Suffering from Telogen Effluvium for 8 YEARS now.

by Jill
(Ohio)

I am a 43 year old female and I started to notice hair loss at age 35 after my 2nd child was about 1 year old. My hair was falling out in huge numbers everyday and I noticed a huge number of hairs on my head that were 2-3 inches long and would shed after growing to this length. I have always had long hair and HATE the way I look with short hair. I'm guessing that my hair life cycle is for some unknown reason shortened as the hairs only grow a few inches long and then fall out. If my hair grows 1/2" a month then my hairs life cycle is about 4-6 months instead of 4-6 years like a normal person. I dealt with this by wearing my hair pulled back ALL the time.

I became VERY depressed and began to avoid social situations. I felt so embarrassed by my looks and my self esteem was ZERO. My husband tried so hard to make me feel better but I have suffered SEVERE emotional distress over this. I've become obsessive compulsive over this hair loss. It is truly ALL CONSUMING AND DEPRESSING.

I went to my family doc and had my thyroid checked and iron levels and my iron was a little low so I took iron pills for awhile with no improvement. I also went to several dermatologists and had a scalp biopsy and was told I had Telogen effluvium and that it was the precursor to Androgenetic alopecia. I got no sympathy, just a quick "you will just have to live with it".

I became pregnant again and the hair shedding stopped completely. I was overjoyed but it was short lived because when my baby was about 1 year old it all started again. I tried hair extensions and they worked very well but I got tired of messing with them. I became pregnant about a year ago and again the hair loss stopped, but just like before it has returned now that my baby is a year old. This time it has come back with a VENGENCE. About 3 months ago my hair began to come out it clumps. I LITTERALLY mean huge clumps!!! I would feel so depressed every time I took a shower because I would see such a huge amount of hair come out and when I comb it another huge handful comes out. All I have to do it TOUCH my hair and it falls out. Its gross, its everywhere.

When I pull the ends of my shoulder length hair out from my head you can see TONS of 2-3 inch hairs all over my head. I'd say I have 75% short hairs on my head and 25% longer ones. Needless to say I can’t wear my hair down anymore. I look sick, like I have a serious illness. When you look at my head I have a few straggly hairs that have managed to grow to my shoulders and they are in random spots on my head. Why is this happening to me? What can I do about it? I am an emotional wreck.

Depressed and suffering from horrible low self esteem. It’s a miracle that my husband has stayed with me. He is very attractive and beautiful and I feel so bad that he is stuck with a freakish looking woman. I feel that I am too d...m young to look like this. I could accept this at 70 or 80 years old but not at 35!!! and not now either!!! I always think to myself, "Well, at least I don’t have cancer or some other debilitating disease", and I always try to minimize the seriousness of my problem but the truth is I have suffered SEVERE emotional distress over this to the point where it is ruining my life. I have finally decided that even though people shrug their shoulders and say "o well, it’s just hair, who cares, it’s no big deal...” it’s a big deal if you can’t cope emotionally.


I just wish I could find a doctor who cared and who could help me. I wish someone could turn off the gene that is responsible for this in my body. I believe my hair loss gene was turned on WAY TOO EARLY in my life. I did go through trauma when I was 35 because my husband and I and our 2 kids moved in with my mom after we sold our too small house so we could save and build a bigger house on some land we had in the country.

Building a house is hell and I am a nurse and I was working 16 hour shifts (3a-7p) to earn extra money. I worked nightshift a lot too and NEVER got any sleep. I was chronically sleep deprived for about 3 years. I guess all that stress took its toll on me. I'm sure my hormones have something to do with the hair loss too since it would disappear when I had super high pregnancy hormones. I wish I could keep those same hormone levels all the time but I’m sure I would end up with cancer if I took those levels of hormones (not to mention no doctor would ever agree to such a thing). What can I do? Where do I start??? HELP!

Editor’s Comments,

It’s very likely that your hair follicles are very sensitive to the changes of estrogen hormones in your body. Sometimes the swing of estrogen levels inside you can really indeed impact your hair. Your chronic sleep depriviation did not help either, it must have make the hair loss worse. When you have really stress, coupled with hormonal changes, it could lead to a disaster.

To fix back your hair, you can start by optimizing back your health. Try supplements like vitamin b complex that helps with stress and also your hair. Drink plenty of fluids, exercise more and take a vacation!

Foods that is rich in fibres like vegetables and fruits can really help alleviate your hormonal issues. If not, try to eat more estrogen rich foods like soy. Essential Fatty Acids supplementations might also point you to the right direction. There is a product that is gathering waves recently for women known as Viviscal. It’s a marine supplement and it seems to help with women with non genetic hair loss issues. You might want to give it a try. Good luck.