Contraceptive pill could be making you go bald, says doctor

Girls on the pill are at risk of going bald, a doctor has warned.

A leading scientist has claimed women are unaware they might be losing hair because of contraceptive pills.

Dr. Lara Briden, a leading hormone expert and naturopath, told the Daily Mail: “Young women are suffering an epidemic of hair loss, and it’s time for some straight-talk about why it’s happening.

“My patients are losing piles of hair – they see it on their brushes, and they see it all over the floor and they’re not imagining things.

“Their hair parts are growing wider and wider, and their ponytails are growing smaller and smaller.

“Previous generations did not suffer the epidemic of female hair loss we’re seeing now.

“The thing that has changed is that more women today use more hormonal birth control, and they’ve started it at a younger age.”

Dr. Briden attributes this loss of hair to young women’s use of birth control pills. She said: “Birth control causes hair loss if it contains a progestin – a synthetic version of progesterone – with a high androgen index.

“Progestins with a high androgen index act like testosterone in the body – they shrink hair follicles, so they thin hair much like testosterone does in men.

“It’s sad, and it’s such an avoidable problem. If only more women and doctors were aware of it.”

The news comes soon after warnings earlier this week that dry shampoo could be causing baldness in women.

The American Hair Loss Association weighed in on the issue in 2010, saying: “It is imperative for all women especially for those who have a history of hair loss in their family to be made aware of the potentially devastating effects of birth control pills on normal hair growth.”

This isn’t the only risk associated with the pill in recent weeks: some types can increase the user’s risk of a blood clot, with contraceptive brand Rigevadon being attributed to the death of a 21-year-old in Tamworth earlier this year.

The pill’s effectiveness has also recently been brought into question, after detox brand BooTea came under fire for failing to properly inform customers that their diet can stop the pill working entirely.

The Hair Loss Association recommends non-hormonal methods of birth control such as condoms, implants or diaphragms to avoid unwanted hair loss.