Short version: I think birth control pills made my hair fall out, and I need to know if anyone else has experienced this. And if so, how long did it take for your hair to grow back? (did it ever??) And what did you do in the meantime?
I am desperate to hear stories from people who have experienced this first hand, and I really have to know if this is ever going to stop. My doctors have not been helpful at all. I'm reading tons of similar horror stories all over the internet, but nobody seems to post follow up to say if their hair grows back. Most people say it's when they STOPPED the hair started falling out, but since i kind of did both (more info below) I'm not sure what triggered my hair loss.
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The long story is that my gyno put me on LoEstrin fe in Sept, to regulate my periods. That is the only major change in my lifestyle recently. I started itching all the time, and it felt like I had a rash in my scalp so I stopped taking it after the first course of pills. A few weeks later I started NuvaRing, but by then I noticed that my hair was visibly drastically thinner than before. My hair has never been thick, so any loss it apparent, but this is AWFUL.
Now you can actually see the scalp all over my crown. I can't pull my hair back really, because you see these huge gaps, like tracks on the side. It's receding at my temples. When it's wet, I swear you can count the hairs where my bangs used to be.
It may sound hilarious, but I am actually avoiding going into direct sunlight because it will just show my scalp. I won't let anyone else photograph me - though at my doctor's suggestion I've started taking photos to document the loss. The first photo I took, straight down on my scalp, had me crying nonstop for hours. There's just a few scraggly hairs covering up mostly bare scalp. This is so traumatizing, and I can't believe that something I've taken for granted (a head of hair) all this time is causing me such deep agony.
btw I've considered Rogaine, but since that's a life-long committement, if there is a chance my hair will start regrowing in a few weeks I'd rather not start it.
PLEASE someone tell me they experienced this and it's just temporary! I really can't stop crying. I'm not a vain person, I just want to be back to normal.
ETA pics. and YES I KNOW HOW DREADFUL IT LOOKS. I am posting so you realize how serious this problem is.HORRIFYING crown

from the side if i try to pull my hair back gently

attempting to look normal from the front

but when you get close you can see it's bald

:cries

before:

