Can a starting a vegetarian diet cause hair loss or hormonal changes?

I have been on a vegetarian diet for 4 months now. I have been experiencing hair loss and fluctuations in my menstrual cycle. Can someone please give me some kind explanation and/or advice on what to do?

PS I have been taking multi-vitamins and they haven't worked to keep my hair from falling out. I recently started prenatal vitamins in the hopes of better prevention towards the hair loss.Can a starting a vegetarian diet cause hair loss or hormonal changes?
If you are not anemic and are eating a balanced varied diet then you should be perfectly fine.
A vegetarian diet does not equal hair loss or menstrual cycle issues.
A multi-vitamin and a prenatal vitamin both do not help with, or cause, hair loss.
Talk to a doctor!
You clearly have a medical issue(s) going on - and it is not from your diet.
Muli vitamins do not contain protein. Maintain proper protein levels on a vegi diet is difficult.

Best thing to do is stop your diet, or do more research on proper vegetarian diets. It is quite difficult to keep a healthy diet while cutting meat out of your diet. People believe that being vegetarian is healthy and good for you, and that is true for about 40% of the people who try this diet. The other 60% usually do it very ignorantly. This can be very harmful on your body.



Also, your symptoms are probably due to lack of protein, if you did not infer that from my first sentence.Can a starting a vegetarian diet cause hair loss or hormonal changes?
The cause of hair loss isn't always easy to pin down, often it's a combination of things that is causing it. One thing is for sure it's best not to wait to do something about it. The earlier you identify the cause of the problem and address it the better your chances of curing it.



In the source box I added a couple of links on hair loss, one has the various causes and solutions and the other lists vitamins you should add to your diet to better aid in hair growth.
Your diet is most likely deficient in heme iron, vitamins B 12,D3, A, zinc, essential fatty acids and complete protein...I had the same problems on both vegan and vegetarian diets. So I went back to a normal omnivore diet and I never felt better. Beans, vegetables and tofu are fine foods, but still can't replace meat, fish and eggs for supplying these nutrients

Edit I do also recommend limiting your soy intake, especially processed soy such as mock "meat"and dairy ,soy milk made with soy protein isolate...this stuff is not healthy, contrary to what so many have led to believe. Soy should be limited to traditional foods such as miso,tempe, natto,tofu, and soy milk made from soy beans and water only, not with weird additives and unfermented soy (tofu and soy milk) should be used in moderation...just telling you from my own experiences!Can a starting a vegetarian diet cause hair loss or hormonal changes?
Yes, and if you're making soy a major part of your diet: YES. Soy contains estrogen-like chemicals that have been shown to affect women's menstrual cycle, lower sperm count in men and thyroid disease. If you're drinking soy milk, eating tofu, soy burgers, soy hot dogs, soy cereal, etc., etc., you may be getting too much soy. This guy drank a lot of soy milk. In addition to growing man boobs, he had other emotional/sexual problems.: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys鈥?/a> And, no, this is not a rumor or a myth. If you read the article, you'll see that his doctors documented his case and it appeared in medical journals.



VeganHealth addresses the hair loss issue. Excerpt:



"Summary: Occasionally, women who become vegetarian or vegan report experiencing hair loss. If there is a dietary cause, the most likely are rapid weight loss, thyroid problems, or iron deficiency. Zinc deficiency and not getting enough of the amino acid lysine could also be culprits." http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/hair鈥?/a>



In spite of what you've been told, being vegetarian is not easy. Be careful about soy consumption!
fluctuations in your menstrual cycle don't mean you have a problem with hormones. and i have no idea about the hair.
It is a supplementary food and quite healthy.no hair loss,eat everything to have complete nutrition.
If you've been getting all the nutrients you need, I don't think your problem has to due with your diet. See your doctor ASAP!
Too much soy.
Yes. Duh. it's really easy to become nutritionally deficient on a vegetarian diet. Make sure you're getting plenty of protein and saturated fat, and take a multi-vitamin hat includes b-12 every day. Also remember to watch out for trans fats and not eat too many carbs.