Hair Loss on LE

[lucyandboys]

I have been on the LE with PCOS elements (I don't have, but various autoimmune issues in family so don't want to do too much refined carbs etc) for 4.5 months. Am in 2ww after second month's attempt, but not holding out too much hope, as symptomless!

Anyway, the last few weeks I have had ridiculous hair loss - similar to a few months post partum - all over the place, in tufts. Getting quite worried! Is there anything I can up, diet wise - LE friendly - that might stop this? I guess the main difference to my diet now is the lack of protein - I still have chicken or fish every so often, but I used to have meat with every meal. Also used to take multivits...

Thank you!

[atomic sagebrush]

Have you come off birth control or had mirena removed within the last year?

Do you have thyroid problems?

I have had a few people report this and then every time it turned out to be either postpartum, coming off birth control, or a thyroid thing. When done properly LE Diet (especially the PCO one) is really very healthy and is based on recommendations from reproductive endocrinologists and the World Health Organization as a healthy pre-pregnancy diet for women of childbearing age.

Can you tell me what exactly you're eating??

[lucyandboys]

Oh gosh, I hope its not thyroid problems. My mum had hyperthyroidism, but didn't get it until a lot later in life. I know it can be hereditary though. Scared

No birth control. Had a tonne of postpartum hair loss after ds3 (3 yrs ago) but all grew back.

So I am not counting calories etc, because I'm one of those Marthas who has had eating problems in the past. I was trying to decrease meat & protein (used to eat very low carb) and increase grains & carbs but with smaller portion sizes and cut out snacks (was a massive snacker).

Yesterday I had - 2x coffee with milk & honey throughout morning. Lunch = bowl of brown rice/quinoa with salad (leaves, tomatoes etc & oil/vinegar dressing), berries & yoghurt. Peppermint tea & a plum mid afternoon. Dinner = pasta with chickpeas & vegetables in tomato sauce. Peppermint tea & 6 squares chocolate. Sometimes I've been having chicken or fish with dinner but never have meat or legumes at lunch.

So not unhealthy, I don't think? But a lot less in terms of nuts, eggs, meat than I used to have...

[atomic sagebrush]

It does look like a nicely balanced diet, my only concern is portion size - sometimes people will only be having a few bites and this doesn't add up to much. But if you're eating normal portions then I find it unlikely that it's diet related. Not impossible, just unlikely. People eat WAY less than that for many months and the main things you could be short in, since you're eating chicken and fish fairly often, it's just very unlikely you are short in those.

I'd have a thyroid check just to see. My biggest suspicion is the peppermint tea. If you wanted to drop that and see if it helps (remember, it may take weeks to fix itself) that would be what I'd try.

[hopetoswaypink]

Low ferritin can cause hair loss, I've had this before

[XXforhubby]

Being deficient in Vitamin D can cause hair loss as well. When my level was 4 or 20, my hair would fall out by the handfuls along with an itchy scalp. Since my level is now normal, (above 30) my hair doesn't fall out anymore nor is my scalp itchy.



DS1, DS2, & DS3
EDD 9/30/2017 for pink

[atomic sagebrush]

Lucy, let's just put you on a prenatal with zinc, vit. D, and 18-30 mg iron 3x a week and see if it improves.

[lucyandboys]

Thank you very much. I will definitely get thyroid test (although petrified) and start the prenatal. I took a hair skin nails one after the hairloss with ds3 and the iron in it made me terribly constipated(!) so I'll see if I can find a more natural/absorbable form of iron too.

Re my diet - my portion sizes are not tiny, only a little smaller than my large dh's, but I think I perhaps struggle to absorb nutrients as well as others as I have been mag deficient in past despite eating a tonne of mag sources. Probably something to do with the mthfr/autoimmune in family.

Was expecting AF yesterday...but don't want to tempt fate, it's probably just wonky cycle from diet!

[atomic sagebrush]

If you get the prenatals that have 18-30 mg iron, this is formulated to be more absorbable than the kinds that are in hundreds of milligrams.

OR, if you prefer you can take zinc, D, and Iron separately and use Feosol brand iron, I recommend this as it is well absorbed and I took it and found it wasn't so terrible on my stomach as some other irons I have used.

[lucyandboys]

Thank you so much!

BFP today - aaaaggghhh! Not sure I'm ready for this, was thinking it'd take another few months...!!!