hair loss, scalp irritation, and hormones at 30

hi, i have been experiencing gradual hair loss along my temples and now along my front hair line for about the last 10 years. recently, i've been experiencing scalp irritation and even more loss of hair. i started using birth control pills (alesse) about 4-5 months ago and am switching to a lower-androgenic pill called mircette. my mother has hair loss that is a bit more diffuse than mine--mine seems a bit more androgenic-looking because the hair by my temples is almost completely gone at this point. i'm 30 years old.

my question is what to do about this. i'm going to do blood tests, get a scalp biopsy, and then consider a hair transplant. i met with a surgeon who thinks my hair loss won't extend much beyond where it is--however, the itching and irritation and the change in quality of my hair (turning more brittle) recently seems to suggest otherwise. i don't want to invest $5000 in something to fix my temples when my whole head might be exposed in 10 years.

i'd love too to get ideas for how to remedy my scalp irritation/pain. my scalp varies between itchy to throbbing, and the sites of itchiness move around quite frequently. however, i do NOT experience itchiness at the very back of my head where my hair is thickest (and where it's very unlikely i will ever lose my hair).

any thoughts and suggestions would be great!
kay