Does maca root help with hair thinning during perimenopause?

Hair thinning during perimenopause can be one of the most emotionally distressing changes women experience. What often comes as a surprise is how directly hormonal shifts drive it. As estrogen declines, the relative balance shifts toward androgens, which can shrink hair follicles and shorten the growth phase of the hair cycle. Many women notice more hair in the shower drain, thinner ponytails, or a widening part. Some are turning to maca root as one part of their response. Here is an honest assessment of what the evidence supports.

Maca root (Lepidium meyenii) is an adaptogenic root vegetable from the Peruvian Andes, containing active compounds including glucosinolates, macamides, macaenes, and plant sterols. It is not estrogenic. It does not supply exogenous hormones. It works primarily through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, helping the body regulate its own stress and hormonal signaling.

For hair thinning specifically, there is no direct clinical research on maca. No published trials have examined maca root and hair loss as a primary outcome in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women. That honest gap should be stated clearly rather than glossed over.

The indirect rationale comes from maca's effects on hormonal balance and stress regulation. Meissner et al. (2006) found that pre-gelatinized maca improved estradiol and FSH levels compared to placebo in perimenopausal women. If maca supports better estrogen signaling, the hormonal environment for hair follicles could become more favorable, though no study has confirmed this effect at the level of hair growth outcomes.

Chronic stress is another significant driver of hair thinning, via a condition called telogen effluvium where stress pushes more follicles into the resting phase simultaneously. Stojanovska et al. (2015) demonstrated that maca significantly reduced anxiety and psychological distress in postmenopausal women versus placebo. If maca genuinely reduces the stress burden, that could reduce stress-driven hair shedding for some women.

Maca also contains iron, zinc, and amino acids in modest amounts. Iron deficiency is one of the leading nutritional causes of hair thinning in women, and zinc plays a role in follicle health. However, the amounts delivered by typical supplemental doses are not a reliable substitute for addressing an actual nutritional deficiency through diet or targeted supplementation.

Studies have used doses of 1.5 to 3.5 grams per day of maca powder or capsules. Talk to your healthcare provider about the right dose for your situation.

Because hair grows slowly, any supplement's effect on hair thickness will take months to become visible, not weeks. If you are testing maca root, commit to at least three to four months of consistent use and track your shedding and density over time. PeriPlan can help you log daily observations alongside your supplement use, creating a record that gives you and your provider real data to work from.

Other approaches with stronger evidence for hormonal hair thinning in perimenopause include addressing iron and ferritin levels (low ferritin is extremely common and directly linked to hair loss in women), ensuring adequate protein intake, evaluating thyroid function, and discussing hormone therapy with your provider if appropriate for your situation. Topical minoxidil also has solid evidence for female pattern hair loss if conservative approaches are not sufficient.

Those with thyroid conditions should discuss maca use with their provider before starting, as its glucosinolate content can affect thyroid function at higher doses. Thyroid dysfunction is itself a common cause of hair thinning, so ruling this out first is important.

When to see a doctor: If your hair thinning is rapid, patchy, or accompanied by scalp changes, eyebrow or eyelash loss, or other symptoms, see your healthcare provider. These patterns can indicate conditions such as alopecia areata or thyroid dysfunction that need specific diagnosis and treatment.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider about your specific situation.