Hair Loss as a Side Effect of Hormone Replacement

Our podcast this week will focus on the question of hair loss as a side effect for testosterone replacement. We discuss medical approach philosophies on following guidelines versus practicing personalized medicine. Last week, we were explaining these two philosophical orientations for physicians and their patients. This week, we want to further explore their differences by taking a look at a specific side effect that some—but not all—people experience. A physician who embraces guideline-based medicine would be reluctant to replace testosterone in women because the guidelines established by the FDA do not authorize testosterone prescriptions for women. If, for some reason or perception of necessity, the physician who followed guidelines did decide to offer a female the option of replacing her lost testosterone, that physician would be very concerned about the mathematical possibility of having the return of facial hair as a side effect. Some women develop the same issues with facial hair that they had when they were teens. Others, develop no problems at all, while yet others fall on either end of the spectrum—from a little to a lot. In many ways, the issue is one of cosmetic interpretation.