Women have their reasons for taking birth control pills
. Although most of them are well aware of the possible side effects of this type of drug, this doesnt stop them from still taking it on a regular basis. One of the said side effects of birth control pills is hair loss. This article will discuss hair loss caused by birth control pills and whether it is a modern day myth or a fact backed by scientific evidence.
The Hair Growth Cycle
There are basically to 2 phases of hair growth the anagen or the growing phase and the telogen or the resting phase. At any time, around 90% of ones hair is in the growing stage while the other 10% is in the resting stage. Those in the telogen phase are the hairs that fall out and on average, around a hundred strands of hair per day are shed by a healthy individual.
Every single hair follicle undergoes this shedding and regrowth cycle individually. That is, they do not occur all at the same time. If they did, then each person would undergo a cycle wherein he would grow hair all over his head and then shed them off all at once. Instead, the hair follicles cycle independently which allows everyone to maintain at least some hair on their heads.
The Role of Hormones
The fact of the matter is that hormones play a big role in cycle of hair growth. And since birth control pills have an effect on the hormone levels of the body, it would be easy to conclude that it is highly possible for these drugs to upset the balance of the hair growth cycle. Some birth control pills contain male hormones which may cause Androgenetic Alopecia or pattern baldness. Although some users claim that hair loss caused by birth control pills is reversible once one stops taking the medication, there are a number of instances wherein it is the contrary that happens. Because of the drop in hormone levels once women stop taking the birth control pill, some cases only manifest hair loss a few months after the medication is ended.