85. Over 40 with More Hair ‘Down There’ & Everywhere?
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If you’ve noticed more chin hair, nipple hair, or thicker pubic hair in your 40s…you’re not imagining it. In this episode, Claudia breaks down what’s really behind the sudden hair growth and how your midlife hormones and metabolism are connected.
You’ll learn:
- Why androgen hormones can spike during perimenopause and trigger hair growth
- How declining estrogen and progesterone make androgens more dominant
- The link between insulin resistance and excess hair – and why how you eat matters
- Key labs to assess metabolic and hormone health
- The role of inflammation, gut health, and stress in elevated androgens
- What to do about it: lifestyle strategies, supplements to consider, and testing
Sources:
Association of Androgen Excess with Glucose Intolerance
Inflammatory Stimuli Trigger Increased Androgen Production
The Hair No One Talks About After 40
Today, we’re going there: chin hair, nipple hair, pubic hair creeping down your thighs – all of it.
A friend of mine recently said she feels like a “full-on Amazon woman” because her pubic hair is creeping down her legs. And even though we were laughing about it, it’s annoying.
So if you’ve noticed more hair popping up in weird places after 40: your chin, neck, chest, or around your nipples, or thicker, darker growth “down there,” let’s unpack why.
How Hormones Drive Hair Growth
Of course your hormones play a role – specifically androgens. These are what people think of as “male hormones,” but women make them too – mainly DHEA and testosterone, plus DHT, which is a powerful metabolite of testosterone.
When these are elevated or when your estrogen and progesterone drop faster than your androgens, you can end up with androgen-dominant symptoms like:
- Unwanted hair on your chin, neck,nipples, naval area
- Hair thinning or loss on your head
- Acne or oily skin
- Mood swings, irritability, and sometimes weight gain
This is pretty common in perimenopause. In your 40s, hormones fluctuate a lot. Testosterone can spike before it eventually declines, and when estrogen and progesterone start dropping, that balance gets thrown off, making androgens more dominant.
The Blood Sugar and Insulin Connection
Another sneaky cause: blood sugar dysregulation. In midlife, many women become more insulin resistant – meaning your body has to pump out more insulin to keep your blood sugar stable. That excess insulin can trigger the ovaries to make more androgens, especially testosterone.
It’s a big reason why women in their 40s suddenly start gaining belly fat or feel like their metabolism has slowed way down. And then skipping meals, under-eating protein, or relying too much on carbs only makes it worse.
When we support women in The Perimenopause Method, we test markers like:
- Fasting glucose
- Hemoglobin A1c (your 3-month average blood sugar)
- Fasting insulin
- C-peptide (which helps us see how hard your pancreas is working)
Because if those numbers creep up, it’s a red flag for both metabolic issues and androgen imbalance. Left unchecked, it can progress toward diabetes – or just make perimenopause symptoms way harder to manage.
We also look at a comprehensive lipid panel, because changes in your cholesterol can reflect what’s happening with your blood sugar and insulin.
For example, if your triglycerides are elevated or your HDL (the “good” cholesterol) is low, it’s often a red flag for insulin resistance.
We also pay attention to other markers like particle size, ApoA, ApoB, and others which can show early signs of metabolic dysfunction. So yes: your cholesterol isn’t just about your heart; it’s a window into your metabolic health.
Other Things to Consider
- Stress.
Chronic stress raises cortisol, and when cortisol is high, DHEA often rises too, which can increase androgens. - Inflammation.
Most inflammation starts in the gut. If your diet’s full of processed foods, refined carbs, seed oils, or alcohol (or if you’re sensitive to cow’s dairy or gluten) you’re feeding inflammation that messes with hormone metabolism. - Sluggish Detox.
If your liver and gut aren’t clearing out hormones efficiently, that excess can recirculate.
Are you pooping daily? Drinking half your body weight in ounces of water? Moving regularly? Sweat, dry brushing, Epsom salt baths…they all help your body eliminate what it doesn’t need. - PCOS.
If you’ve always had irregular cycles, acne, or hair growth (even before perimenopause) you could have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It often goes undiagnosed and can flare again in midlife due to insulin resistance and hormonal shifts. - TRT
If you noticed androgenic symptoms after starting testosterone therapy, you’re not alone. Many women experience this, myself included and why I took a break from testosterone. When you use T, it can convert into DHT that metabolite I mentioned earlier, causing some of these annoying side effects. Some providers suggest going higher in the dose, but that makes me nervous so I’ve opted out for now and am slowly incorporating a DHEA cream to see if it increases my testosterone a bit. I’ll report back on that.
What to Test for Androgen Imbalance
So if you’re curious if androgens are driving your symptoms, you can test:
- DHEA-S (sulfated)
- Both Total and Free Testosterone
- You can also test DHT
- If you work with us inside The Perimenopause Method, we provide a list of labs to get and also look at mineral balance with an HTMA — because minerals like zinc, copper, and magnesium all play a role in hormone metabolism.
Supplements That Can Help
You may be thinking “are there supplements I could take?” While I prefer you test to see what you need, if you have symptoms of excess androgens, there are some 5αlpha-Reductase inhibitors that may help shift androgen metabolism more towards the 5ß (5-beta) pathway, which is less androgenic such as Saw Palmetto, Stinging Nettle Root, Reishi Mushroom, Zinc, and Green Tea Extract. They can help reduce androgen activity, but I would use caution taking them long-term, and more specifically, taking single minerals like zinc, because that will throw off other minerals like copper.
So What Can You Actually Do About the Hair?
- Keep your trusty tweezer on hand
- Book a wax or consider laser hair removal if it really bothers you; I’m considering it myself
- But most importantly, focus on your internal balance: stress, blood sugar, inflammation, and detox support
While midlife hair growth can feel annoying, it’s also your body’s way of saying: Hey, something’s off. Instead of just plucking, get curious.
If you’re ready to figure out why your hormones feel out of control (whether it’s the excess hair, fatigue, mood swings, or midsection weight), we can help you in The Perimenopause Method , where my team and I help women over 40 understand their labs, support their hormones, and feel like themselves again.
Learn more and apply via the link in the show notes. And I’ll see you next time.
Claudia Petrilli is a Functional Health Coach, Integrative Nutrition Coach, Women’s Health Educator, and creator of The Perimenopause Method program. Having experienced debilitating periods, digestive issues, a sluggish thyroid, a pituitary tumor, and perimenopause symptoms in her late 30s, she knows exactly what it’s like to get dismissed by doctors and spend years searching for answers.
CONNECT WITH CLAUDIA:
FREE RESOURCES:
Mini Training: Why You’re Exhausted, Moody & Inflamed – And Why It’s Not Just Your Hormones
Peri-What?! The Must-Have Guide for Women 40+ Navigating Hormone Changes
GET SUPPORT:
The Perimenopause Method Program
Perimenopause HRT Roadmap Course
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