Hello girls,
to introduce myself briefly, I am 29 and live in my preferred role for five years now. It is wonderful to know that ist was the right decision. I feel that every day, especially when I picture myself as still being male...what a weird situation that would be. Nothing but misunderstandings.
Unfortunately, male pattern baldness runs in my family, and I am also affected. So far that was no serious problem. It started when I was 21 and I immediately reacted and took propecia and rogaine. these two were capable to stop my hairloss for the following 4 or five years.
During that period I began hormone replacement therapy, and what I thought was this:
when my testosterone levels go down and estrogene goes up at the same time, there will no longer be a need to take any hairloss meds.
But I was wrong because three months after starting HRT, I noticed again that I lost an unhealthy lot of hair and my temple area began to get thinner. This was very depressing for me as you can probably imagine and so I started to take the meds again.
One and a half years later around 27 I had to realize that propecia had lost its former efficiency for me because I did not see any improvement during that time.
I did some research on the topic and found that dutasteride could be the way to prevent further hairloss. So in april 2009 I began taking duta every day along with rogaine once dayly and nizoral shampoo every other day. In august 2009 I had the surgery done and so far I recovered from the pain and all this and I am really glad about how it has all worked out.
My androgene levels now resemble those of a born female, even if the estogene is a bit under the norm. that was an advice of my endocrinologist.
To be honest I expected that with all the proven hailoss meds and my homone status, hairloss would no longer be an issue for me. I even thought that the chances were good that the hair that I lost already would recover, but again I was wrong on that again.
Now, nine months after surgery my situation is this: I loose a lot of hair in the shower, 150 to 250. My problem areas are the temples and since last year also the vertex. I had very thick long hair and lost maybe 1/2 of it in the last two years. Of course they came back but weaker and fell out after a few months again.
I still take dutasteride, regaine and nizoral. Maybe it would be even worse if I didnt.
It does not make any sense to me. I was convinced that the hormonal change after the surgery would cause the hair to recover. Of course there are individuals with an aggressive form of male pattern baldness who are not so lucky and continue losing them. But doesnt that kind of hairloss begin already at an early age around 17 or 18? As I said before for me it started at the age of 21, so I guess my hairloss is not that aggressive. Or am I wrong? My father got almost bald around 30...not that encouraging.
The whole issue really makes me sad. When I notice my hair is getting less, I feel so depressed sometimes desperate. I cant get used to the fact that it constantly gets worse. Wigs are not really an option. To me it is like living in disguise.
How is your situation concerning this? All the girls who dealt with hairloss before surgery, how is it now? Is it still a topic for you?
Do you have any advice for me? Maybe I missed something that could help me keeping what I have. That would be so great.
I really appreciate new ideas.
have a good time
Melanie
edited for dosage