Pattern Baldness in Females

A highly prevalent form of hair loss that affects women and those assigned to the female gender at birth is called female pattern baldness. Usually, female pattern baldness begins after menopause. Treatment options include medication, red light therapy, or styling procedures. It is reversible.

What is pattern baldness in females?

A form of hair loss known as female pattern baldness (AFAB) affects both women and those assigned to the female gender at birth. On the skin that covers your head, it results in hair loss (scalp). Without therapy, your hair will not regrow.

Your doctor may refer to female pattern baldness as androgenic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss. Androgenic alopecia is the medical term used to describe male pattern baldness. Similar to female pattern baldness, male pattern baldness affects individuals who are assigned male at birth. 

Which phases correspond to female pattern baldness?

The Sinclair scale divides female pattern baldness into five stages:

Phase 1: Minimal or absent hair loss.
Stage 2: Your central hair section develops a tiny gap.
Stage 3: You have a larger gap in the middle of your hair part and hair loss on both sides of your part line.
Stage 4: The front of your hairline begins to show signs of bald spots.
Advanced hair loss is stage five. 

Is female pattern baldness reversible?

Without therapy, hair lost due to female pattern baldness will not regrow. Hair loss can be stopped and some hair can grow back with the right care.

How prevalent is pattern baldness in women?

Baldness in female pattern is prevalent. It is the main reason why women and people with AFAB experience hair loss. Female pattern baldness affects about 30 million women and individuals who identify as AFAB in the United States.

How does my body respond to female pattern baldness?

Hair follicles, which are tiny, tube-like structures in your scalp that produce new hair, gradually get smaller when you have female pattern baldness. Your hair strands become thinner and shorter as the hair follicles shrink. Those hairs eventually stop growing.

Male pattern baldness has no effect on one's physical well-being. However, it may have a psychosocial impact on you (i.e., how society and social groups influence your feelings and ideas). It may also have psychological effects on you, affecting the way you view yourself and your actions. Emotional strain, anxiety, and sadness are possible. 

What signs of female pattern baldness are present?

Female pattern baldness symptoms include:
Hair loss or thinning in the area around your midsection.
a broader central area of hair and thinning or missing hair on either side of the area.
Hair loss or thinning across the crown of your head.
Usually, hair loss begins in the area closest to your center. You will start to lose hair in the middle and later stages of female pattern baldness, both at the front of your scalp and on each side of your portion. 

What leads to pattern baldness in women?

Female pattern baldness has a number of contributing variables and causes, including:


Age: As people age, they have a higher probability of developing female pattern baldness. Approximately one-third of women and individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) experience female pattern baldness at some point in their life. Approximately two-thirds of all women and people with AFAB experience thinning or complete hair loss after menopause. 

Hormones: One kind of androgen is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). A class of sex hormones known as androgens aids in physical maturation and puberty. Hair growth on their face, scalp, chest, underarms, and genitalia are examples of physical developments. Your hormone levels decrease after menopause, which could have an impact on your DHT levels. Researchers and medical professionals believe there may be a connection between DHT and the shrinking of your hair follicles.

Genetics: If any of your first-degree relatives suffer hair loss, you are more likely to develop female pattern baldness.