Alopecia From Oral Contraceptives

In a 1967 study, five female patients experienced diffuse alopecia of the scalp either during or after taking oral contraceptive drugs. The pattern of hair loss during contraceptive use resembled male-pattern baldness, while post-discontinuation hair loss was similar to telogen effluvium. The study, which documented these cases within a six-month period, suggests that oral contraceptives may be a common cause of hair loss in women of childbearing age and that they might affect the hair growth cycle by prolonging the anagen phase. The document also explores the role of estrogens and progestogens in hair loss, noting that while estrogens may delay hair shedding, progestogens with androgenic activity could contribute to alopecia. However, the exact mechanisms were not fully understood, and the study indicates that contraceptive-related alopecia may differ from postpartum alopecia, as evidenced by three patients who did not experience hair loss after pregnancy.