Hair thinning, could my birth control be the culprit?

Experiencing hair thinning, the diameter of the follicle itself got visibly smaller a couple of years ago about when I got on birth control and never recovered. I've been taking Necon 0.5/0.035 for over a year now and I haven't had any other side effects. Could the pill be at fault?

I first experience hair thinning and shedding while on Depo, so I switched to the pill. While the shedding stopped, the follicle remained thin and my hair never recovered. I've asked my obgyn for advice and I've tried many brands over the years including Yasmin and Desogen, no improvement.

Any suggestions for a better birth control? Are there any other signs I should look for trying to figure out whether this is linked to my birth control?

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Usually the changes in hormone levels associated with starting a new method cause thinning of the hair about 3 months after the method is begun.
Usually after a few more weeks though, the thinning stops and the hair recovers.  To know if the birth control hormones are causing the changes you have noticed, you would have to stop the hormones for 6 months or so.
A copper IUD (Paraguard) would fill the bill, but is about the only hormone-free method.
Good luck!
Dr B