Depo Provera is making me go bald!!!!

by Nell
(Peterborough, UK)

Depo Provera

I am 26 and I started using Depo Provera as a form of contraception back in March. About two months after the injection I noticed that my fringe was getting thinner and I just couldn't do anything with it, although it was frustrating I didn't really think that much of it and certainly didn't realise that I was losing my hair.

In June I had my next injection and this is where the fun began. By the end of the month almost my entire fringe had fallen out, I had to pull hair from the middle of my scalp and cut it in to a fringe. Then I noticed that the hair at the sides was starting to recede and a lot of hair was now coming out on my brush.

I made an appointment at my doctors and was sent for all of the usual tests (iron, thyroid etc) and they all came back fine.

By August I had lost so much hair I just didn't know what to do with it, it became so thin it was feeling more like fluff than real hair. I was starting to get hysterical I felt sick every time I thought about it (which seemed to be most of the time), and I would wake up in the night and just burst into tears.

I started to do a bit of research and found that Depo Provera could cause hair loss. I decided not to have the next injection. In September I went to see a trichologist and she told me I had Telogen Effluvium which was caused by stress, she said she thought it would start growing back within a month and that it was nothing to worry about.

I relaxed. I was so relieved and I did start to see some regrowth it looked like it might be thickening up again, I couldn't believe it, I was so happy I cried. Then a few weeks later it all started to fall again. It was everywhere all over my desk at work (and other peoples desks as well come to think of it), blocking up my plugholes at home and on nearly every item of clothing I owned, even after they had been washed.

My doctor then sent me to see a dermatologist. He told me that he thought it might be Alopecia Areata. I asked about the Depo injection and was told it could very likely be the cause and until it’s completely out of my system there is no way of knowing. I feel quite sure though that it was the cause, the timing certainly suggests it was.
At present I am still suffering from a lot of hair loss. My centre parting has started to look very wide and I am much receded. I wear my hair in a low ponytail everyday because it is so thin it looks awful and I get my husband to walk around me and make sure there are no bald patches showing, if there is he has to move some of the hair over them and spray it down.

I wish I had never had the Depo Provera injection and I will definitely never have it again. If I do ever get my hair back I will never take it for granted again. Hair is amazing it should be treasured!

Editor’s Comments

Dear Nell,

Sorry to hear about your condition with Depo Provera. There are a lot of contraceptive drugs and medications that can potentially cause hair loss. Depo Provera is a very common drug which carries this dreaded side effect. What you are having should be directly related to this drug because it usually fluctuate your hormones. Your body is also hammered trying to adapt to the changes and that is also another reason of stress.

Telogen Effluvium will usually continue well after you take this drug. That is because that the residue of this drug can stay in your body for 6 months after you stop taking. However, you should see reduced thinning after a while. I strongly suggest you stop worrying and start focusing on recovery. You might want to take some supplements and probably Viviscal to improve your hair. In the meantime, cutting your hair short can reduce the visibility of hair loss.

I am pretty sure that your hair will start to grow back after the effects of Depo Provera wears off, so cheer up!