11th October 2006
First off, you're not being paranoid, just cautious, and rightly so. Anyway, here's a little FYI (from my own research and personal experience):
Birth control pills deplete zinc. A zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss, so taking extra zinc may help. In addition, look for a pill with a low androgenicity level. Androgens are male hormones that can cause hair loss in some people. Also, birth control pills deplete B vitamins. A deficiency in these can lead to depression and anxiety. So, taking a B complex vitamin may help. I became depressed on Brevicon and I started taking a B complex and felt immediately better.
As far as switching, I'm not sure what to tell you about that. I know I had major hair loss on Estrostep FE. I was on it for two years. :eek: I had thick hair all my life so I didn't notice the thinning right away. But, after about a year and a half, it was pretty obvious to me and everyone else (hairdressers included) that I'd lost quite a bit of hair. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, in my case, I lost hair the whole time I was on it. It didn't get better, it got worse. However, after stopping it, the hair loss slowed down a lot, and almost stopped. Regarding the estrogen thing, there could be some truth in that. I've taken Ovcon 35 (with 35mcg estrogen) and never had a problem with hair loss on it.
Birth control pills deplete zinc. A zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss, so taking extra zinc may help. In addition, look for a pill with a low androgenicity level. Androgens are male hormones that can cause hair loss in some people. Also, birth control pills deplete B vitamins. A deficiency in these can lead to depression and anxiety. So, taking a B complex vitamin may help. I became depressed on Brevicon and I started taking a B complex and felt immediately better.
As far as switching, I'm not sure what to tell you about that. I know I had major hair loss on Estrostep FE. I was on it for two years. :eek: I had thick hair all my life so I didn't notice the thinning right away. But, after about a year and a half, it was pretty obvious to me and everyone else (hairdressers included) that I'd lost quite a bit of hair. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, in my case, I lost hair the whole time I was on it. It didn't get better, it got worse. However, after stopping it, the hair loss slowed down a lot, and almost stopped. Regarding the estrogen thing, there could be some truth in that. I've taken Ovcon 35 (with 35mcg estrogen) and never had a problem with hair loss on it.