Menopause left me with thinning, wispy hair – and it shattered my confidence. Today, it’s fuller and healthier than ever, thanks to a $1.20-a-day pill

In her younger years, Tiffany Fitzgerald had never worried about losing her hair. 

Growing up, her locks were thick and black, often pulled into a ‘giant ponytail’ that made her hard to miss. 

So when Tiffany’s middle part started to thin and turn wispy after the birth of her fourth child in 2020, she was not overly concerned. 

She says it was put down to postpartum hair loss, which usually lasts around six months.

With a newborn boy to care for, the then 44-year-old from Texas had no time to worry about her hair.

But after the arrival of menopause a year later, Tiffany’s hair began to fall out at an alarming rate – and it would take five years for her to find a solution.

‘It was just devastating,’ says Tiffany. ‘I didn’t know what to do to fix it, and I didn’t know if it was just a phase or not.

‘I’d always leave my hair in a ponytail or a bun so it wouldn’t come out. I was always walking around looking for stray hairs on the floor to clean up quickly.’

Tiffany is far from alone. In the US, about a third of women experience hair loss at some point in their lives. And in the UK, half of women have experienced it in the past year.

Experts say the condition is so common among women because falling levels of estrogen, a female sex hormone, during menopause can shorten the hair growth cycle, leading to thinner hair.

Yet, according to YouGov, only 12 percent of women affected by hair loss have seen a doctor over fears that they won’t be taken seriously.

‘For many women, hair is closely connected to their identity, femininity and sense of self,’ says Hannah Gaboardi, a London-based trichologist.

‘So experiencing thinning or excessive shedding can be incredibly distressing.’ 

For Tiffany, the problem worsened in late 2021, when she began to notice clumps of hair swirling at the bottom of the shower, which she had ignored for months.

She says the issue was so severe that it affected her relationship with her husband, particularly after a string of intimate moments were, in her words, ruined.

‘You can’t imagine how awkward it is to be in the midst of something and you see your partner brush your hair away because it’s falling on them,’ she says. 

‘All of a sudden you lose your focus.’

Working in marketing, she regularly had to meet clients face-to-face. 

But, as the hair loss continued, she increasingly opted for Zoom calls instead, often wearing a baseball cap or turning her camera off entirely. 

However, it wasn’t until last year that Tiffany found the courage to speak to a doctor about her hair problems.

While visiting her gynecologist, she mentioned the hair loss and he recommended a drug called minoxidil.

The drug, which increases blood flow to hair follicles, is one of the common hair loss treatments in the UK and US. 

Studies show that, for many men and women, minoxidil can halt hair loss. For some, it can even lead to hair regrowth.

In the US, minoxidil is normally sold as a topical foam or solution over-the-counter at most pharmacies. A pill version of the drug is also available, but this requires a prescription.

Tiffany ultimately chose to go with a pill version of the drug, which she purchased from the online pharmacy Hers.

She chose to do this because the $1.20 daily tablet also contains several vitamins, including vitamin C, zinc and vitamin B6.

There is some research that patients can suffer hair loss due to severe vitamin deficiencies.

Research published last year in the Annals of Dermatology found that people with forms of excessive hair shedding were more likely to have zinc levels below the normal range than those without hair loss. 

Experts also say that the vitamins included in this pill may have a positive impact on hair health.

Gaboardi, who is not affiliated with the product, says the blend of ingredients provides a ‘great way to keep your hair in the growth phase’.

Nutrients such as zinc are ‘essential for maintaining healthy hair growth, strength and texture,’ she says.

However, experts also say that, when minoxidil is combined with vitamin supplements, any hair growth is likely to be down to the drug itself.

Tiffany began taking the daily pill in June 2025.

For the first few months, she says she went through a ‘worrying’ period where her hair appeared to shed at a faster rate than before.

But once she got through that stage, the hair began to return. She describes the feeling as one of pure relief. 

‘It wasn’t even like a “yay” or “hooray,”‘ says Tiffany. ‘It was just a feeling of, “oh my gosh, it’s finally stopping. It’s slowing down.”‘

Now she looks forward to styling her hair each day, particularly before a night out. 

‘When you think you can’t do anything about hair loss you feel like you want to give up on everything,’ she says.

‘And now that it’s back, I feel much more confident’.