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Last Updated:
Sep 10th, 2007 - 18:59:21
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Question
Women all over the internet are in a panic because their birth control pills are making their hair fall out. I've been on Alesse for two months and already my hair is falling out at an alarming rate. And yet doctor's aren't listening (Dr. Gisla for instance, "Your hair loss is more likely due to your recent pregnancy, rather than your use of the pill.")
DOCTOR'S NEED TO WAKE UP.
American Hair Loss Association
"Millions of women are prescribed the pill each year in this country, but very few are aware that oral contraceptives are a common trigger of hair loss for many who use them."
http://www.americanhairloss.org/women_hair_loss/oral_contraceptives.asp
Laurie
Answer
I appreciate Laurie's concerns regarding the lack of respect shown by physicians in general for the potential minor as well as more serious side effects of oral contraceptive pills. I strongly believe that there are many serious complications associated with use of the contraceptive pill--in fact I have given lectures on this topic. Women who take "the pill" have a higher incidence of blood clots (which can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolus--a potentially devastating condition), heart attack and stroke. In fact I personally have seen a number of cases where young (in their 30's), healthy women with no risk factors or family history have had serious strokes--and the only known risk has been their use of the contraceptive pill. There is now a mounting body of evidence that use of the contraceptive pill, especially during the teenage years, can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer. In addition, their is evidence that use of the contraceptive pill leads to an unsatisfying sex life for both partners (on a psychological level), and makes the woman who uses OCP's less sexually attractive to men. Also, interestingly, there is evidence that woman on "the pill" are themselves attracted to the "wrong kind" of man--i.e., instead of being attracted to hard working, intelligent, high-achievers, they are attracted to lower achievers who tend to be less responsible and reliable as partners. There is probably a complex series of neuro-hormonal reasons for this, and these pathways have not been described in detail... This is aside from the sociological consequences for society of women contracepting. Dr Janet Smith has outlined this association in great detail in her lecture "Contraception: Why Not" (available from CANFP).
So, in general, I agree with Laurie's concern. But I must confess that I am not aware of the pill causing the side effect she notes (hair loss). In the case I was discussing (about which Laurie comments), the woman in question was post-partum. Having recently had a baby is most definitely associated with subsequent hair loss--this is well documented. The good news is that hair lost from this cause will regrow!
Thanks for your comments. John Gisla, MD
John Gisla, MD, NFPMC is Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians,
and Certified as a Medical Consultant for Natural Family Planning and NaPro Technology
by the Pope Paul VI Institute. He is on staff at Mercy of Folson Hospital and on the NFP Advisory
Board for the Diocese of Sacramento. He has been married ten years and has two daughters and a son.
© Copyright 2005 by CANFP
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