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Mirena Coil hair loss UK doctors not helpful

by Danielle
(Derbyshire)

Im 47 and had the iud mirena coil fitted 5 years ago as a last resort to deal with menorrhagia Within the first year i noticed my hair thinning, but did not make any connection with the coil. It did not even cross my mind as i was taking so many vitamins and mineral supplements for other issues plus we had just embarked on renovating our house which was very stressful and took 3 years. In the end i put the hair loss down to stress.
Mid way through the 3rd year of having the mirena coil in i decided to go and see my doctor and ask her what could be causing this.
I did mention the mirena coil and she looked at me as if i had 2 heads, she was quick to add that hair loss was not a common side effect to the mirena. She did however request numerous blood test and even hormone tests. A week later the results all came back as normal. When i asked what normal meant i was told everything was fine.
I knew it was not fine as id lost 50% of my hair , how could this be fine????
this is where my internet search started. I was on a mission to self treat myself despite people telling me this was not safe to do as misdiagnosis could be fatal.What options did i have? none. England offers many alternative therapy clinics such as acupuncture, reflexology and a few other but none that i could find offering alternative support in the line of vitamins minerals or natural therapies. Fast forward several months and the more research i did on womens hair loss the more i learned about the connection between the mirena and progesterone suppression. I had the mirena finally removed 8 weeks ago. My doctor was hesitant as it did help with my heavy bleeding and immense period cramps. I started taking a natural progesterone cream which i ordered from the usa. unfortunately i was slammed with additional airport charges here in the UK (£20) which was more than the cream :(
I was only using 20 40 mg a day so thought it might help. 8 weeks later im still losing hair. Today i stumbled on this site and learnt that i need at least 100 -200mg a day. My question is do i have to take this amount for the rest of my life and does it benefit to take in a suppository form as i have read that it is a much higher dose (100mg per suppository) so needing to use less often. also does natpro have a uk based shop? (to avoid additional customs charges)?
I would be grateful for any replies.
ps will my body ever be able to produce its own progesterone or have i totally killed it off with the mirena?

Comments for Mirena Coil hair loss UK doctors not helpful

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Oct 26, 2016
 Hair loss
by: Lisa

Hi Dani,
About 4 years ago, I too lost about half of my hair. I don't have a coil, but I was on HRT (bio-identical pellet implants). I really don't know what the exact cause was - I had many things going on...new medications, I got a disaster of an over-processed perm, stress. Everyone is different, but it took about 2 years for it to come back to pretty much normal. One thing that I personally think helped a lot was taking Puritan's Pride Healthy Skin, Hair & Nails supplements. It looks like you are in the U.K.? If you cannot get those particular supplements there, what was suggested to me from doctors, hair stylists, etc. was taking Biotin. I hope it comes back for you soon!
Oct 26, 2016
 Mirena coil hair loss...
by: Rachel

Hello. I'm also in the UK, and had a Mirena fitted a few years back. I've had it removed now too, but I haven't seen the same since having it.
I will follow your request if you don't mind because I'd also like to know the answers to your questions.
Hope you find answers soon. I know how mindblowingly frustrating it can be finding the help you need.
Kindest regards, Rachel
Oct 26, 2016
 Hair loss and synthetic hormones
by: Renee

Hi Dani,
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I was particularly drawn to your last question in your post, as I have often wondered the same thing. I went on the Depo Provera shot when I was 30. Depo Provera is a synthetic form of progesterone. Three years later I went off of it and my body went into total hormone shock. Blood tests revealed that my body made almost no progesterone and my estrogen levels were very high. I went on natural progesterone cream which helped me to feel better, but I was never able to get pregnant. I went off the progesterone cream due to the high cost of it at the time, and now at 48 years old, I am back on natural progesterone. I know I am in perimenopause, but I don't think my body ever was able to produce enough progesterone after the Depo Provera. I think the Depo Provera wrecked my body. I gained tons of weight on it. Had kidney stones, high blood pressure and chronic low grade fever. It also destroyed my thyroid. For many years I suffered. I often wonder if the hormone imbalance caused by the Depo Provera is the cause of my inability to get pregnant even after I was off of it.
As far as hair loss...I was recently experiencing that too. I lost about half the volume of my hair. I am finally at a point where my hair has stopped falling out. I can tell you what I did. I am not sure what, if any, specific thing it was that actually worked or if it was just everything all together. I take 300mg oral compounded natural progesterone on days 1-14. I take 400mg on days 14-28 and I supplement with 1/2 teaspoon twice per day of natural progesterone cream on days 14-28. I went on a total paleo diet. No sugar, no gluten or grains, no dairy or processed foods. No alcohol of any kind and I had to cut out caffeine completely because of thyroid related arrhythmia. I also take natural desiccated thyroid medication. My supplements include 3,000-4,000 mg of Vitamin C per day, 10,000 iu Vitamin D3 with K2 (Metagenics), turmeric (Organic India), ashwaganda (for adrenal support.Organic India), magnesium glycinate, biotin 8 (Thorne Research) and tulsi holy basil (organic india). I also stopped using commercial brand shampoo and conditioner. It's funny, but I was using this special shampoo made specifically for thinning hair and every time I would rinse the conditioner out of my hair, I would end up with 60-70 hairs stuck to my hands and body. (Yes, I actually counted!). I now use homemade all natural shampoo and conditioner that I found from a shop on Etsy and it has been a miracle for me. I've been using it for a week now and each time I lose less than 10 hairs in the shower. My hair feels soft and healthy.
Anyway...I got off on a tangent. But, I wanted to share with you what I did. I've been paleo and following my regimen for 8 months now, and although it's not easy, I do generally feel better, although even with all the natural progesterone that I take, I still have horrendous PMS for 14 days. I have resigned myself to the fact that it will never change until I go through menopause.
I wish I had the answer to your progesterone question. I too am curious about if synthetic hormones destroy our bodies ability to produce natural hormones. Anybody out there have an answer? I wish you the best of luck Dani!
Oct 27, 2016
 mirena coil
by: Anonymous

I am so sorry you are going through this, but as you can see, other women have gone through the same thing. That is the beauty of this site. Twenty years of research on the importance of progesterone by Wray Whyte has made that information available to all of us. You won't find this information anywhere else. Even many doctors know little about progesterone therapy, thus making women more and more confused and worried about using it at all!
One of the ladies above mentions different types of progesterone she takes. I am a bit confused by that, because if you read the information on this site, you will see that any oral progesterone is not the best way to absorb it. It has to pass through the liver, whereas topically applied natural progesterone, such as Natpro, goes directly into the blood stream. Any extra estrogens should be avoided. Progesterone must become dominant. Please read as much information on this site regarding the use of progesterone cream. It sounds like you are doing many good things in regard to diet, but I also hope you are in optimal range for vitamin D3. This is absolutely crucial for proper absorption of progesterone and a myriad of other benefits vitamin D3 offers!!! It should be above 60ng/ml. Please read about this!
Also, please read up on Dr. David Brownstein's "Iodine and Why you Can't Live Without It". I hope all this helps. Everything takes time and patience. It took perhaps years to get to this point and it will take time to let the body balance itself back to where it needs to be! Good nutritional support, hormonal help via progesterone cream, stress management, exercise, proper sleep are all the best contributors. Keep hopeful!!
Nov 01, 2016
 Still no answers
by: Dani

Looks like there are a few of us looking for the same answers to my questions in my previous post. I thought Wray may come to the rescue and answer a few of the questions. I must add I really feel like I'm torn between the devil and the deep blue sea at the moment, like I said earlier its approx 8 weeks since removing Mirena but still no sign of hair regrowth. This week has reminded me why I had the Mirena in the first instance. My period pains have come back as painful as ever and my menstrual migraines have restarted. This was at least under control while I had the Mirena fitted :( any suggestions??
Nov 01, 2016
 Mirena Coil hair loss UK doctors not helpful
by: Dani

Lisa ive been on biotin 3 years now helps with making my existing hair grow faster but nothing for boosting regrowth. I have looked into Puritans composition and am already taking the supplements within it :(
Renee what is the name of the natural shampoo and conditioner you use I could not find it on Etsy.
Nov 02, 2016
 hair loss and shampoo
by: Renee

Hi Dani,

I spoke to my functional medicine doctor about hair loss and she said that it can take up to two years before the hair starts filling in. She said hair changes every two years. I don't know if that's true, but I know it takes more than 8 weeks. Mine just stopped falling out after almost a year.

The etsy shop that I found is owned by Jeannette. The name of her shop is MagicSecretGarden. She is wonderful and has even offered to make me custom shampoo and conditioner for me if she doesn't offer a scent that I want. I hope, if you order from her, that her products work as well for you as they have for me. My hair just feels so soft and it's so easy to style.

On a different note.....As far as oral progesterone...I also read on this site that it is not the best way to take it. My doctor felt it was the best for me at the time as I was suffering from adrenal exhaustion and insomnia (high cortisol at night) and she wanted me to take the progesterone before bed to help calm me down and relax me.

I will be seeing her at the end of this month and I will be asking to switch to a compounded cream instead.

I wish you all the best.

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