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Re: confused!From: tera (anonymous@obgyn.net)Mon, 4 Feb 2002 22:43:27 -0600 (CST)
Hi! I just wanted to second what Panacea said just so you wouldn't think that it was just one person's opinion. What she said is true. I know that it can seem confusing but excess androgens (i.e. Testosterone) are responsible for excess body and facial hair as well as head hair loss in PCOS women. Saw Palmetto is thought to have anti-androgenic properties. Thus it would help with excess androgens that cause both head hair loss *and* excess facial and body hair. Some women are also taking prescription anti-androgens such as Spironolactone for excess hair and head hair loss. Glucophage will help treat the SOURCE of your problems if you are insulin resistant instead of just treating PCOS symptoms. I sympathize because I know what you are going through with your "hairy" issues. Anti-androgens may have to be taken for months before you notice any difference and they may or may not take care of the hair you already have. The chances are pretty good that they'll at least help keep the problem from getting much worse. Below is some info. from http://www.wdxcyber.com/napearo2.htm. that explains this further. I have directly quoted and paraphrased from this article - hope this helps, God bless, Tera. "Why do some women with PCOS have a problem with too much hair while others seem to go bald?" "Both excess body hair growth in women and baldness can be due to too much blood hormone testosterone, an androgen. The blood testoserone is converted to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone which directly stimulates the hair follicle to grow. Body hair grows in response to testosterone much more so than does head hair. In the case of baldness, the head hairs are actually sensitive to too much testosterone and male-pattern balding is the result. There appears to be a genetic predisposition to premature balding in men (before age 30). The head hair follicles are just supersensitive to the dihydrotestosterone and the head hairs fall out instead of growing. If women have excess testosterone or other androgens such as dihydrotestosterone (DHEA), the very fine body hairs on the abdomen growing toward the navel will turn into coarse, dark hairs and on the face in a beard and mustache pattern, etc. If they have a genetic predisposition to baldness and the androgens are high enough, balding results (hair loss). Therefore in PCOS with elevated androgens, most women have increased body and facial hair growth and some of them also have balding."
At Sun, 3 Feb 2002, Panacea wrote:
>
-- Tera
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