What Causes Female Hair Loss?

There are many different causes for female hair loss that have been identified.  The most common cause of female hair loss is hormonal.  Many women will begin to lose hair when they experience a change in their estrogen levels.  Changes can include pregnancy, discontinuing birth control pills, abortion, and taking or stopping hormone replacement therapy.  These changes affect DHT and estrogen levels, which affects the hair growth and loss process. 

Other causes for female hair loss include heredity, diet, illness, medication, and stress.  A child can inherit genes for hair loss from either the mother or the father.  Several illnesses yield the outcome of female hair loss, such as anorexia, bulimia, hypothyroidism, anemia, hepatic or renal failure, and viral, fungal, or protozoan infections.  These medical conditions can all affect hair loss in women.  Conditions such as extremely high fevers and extremely high levels of stress also can cause female hair loss. 

The presence of certain medications and vitamins or lack of certain elements also has bearing on the hair growth and loss cycle.  Lack of protein, fatty acids, and zinc can all provoke hair loss in females.  Additionally, too much vitamin A, the presence of amphetamines, antimitotics, anticholesterol medications, and anesthesia has also been pinpointed as causes for female hair loss.