Hair Loss//Safety of Ferrous Sulfate Supplementation for Low Iron

I'm an overwieght but otherwise healthy 35-year-old woman, and I have noticed diffuse hair thinning during the past two months. Overall, I haven't noticed excessive shedding, but my hair is thinner and I can see more of my scalp when the sun shines on my head (especially the day after I wash my hair--when it is more oily). I don't process or use many products in my hair.

I saw a derm about my problem and after a 30-second hair examination, she said that my hair did "seem thin" and that "some" came out during the hair-pull test. She didn't say exactly how many hairs came out during the test, but one she definitely plucked by accident (ouch!). (When I pull my hair on my own, I get between 0 and 2 hairs, with 0 being the most frequent number.) She did not do a pluck test; she did not examine my scalp at all; and she did not look at any of my pulled hair under a magnifying glass.

A CBC and tests of my thyroid, androgens, ANA, and a complete metabolic panel were normal. My ferritin was 22. I have regular periods and am not on any meds. I had iron-deficiency anemia when I was in my early teens because of heavy periods. This was corrected by ferrous sulfate and BCP. There is no history of baldness in my family (when my dad was on chemo, he didn't lose ANY hair!), but my mom has fine, silky hair. I have had several bouts of extreme stress during the past year and a half, and during those times my diet and exercise were horrible (and I stopped taking my regular multivitamin). I also have felt tired for a very long time. I am hoping my hair thinning is caused by the low iron only (at best) or with TE (at worst).

The derm didn't recommend any intervention to raise the ferritin because it was in the normal range and because my CBC didn't show anemia. After saying I could try minoxidil even though I could lose more hair once I stopped it, she recommended a scalp biopsy as the next step in diagnosis. The treatment without a diagnosis seems too hasty, and the next step in management seems too invasive as the "next step."

I've decided to see a hair and scalp specialist (although I can't go for another 6 to 8 weeks because I have to pay out of pocket--more stress!) to obtain a definitive diagnosis, but everything I read (on WebMD and PubMed) on hair thinning and iron says that this low-but-still-in-the-normal-range level of ferritin is likely contributing to my hair loss (ie, it's the iron deficiency with or without anemia causing the hair loss). So, in the meantime, I'd like to take iron supplementation. I'm going to ask the derm if this is okay, but I'm not confident that thinning hair is her area of expertise (she is great with skin, though), so I don't know what she'll say. If she thought I should take supplements, she would have recommended them when she suggested minoxidil and biopsy. If I take iron--ferrous sulfate 325mg (1x graduated up to 3xday), will that be safe for me until I can get my evaluation by the hair and scalp specialist? If so, when should I get my next blood test to be sure I am being safe? I'm also going to include more iron-rich foods in my diet.

Thank you so much for any help you can give. I don't think I can wait another two months for a solution!