Female hair loss is becoming more common, affecting around 30 million women in the United States, with some cases reported in women as young as 15 or 16 years old. While hair loss is psychologically more impactful for women than men, it typically presents as decreased hair density all over the scalp rather than a receding hairline. Causes of female hair loss can include androgens like testosterone and DHT, though androgenic alopecia may not be the primary cause as previously believed, and female pattern hair loss tends to be more diffuse across the scalp. Other potential causes are menopause, pregnancy, birth control pills, polycystic ovarian syndrome, thyroid issues, anemia, chronic illness

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2.  Female hair loss has become an emergent
problem which according to the American
Academy of Dermatology affects around 30
million women in the United States.
 Although alopecia in females normally occurs
after the age of 50 or even later when it does
not follow events like chronic illness, crash
diets, pregnancy, and stress among others, it is
now occurring at earlier ages with reported
cases in women as young as 15 or 16.

3.  Although baldness is not as frequent in women as in
men, the psychological effects of losing hair tend to be
much greater in women. Typically the frontal hairline
is preserved but the density of hair is decreased on all
areas of the scalp. Previously it was believed to be
caused by testosterone just as in male baldness, but
most women who lose hair have normal testosterone
levels.
 Causes of female hair loss may vary from those that
affect men. In the case of androgenic alopecia, female
balding occurs as a result of the action of androgen
hormones (testosterone, androsteinedione, and
dihydrotestosterone (DHT). These male hormones
normally exist in small amounts in women.

4.  However, according to Ted Daly, MD, a
dermatologist from Nassau University Medical
Center in Long Island, androgenic alopecia is
not the main cause of balding in women and
dermatologists now prefer to call this condition
female pattern hair loss instead of using the
term androgenic alopecia. He adds that the
female pattern is diffuse and goes around the
whole top of the head and can affect women at
any time.

5.  There are other instances when the action of
hormones may cause female balding. Some
examples are menopause, presence of ovarian
cysts, and pregnancy. Similarly, the use of birth
control pills with high androgen index and
polycystic ovarian syndrome may cause female
balding, as well as thyroid
disorders, anemia, chronic illness and the use
of certain medications.