Low iron and severe hair loss? Help!

[phoebebeebe]

I had the copper coil fitted last year and around 4 months later my hair started to shed (October) and it's got worse and worse.

I've had it removed and changed to mirena which has made periods lighter but my hair loss is getting worse.

I had a blood test and my iron levels are 26ug.
Could this be the cause of my hair loss?

I could cry - this is just from washing.

Hi. I’m not sure what that figure means but anytime I’ve had hair loss following surgery for example my iron count has been considered ok and it’s my ferritin level that's been extremely low.

@PollyThePixie you're right I've just had a look - it's the serum ferritin level that's 26 and should be above 30. So it has caused hair loss before for you?

Hi, yes. Both times I’d had surgery that caused blood loss and within weeks I was losing hair the way you are. It went on for about 3 months each time. And strangely enough I was on iron tablets but it was only when my ferritin was checked specifically that it came back at about 14 and I was put on ferritin tablets.

3 months ago I had another surgery and lost just over a liter of blood and I’ve had no hair loss because I went on ferritin in the 2 months leading up to the surgery.

I don’t know much about ferritin but in some countries they place a lot of importance on ferritin levels and in others they don’t. Is 30 a good ferritin level? Personally I’d always want mine higher than that and you can google information where low ferritin is taken seriously and levels of about 90 are normal. Not 30.

I hope this helps you. The supplement I take is called NUTRIADVANCED FERRODYN

@PollyThePixie thank you, that's been really helpful! It would make sense as it started after about 4 months of having the very heavy periods the copper coil caused. I didn't really know there was a difference between ferritin and iron levels. You've given me some hope that could just be what it is and that with the right supplements it will hopefully stop eventually!
I'll see if I can get hold of some of those tablets.
Thanks again x

Biotin is very good for hair loss

I went down to 30 - which is probably within the supposed "recommended levels" but my GP told me that apart from young women, this is too low for most.

Yes I had severe hair loss. Did they prescribe iron tablets?

My ferritin was 7 though, I had a lot of other side effects as well.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/ferrous-fumarate-210mg-iron-deficiency-anaemia-84-tablets/?attribute_select-quantity=1+Pack+(84+Tablets)&gclid=CjwKCAjw0N6hBhAUEiwAXab-TaaEY-JsyT6Wa5PVaBSTbUOWlGEE-gPdYESl4D1CAxQXTAcXjL4F3BoC6_gQAvD_BwE
I buy these... Exactly the same as those prescribed by GP. You can take up to 3 a day. I took 2 a day for a month or so and it brought my levels up and hair loss greatly reduced. I now take one a day to maintain (as largely veggie diet, plus in 50s). Hairloss not returned and energy levels much higher.

It was v heavy periods that caused my low iron too.

Be aware of your age though - as low oestrogen can also cause hairloss...and low progesterone heavy periods.....so if you could be peri, bear that in mind.

I don’t know if I had other side effects as well because I was recovering from major surgery twice over and It would have been difficult to work out which was which.

Yes - I can't remember my levels but my hair loss was very much like that. When it grew back it was distinctly curlier as well, and I'd lost enough that the overall 'look' changed from straight to wavy, which I'm still frustrated by! But (prescribed) iron tablets and an ablation fixed me, so there is definitely hope that it all gets better.

I also buy ferrous fumerate that pp has linked. Ferritin needs to be above 70 to support hair growth.

However, when I lost hair in clumps like that it turned out I had an underactive thyroid. Have you had that checked?

@phoebebeebe you're welcome and I hope you feel better soon. And don’t worry about your hair. It will grow back and look as good as ever. Xx

Ds had hair loss which prompted bloods and its was a very low feratin caused by coeliac disease. Once diagnosed and treated hair grew back very quickly.

@PollyThePixie for me it was exhaustion, my fingers were tingling and I always felt anxious as if I drank too much caffeine but I hadn't had any. It was really unpleasant and I had no idea what was going on.

I believe the cause was my c section and then extremely heavy periods (sorry if TMI) xx

Have a look at The Iron Protocol on Facebook. Loads of information there on how to increase ferritin levels.

I got my ferritin from 16 (range was 12-290) to over 70 by taking one ferrous sulphate every two days at 5am with a 1000mg of vitamin C. Then I would wait 2hrs to drink coffee.

It took 3 months.

And my hair loss was like yours. I now have a lot of wispy regrowth on my hairline!

Yes my hair was coming out at an alarming rate. Plus I was exhausted, depressed, moody, felt weakness in my legs.
My ferritin was rock bottom low. I've been on iron tablets and feel better and the excess hair loss has stopped but I need to chase up my last blood test as I don't know how much my iron has come up by.
Also agree with PP about the accepted lower normal limit is probably still too low for most premenopausal women unless you are supplementing it with your diet really well.

Thank you so much everyone, it's given me some hope that it could be the low ferritin causing it and it can be reversed! My GP prescribed me 1 months worth of ferrous sulphate this afternoon.
I was also tired all the time but blamed my toddler, and got every virus going but just thought I was run down!
I'm 34 but I'm certain it was the copper coil that caused my periods to be very heavy.
I've requested to join the iron Facebook group! I've heard tea can lessen absorption and I drink a lot of tea
The hair loss is really getting me quite down though and not knowing a cause or when or if it will end is horrible! I really hope trying to increase my iron makes a difference!

Or should I saw I AM tired all the time and still get every virus going.. that isn't past tense 🤦🏼‍♀️

Have you had your thyroid checked? Underactive thyroid can cause tiredness, hairloss and heavy periods.

@WhoToBeToday I think so.
It says Serum TSH level 0.8 mU/L [0.27 - 4.2] which I think is my thyroid? I can just view my results on an app but the doctor only mentioned the ferritin to me.

Those photos look exactly like when I had problems with my ferritin levels too. I think mine was caused by my blood pressure medication. There was no other reason for it and I found out by accident when I was reading the patient info leaflet a few months into taking them. The GP didn't have any clue it could be that and kept trying to insist it was probably heavy periods or diet that was low in iron, despite me saying my periods were getting lighter and further apart (perimenopause) and me eating a lot of red meat.

Ferrous fumerate did the trick. It took a few months until it was normal and in the meantime I also came off my BP medication (without telling the GP, I know, I know, but I did make lifestyle adjustments etc and readings were ok). I've recently gone back on the same ones (Losartan) because my readings were getting high again. And I think the same thing is happening again. My energy levels are appalling, I just feel terrible when I take them consistently, like a hangover. Hair loss starting again too. I'm going to have to go back to the GP and get my bloods done again.

It feels like as soon as you take one drug it knocks something else out of kilter. Before you know it you're rattling! 😁

https://dermnetnz.org/topics/telogen-effluvium

Have a look at this. My ferritin levels were in my boots at the time, but I also had this.