How common hair loss is with PCOS, what it looks like, why blood work can come back normal, and what the evidence says about minoxidil and spironolactone.

Sudden, even shedding across your entire scalp is alarming — but in most cases the follicles are dormant, not dead. The 2026 clinical guide to diffuse hair loss and telogen effluvium: what triggers it, how it's diagnosed, the complete recovery timeline, and why standard treatments often miss the most important drivers.