My HRT journey has taken some time to tweak and a big part of that came from paying attention to what was showing up with my hair.
And I want to say that right away because I didn’t have the experience of feeling better overnight like some women talk about. So, if the same goes for you, you are not alone!
What I realized pretty quickly is that hormones aren’t something you just “get on” and everything magically falls into place. They’re something you have to work with, especially when things are showing up in ways you can’t ignore, like your hair.
That’s why I always share that it’s so important to have a great doctor or NP, and even more importantly, to be able to advocate for yourself because no one knows how you feel in your body better than you do.
When a supplement or topical worked for your girlfriend dealing with hair loss, of course you want to grab that for yourself too. But the truth is, I’ve seen over and over again women feeling frustrated and defeated because it doesn’t work for them. They start to think something is wrong with their body or that it’s failing them.
What I share is that based on biology, two women can be on the exact same protocol and have completely different experiences. Annoying, I know!
Being in midlife and dealing with hormone shifts and hair loss, I knew that I had to understand more about how my body was responding to those changes.
For me, everything shifted when I stopped asking general questions and started asking specific ones that came from understanding my body on a deeper level.
Even though you may know what your hormone levels are, it’s just as important to understand how your body is wired to actually process them.
Using results from my DNA report, these were some of the questions I asked that were specific to my body, based on the symptoms I was experiencing… hair loss included.
My hair is thinning and I know my genes make me more prone to hormonal hair loss, could we test my DHT levels so I can target this right away?
Because I’m genetically prone to making more of the less favorable estrogen metabolites, could my hair loss, belly weight gain, and brain fog be linked to how I’m clearing estrogen?
Since I have a tendency toward higher SHBG, which can bind up more of my testosterone and leave less available for my body to actually use, could this be why I feel tired, don’t feel like myself, and experience low moods?
Given that my body may have a reduced response to progesterone, could that explain why I’m still experiencing breakthrough bleeding and hair loss?
Given that my genes show a tendency toward both lower testosterone and higher DHT conversion, how can I safely support testosterone without worsening DHT-related symptoms like hair thinning and weight gain?
This is where everything changed for me.
Because I understood how my body responds genetically, I stopped looking for the quick fixes and started asking the right questions.
Because hormones can be tricky to navigate but when you understand how your body is wired, it becomes so much more clear.
There’s no second guessing.
Less trial and error.
Less wasted time.
And honestly a lot more peace of mind because you’re no longer trying to force your body into something that works for someone else.
You’re actually working with it.
What I want women to understand most is that if it hasn’t felt easy, it doesn’t mean nothing is going to work for you.
It might just mean your body needs a more personalized approach.
If you’ve been experiencing hair loss and other midlife changes, understanding how your body is wired to respond and having the right questions to ask your provider can help you move through your HRT journey with more clarity, less guesswork, and more personalized solutions.
If any of this resonated with you and you’d like to chat, feel free to leave me a message here. I’m happy to help!