Saw Palmetto for Women?

What course of action do you recommend for women with thinning hair? I have low thyroid and take medication for this condition (.75 mg levoxyl)

Should women take Saw Palmetto, or any other product that reduces production of DHT? I am nearing menopause and my estrogen levels are reading very low: >.32. Would HRT help?

Does a completely bald father and mother with thinning hair compound a child proclivity toward hair loss in middle age in women?

My hair loss started 10 years ago mainly in the forhead area and temples. It has now progressed into a triangular pattern stretching toward the back of the head. Luckily I had a thick head of hair to begin with or I’d be wearing a wig by now.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You should discuss these issues with your regular doctor — especially with respect to HRT. HRT may help with your low estrogen levels and overall well being. However, there are breast and cervical cancer issues that your doctor needs to discuss with you before starting HRT.

Saw Palmetto has been implicated with DHT reduction (correlations not based upon good clinical science) however if your hair loss is not DHT related it would not work. Women rarely have such a connection. You should be evaluated by a good specialist who can correctly diagnose the cause of your hair loss. Please note that just because there is a diagnosis, it does not mean there may be a solution, as is the case in many women with genetic hair loss.