Sex Hormone | Health And Wellness Tips

New Research Links Causes Of Hair Loss To Nutritional Deficiency

Whilst it may be comforting to know that humans are not alone in suffering hair loss (primates such as monkeys also experience thinning on their head) – understanding the causes of hair loss means we can take proactive action. Even though genetics does play a part, new research has uncovered a nutritional deficiency link in both men and women. And other factors, such as stress, and poor hair care, are well within our capacity to change.

The genetic link in hair loss has been well studied. It is associated with male and female pattern hair loss, or alopecia. In these individuals there is an increased sensitivity to the sex hormone, DHT. DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, and is a powerful metabolite of testosterone. It contributes to men’s unique gender characteristics, as well as facial and body hair, and the deepening of men’s voices at puberty.

DHT causes the growth cycle of hair follicles to shorten, which in turn reduces the size of the hair shaft. Increasingly narrower hair is grown, sometimes as fine as fluff, and in more extreme cases, there is complete hair loss in that area.

In women, estrogen usually counteracts the effects of testosterone. But when women go through menopause, or suffer hormonal imbalances, the reduction in estrogen can lead to female pattern baldness. Fortunately, this is not as drastic in its hair loss effects as male pattern baldness. Instead the hair tends to thin, and the crown parting becomes wider.

But a very interesting study by L’Oreal has linked an iron deficiency to hair loss, in both men and women. This was a placebo controlled, double blind study in which 13,000 healthy men and women took a supplement, and had the ferritin (iron) levels in their blood measured and cross referenced with information on their hair loss.

The results showed not only a link between hair loss and iron deficiency, but they were able to estimate the risk of hair loss in a certain level of iron deficiency. For example, women whose blood ferritin levels dropped from a normal 70g/l to 40g/l, had a 28% higher chance of severe hair loss. The post menopausal women in the study who had severe hair loss all had much lower levels of iron than the women who didn’t have severe hair loss.

The problem with iron supplementation, however, is that excess iron builds up in the body’s tissues and becomes toxic. It has been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic illnesses. Iron levels can be tested by a doctor, so if hair loss is a concern, its best to get your iron levels tested first before taking iron supplements.

Other potential causes of hair loss – or at least, contributing factors are stress and poor hair care practices. Not brushing hair regularly, or washing it regularly, can affect the normal hair growth cycle.

When hair that is naturally at the end of its life cycle is removed through brushing, it allows another hair to grow underneath it. Regular brushing naturally removes dead hair that is ready to fall out. Not removing that hair means new growth cannot occur, as the old hair smothers the new growth. Dirt and oil build up can have a similar effect, so its important to wash hair regularly.

Stress can affect the circulation of nutrients and oxygen to the scalp, by causing the muscles in the scalp to tighten. If this happens over a long period of time, premature hair loss can occur. This cause of hair loss is distinct from male pattern baldness (which is hormonal), but it can certainly exacerbate the condition. And stress reduction techniques are simple things that can be added to a daily routine, to prevent hair loss, and improve the overall quality of life.

References:

1. Nutraingredients

2. Wikipedia Health

Symptoms of High Estrogen Level

The womens primary sex hormone is called estrogen. Without it, women will not have the different characteristics that identify them as women. Estrogen production is also essential to menstruation. They are the reason why women menstruate. This is because, estrogen is found in the eggs produced by the ovaries.

Usually, the normal menstrual cycle in a womans anatomy last for twenty eight to thirty days. During this period, estrogen is found in a normal state. However, if menstruation is noted, that is the time where estrogen is found in a higher level. This is normal because of the release of corpus letuem found inside the eggs cells during this stage.

However, there are also moments that the production of estrogen is beyond normal. It can be a cause of some irregularities in the normal body function of some women.

Many studies have proven that women with high levels of estrogen manifest signs and symptoms of stroke. These signs and symptoms are difficulty of breathing, arrhythmia, high blood pressure and paralysis of half of the body. Usually, the over production of estrogen increases the blood pressure that can be the main cause of stroke. Most of the scientists believe that over production of estrogen can affect the normal function of the heart, which can cause some serious heart ailments.

Normally, menstruation lasts from three to six days and follows a twenty-eight day cycle. However, if a womens menstruation lasts up to almost ten days and follows shorter menstrual cycle, it can be a sign of high estrogen level. Women who have this abnormal menstrual pattern are believed to have high estrogen levels. The symptoms of these are hot flushes, weakness and irritability. Women who have abnormal menstrual cycle are often predisposed to having iron deficiency anemia because of the enormous blood loss during pregnancy. These women are advised to take iron regularly to avoid IDA.

These are the symptoms you can feel when you have high estrogen level. If you experience the same symptoms, you should consult your doctor and ask for more medical assistance. Doctors will give you medications if they found that the cause of these problems is due to high level of estrogen. Visit the nearest doctor in your area to evaluate your medical concern.

They will be the greatest person to count on and the most reliable source of information regarding the elimination of the symptoms of high estrogen level.

Possible Side Effects of Taking Estrogen Hormone

Estrogen hormone is a group of compounds called steroid. It is dubbed as estrogen because of its big importance in the oestrus cycle. The main function of it is, as female sex hormone.

This hormone is found in both men and women but women of reproductive age have high levels of it. Estrogen hormone helps in developing the breast of the women, thickening of the endometrial, affects the discharge of hormones from pituitary gland and changing the menstrual cycle.

There are a total of six estrogenic substances in the womens body. However, there are only three top occurring estrogens in women namely: estrone, estradiol and estriol.

1. Estrone this is the most powerful among the three. This is the main estrogen being produced in the ovary.

2. Estratiol this is the most common estrogen. It is adapted to estrone. This is the most powerful estrogen produced by the ovary before menopausal stage.

3. Estriol – this is the least powerful among the three.

Since these estrogen hormones can be taken, they have the same effects and side effects especially if the doses are the same. The hormones should not be used when a woman is pregnant because it can lead to miscarriage. If taken at the earlier stage of pregnancy, it can badly harm the developing fetus.

For most senior women, they take the hormone even without any preventive measures. What they do not know is the risk of its side effects increases as they become older and older.

What are the possible side effects when a woman takes an estrogen hormone? The most common side effects with estrogen hormone are:

Softness of the breast, either men or women
Inflammation of the ankles and legs
Lesser cravings for food
Sudden changes in weight
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal pains
Skin Irritation

Other side effects are:

Bleeding gums
Vaginal bleeding and spotting
Changes in menstrual flow
Painful menstruation
PMS or the pre-menstrual syndrome
Vaginal infection such as Candida
Diarrhea
Loss of scalp hair
Migraine
Faintness
Despair
Increased sexual desires
Decreased sexual desires

Rare side effects include:

Blood clotting
Sudden feeling to urinate
Unclear speech
Changes in vision
Breathlessness

Estrogen hormone should always be balanced. When a woman has an imbalance or has a lesser count of hormone, chances are, she has an irregular menstrual cycle. This is the reason why there are women who resort to different estrogen hormone therapy just in order to make her hormone balance.

Though this is important still, women should be aware of its side effects before taking it.

Estrogen Replacement Therapies its Pros and Cons

What is Estrogen replacement? For a guy, its one of those subjects that would least interest them to know. But for women, this is vital information that could be very vital for them.

Estrogen

For starters, oestrogen functions as the primary female sex hormone composed of a group of steroid compounds, named for their significance in the oestrus cycle. It may be existent in both men and women, but they are usually present at extensively higher levels in women of reproductive age. At such period, oestrogen support the development of secondary female sex features, such as breasts, and are also involved in the thickening of the endometrium and other aspects of regulating the menstrual series.

Sources of oestrogen include the ovaries, the corpus luteum, and the placenta. Smaller amounts of it are found in the liver, adrenal glands, and breasts. These secondary sources are known to be very beneficial to post-menopausal women.

Downfall of Estrogen

In the later part of a womans life, around the age of 50, her ovaries face the tide of menopause, a period when it finally ceases producing estrogens. For ladies who wish to avoid discomfort and the agony of health problems caused by diminished circulating estrogens, Estrogen Replacement Therapy (or ERT) is an option to choose. The treatment involves a sequence of drugs intended to synthetically boost hormone levels.

As the name suggests, ERT replaces hormones which the ovaries no longer produce, either through natural or surgical menopause, and provides relief from the horrible symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Types

There are certain substances that are used in the ERT: such as conjugated estrogens or conjugated equine estrogens under the brand name of Premarin; patch; estrogens made of singular estrogen compounds; drugs such as raloxifene and alendronate; herbal remedies such as Black Cohosh, known to help reduce menopausal symptoms; and other hormones involved such as progesterone or progestins,.

Pros and Cons

The ERT have its own share of pros and cons to the lifestyle of women. It really does change ladies lives in an overwhelmingly excellent way. But at the same time, one would have to weigh the consequences it provides before deciding to undertake such therapy.

However the consequences, advantages seem to outnumber them. The use of conjugated estrogens is usually known for significant drop in the occurrence of heart disease and osteoporosis, including a decrease of approximately 10% in the incidence of heart disease and stroke, over non-estrogen users.

The levels of PA-1 are discovered to plunge down by around 50% when an intake of Conjugated estrogens is done with or without the presence of progestins. PA-1 is said to be the vital inhibitor of fibrinolysis which multiplies in women after menopause and may risk a ladys life of cardiovascular disease.

If you really need it and if you have the right amount of money, why not undergo ERT? But always remember to weigh the pros and cons that ERT provides. It has a lot of incentives but the fact that it increases the risk of breast cancer; it is advisable for women whose ancestors had breast cancer in the past and those who previously had one, to stay away from ERT.