We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. I first noticed a thinning patch of hair 13 years ago, when I was getting ready for an anniversary dinner with my husband. The area was small and easily disguisable, with a slight parting shift.
I had just had my second child and chances were, I told myself, that it was pregnancy and birth-related. But the thinning continued, little by little, over the course of the decade. My parting was wider by the year; my fringe patchier, thinning and creeping further than ever from the lush coverage of my 20s and 30s.
With my roots freshly died and fringe longer and swept to the side, it was mainly noticeable to me. But once I hit my 50s, the hair loss around my parting seemed to accelerate and my camera roll became filled with overhead snaps assessing the damage. I went to the GP who carried out tests โ everything was normal, apart from my iron levels, which were slightly low. He recommended a twice-weekly iron supplement. The practice nurse also told me, in no uncertain terms, that the declining hormones of menopause can lead to hair loss.
I started HRT, but stuck to a low dose one pump. Female pattern hair loss FPHL , she explained, is relatively common โ particularly for women in middle age and older. Over time, the shed hair is not replaced. This rarely results in complete or near-complete baldness, or a receding hairline. Despite HRT, and iron supplements, my hair continued to fall out, with long strands decorating the shower and bath after every hair wash. I also spoke to beauty editor friends, who recommended trichologists and hairloss specialists at Philip Kingsley.
My blood was retested. Ellie, my trichologist, examined my hair under a microscope, which I could watch on a rather horrifying live stream. She was reassuring โ hair loss in perimenopause and menopause is common; there are things we can do. She recommended a focus on diet, supplementing key vitamins and minerals, and starting on minoxidil , the only UK-licensed medication for female hair loss.
