Posts by Sarah Howard78

Here’s my deal: I’m 25. When it comes to my hair, I’ve run basically every test under the sun—minus the hormonal panel, which I haven't touched yet—and everything supposedly looks fine. But the reality? I'm thinning out quite a bit, especially right up front. This whole thing kicked off when I was 18. Doctors couldn't pin down a specific cause, so they just gave me the standard "it's probably genetic" shrug. There is zero chance of me even attempting a middle part because the gap is nearly as wide as my pinky finger. I don't struggle with acne, except for the occasional breakout on my shoulders or back, but that's rare. The weird part is the hair growth—my legs are way thicker than they used to be, and I'm dealing with coarse hair in my bikini area that I never, ever had to worry about before. Then there are those random, thick black hairs popping up on my chin—I just pluck them and move on, but again, this wasn't my life before. Even my nipples have gone from being totally smooth to having two or three thick, dark hairs sprouting from each one. Normally, I'm pretty fair-haired; my hair has always been almost white, fine, and wispy.

I really feel like I need to pay out of pocket for some private testing, because my OB-GYN is basically telling me it’s impossible for me to have excess male hormones—as if I wouldn't definitely have cysts or irregular periods if that were actually the case. And when it comes to adrenal issues? My doctor brushed that off too, claiming I'd be facing much more serious health crises if there were an actual disorder there, rather than just dealing with hair and skin stuff. 🤷

Is it actually possible for a woman to deal with elevated testosterone levels without having ovarian cysts, regular periods, and everything looking totally normal on the cycle front—but still dealing with some unwanted hair growth and thinning hair? If anyone here has dealt with a weird case like this, please let me know. I could really use some insight.