Overactive Enzyme and PCOS

Posted on Oct 11, 2009 in Hair loss, Infertility, Irregular hormones, Natural treatments/Herbs | 0 comments

Many of you suffering from PCOS also suffer from excess facial and body hair, thinning hair or hair loss. I know I do…honestly, they are the hardest symptoms for me to deal with, especially the hair loss, and they seem to be the toughest to control.

This article/study may explain WHY our testosterone levels are so difficult to control, and shows even more reason to take Saw Palmetto to reduce your testosterone levels and reduce the nasty side affects of elevated testosterone:

“Too much of male hormones in your body can lead to infertility, excessive facial or body hair, hair thinning, acne and other problems associated with PCOS.

The male hormone we mostly hear about is testosterone. However, the real culprit is dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT is the biologically active form of testosterone.

DHT is formed when testosterone interacts with an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase.

A recent study at the University of Birmingham in the UK showed that both overweight and normal-weight women with PCOS had higher 5-alpha-reductase activity than women who did not have PCOS.

In other words, if you have polycystic ovary syndrome, it appears you also have a tendency for higher 5-alpha-reducase activity, when in turn makes it easier for you to convert testosterone into the undesirable DHT. The excessive levels of DHT in turn create some of the distressing symptoms of PCOS such as hair loss or facial and body hair growth.

You may be able to suppress 5-alpha-reductase activity with supplements or pharmaceuticals.”

I also want to mention along with regulating your cycles, and taking Saw Palmetto, you should also consider using a Nettle based shampoo. Nettle has been shown to dramatically reduce the amount of DHT on your scalp, therefore reducing thinning hair/hair loss and restoring the health of your scalp.

To read the entire article, click here

For more information about Female Hair loss in relation to PCOS, click here