvangelicalAboutButteredToast]

I was just thinking about this today and it suddenly struck me that lots of women approaching menopause might not know how important it is to protect their hair follicles as they get older.

HRT will help with age related hair loss but something like 5% minoxidil will protect them belt and braces as what many women don’t know is the hair follicles can shrink and die over time and a hair will never grown back out of the follicle once it’s dead.

I notice lots of women around my age who now have thinning hair and might be thinking they could bring the thickness back just by taking supplements etc. I started using Monixidil about three years ago. I use a generic version and use it all over my head about twice a week. I probably spend about £30 every four months so it’s not expensive. I have more hair on my head now than I did five years ago. It’s just part of my routine now.

if you google there’s loads of studies about what hormones are involved but I just wanted to say don’t wait. If you think your hair is starting to get thinner try and start treatment early incase the impact on the hair follicles are such that it’s not possible to grow the hair back.

Apparently oral minoxidil is the thing. India Knight has written about it.

Kirkland is the own brand name for Costco products. If you've got Costco card or know someone it's probably cheaper buying directly.

I got some of this but threw it away as I got scared. Now wishing I hadn’t.

Yes agree, you really shouldn’t use topical minoxidil if you have cats!

Scrap that, it wasn’t that that I got. It was something else.

Is this the one? (Photo may take a while)

Well report me then and let mumsnet look back at my tedious posting history and they’ll let you know that I’m not a troll and troll hunting is against T&Cs.

Yes. I normally get six months supply but I think it lasts me about four months. I only use it a couple of times a week but when I put it on I put quite a lot on.

The cat is fine. Living her best life Infact.

https://www.allure.com/story/minoxidil-can-kill-cats-and-dogs

https://hairgp.co.uk/is-minoxidil-harmful-to-pets-safety-guide-for-pet-owners/

Oh my goodness. The minoxidil isn’t killing my cat. She is mainly outdoors and having her best life in her twilight years. This site really is absolutely crazy.

I’m bowing out to enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Anyone who is premenopausal just look after your hair follicles however you choose to do it xx

I take this. It's made a bit of a difference over about nine months. Not spectacular.

People saying speak to the GP, mine was entirely uninterested in my hair loss. HRT made no impact at all.

It’s all in the details. That articles only stats are that 12.9% of cats that SHOW clinical effects die. We don’t know what % of minoxidil owners cats show effects. It could be 0.01%. Considering it’s a very widely used drug…

I take tablets from ‘hair and me’

I don’t think the scientific evidence is there yet for hair loss. The Tulleken Docs did a very interesting podcast on hair loss on their ‘what’s up Doc’ show, I might be wrong as I missed the beginning and end of the show, but from what I heard it didn’t sound like there was enough of an evidence base to say ‘this [snake-oil] hair product works; and the person who found the answer to hair loss would be extremely wealthy!!

That will probably be because there are many many reasons for hair loss and determining the underlying cause is the important part.

Minoxidil, as I understand it, increases blood flow to the scalp, which helps hair grow. If reduced blood flow is the issue then presumably this works - but what causes the reduced blood flow?

I've read quite a bit about it and I don't really recognise the advice in the OP about looking after your hair follicles or they will "die".

Very grateful for this thread. Will look into it when the time strikes!