Hormonal problems? Medical advice please.

[DO_Double]

Hello,

I'm a frequent reader of these forums but just recently decided to join as I need some medical advice.

Basically I have a feeling that my hairloss is related to a medical condition rather than being typical male pattern baldness. My question is if I go to see a doctor what should I get checked? I have read that if my thyroid gland is overactive or underactive this can lead to hairloss. I have also read that certain hormones (androgens / estrogens) which are out of balance can lead to hair fallout.

Do I need bloodwork done? What should I tell my doctor I would like checked out? What could be some other internal factors (outside of typical male pattern baldness)?

Thanks!

 

[s.a.f]

Exactly what is it that makes you think its not normal m.p.b? Why not post some pics for us.
BTW thats what everyone thinks at first.

 

[DO_Double]

Exactly what is it that makes you think its not normal m.p.b? Why not post some pics for us.
BTW thats what everyone thinks at first.

There are several reason I believe my hairloss to be a result of a medical condition rather than typical male pattern baldness. Take note that I am a very healthy and active 21 year old.

1. I have many of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid.

-Heat intolerance
-Increased sweating
-Fatigue
-Frequent bowel movements
-Hand tremor(s)
-Shortness of Breath
-Hair loss
-Vertigo (dizziness)
-Anxiety... The list goes on.

2. My hair started slowly thinning at a very young age (16-17). I am now 21 and it is still slowly thinning.

3. My hair thinning, while mostly on top, is also starting to become slightly visible on the sides of my head. (i.e. directly across from my eyes)

 

[BornBaldDieBald]

[quote="s.a.f":a8f85]Exactly what is it that makes you think its not normal m.p.b? Why not post some pics for us.
BTW thats what everyone thinks at first.

There are several reason I believe my hairloss to be a result of a medical condition rather than typical male pattern baldness. Take note that I am a very healthy and active 21 year old.

1. I have many of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid.

-Heat intolerance
-Increased sweating
-Fatigue
-Frequent bowel movements
-Hand tremor(s)
-Shortness of Breath
-Hair loss
-Vertigo (dizziness)
-Anxiety... The list goes on.

2. My hair started slowly thinning at a very young age (16-17). I am now 21 and it is still slowly thinning.

3. My hair thinning, while mostly on top, is also starting to become slightly visible on the sides of my head. (i.e. directly across from my eyes)[/quote:a8f85]

I have many of those symptoms too. And I do not have an under or over active thyroid. Those symptoms don't mean much without a diagnosis, as they are very common among healthy, living human beings.

From what you descrie it seems like male pattern baldness...."hair slowly thinning over time". Post pictures, and you will have an "expert" opinion, but nothing beats going to a good doctor. Get the blood work done just in case.

Believe me, everyone balding male on this forum at one point in their adventure had an overactive thyroid, and telogen effluvium, and demodex follicularum, and a list of other non-scarring alopecias that we thought would repair themselves over time. And then we all woke up. LOL.

 

[docj077]

[quote="s.a.f":bb10c]Exactly what is it that makes you think its not normal m.p.b? Why not post some pics for us.
BTW thats what everyone thinks at first.

There are several reason I believe my hairloss to be a result of a medical condition rather than typical male pattern baldness. Take note that I am a very healthy and active 21 year old.

1. I have many of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid.

-Heat intolerance
-Increased sweating
-Fatigue
-Frequent bowel movements
-Hand tremor(s)
-Shortness of Breath
-Hair loss
-Vertigo (dizziness)
-Anxiety... The list goes on.

2. My hair started slowly thinning at a very young age (16-17). I am now 21 and it is still slowly thinning.

3. My hair thinning, while mostly on top, is also starting to become slightly visible on the sides of my head. (i.e. directly across from my eyes)[/quote:bb10c]

You're describing hyperthyroidism, but I think you've become aware of your symptoms and identified with them, because you have access to the internet. In reality, it's probably just male pattern baldness accompanied by somatization disorder, but a thyroid disorder shouldn't thrown out.

However, if you're concerned about your thyroid, then go to your doctor and he or she will draw some blood and test your TSH and possibly free T4 levels.

I have hair loss and have suffered from possible drug induced or a type of environmentally induced hyperthyroidism. Having all the symptoms that you have would be considered an abnormal presentation just because you've listed ALL the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. You've left no room for doubt as you've undoubtedly read up on the disease to establish your own personal diagnosis so as to grant it some sense of permanence in your own mind. Doctors are wary when it comes to the care of such patients, so be mindful of the doctor's professional importance and your unprofessional opinion.

 

[SkylineGTR]

yeah people like to self diagnose. The internet is bad mojo for hypochondriacs.

My g/f is horrible at that. She thinks she has everything because she shows symptoms for everything. Finds something that fits the description .... then freaks out that she "might" have it. Then the doctors tell her otherwise.

 

[DO_Double]

[quote="s.a.f":e92cd]Exactly what is it that makes you think its not normal m.p.b? Why not post some pics for us.
BTW thats what everyone thinks at first.

There are several reason I believe my hairloss to be a result of a medical condition rather than typical male pattern baldness. Take note that I am a very healthy and active 21 year old.

1. I have many of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid.

-Heat intolerance
-Increased sweating
-Fatigue
-Frequent bowel movements
-Hand tremor(s)
-Shortness of Breath
-Hair loss
-Vertigo (dizziness)
-Anxiety... The list goes on.

2. My hair started slowly thinning at a very young age (16-17). I am now 21 and it is still slowly thinning.

3. My hair thinning, while mostly on top, is also starting to become slightly visible on the sides of my head. (i.e. directly across from my eyes)

You're describing hyperthyroidism, but I think you've become aware of your symptoms and identified with them, because you have access to the internet. In reality, it's probably just male pattern baldness accompanied by somatization disorder, but a thyroid disorder shouldn't thrown out.

However, if you're concerned about your thyroid, then go to your doctor and he or she will draw some blood and test your TSH and possibly free T4 levels.

I have hair loss and have suffered from possible drug induced or a type of environmentally induced hyperthyroidism. Having all the symptoms that you have would be considered an abnormal presentation just because you've listed ALL the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. You've left no room for doubt as you've undoubtedly read up on the disease to establish your own personal diagnosis so as to grant it some sense of permanence in your own mind. Doctors are wary when it comes to the care of such patients, so be mindful of the doctor's professional importance and your unprofessional opinion.[/quote:e92cd]

Thanks for the reply. I have been aware of my symptoms for some time now and just recently started reading about hyperthyroidism. When I first started reading about the symptoms I was astonished at how similar everything sounded to what I have been experiencing. I don't want to try and diagnose myself but I am planning on going to get my thyroid levels checked sometime soon.

 

[Johnny24601]

re:

I agree with Doctor and others as the internet leads people to make diagnosis when they are not qualified to do so and often times they are wrong. I will add that many many people come to this site and initially think "it must be something else" simply because they did not think they would bald (especially at an early age) and male pattern baldness is tough for many men to deal with because you basically have very little control of the situation. When someone convinces himself that it is something other then male pattern baldness, it appears to give people some sort of comfort (ignorance is bliss).
By all means get your blood work done. However, if there is any history of male pattern baldness and you can clearly see a difference in the hair thickness on top, then I think you should be able to "diagnose" yourself with male pattern baldness. The bigger issue is (IMO) you have to deal with your anxiety and overall mental state so you can get yourself physically healthy. Even if you have male pattern baldness, all your other issues are most likely not helping the appearance of your hair. Not to mention the fact that if you find out you do have male pattern baldness, that sort of news tends to make a man's mental state even worse.
If you post some photos, I can assure that the trained eyes of the members of this board will be able to give you a real diagnosis of whether you have male pattern baldness or not.