Whats the best approach??

Hi Bon Bon,

It sounds to me like alot of the hair loss could be related to you health "problems" , and some of it is caused by hair damage. Even though you're on hrt, your hormones are probably still somewhat different than before your hysterectomy, and that is probably affecting your hair loss. I don't know specifically how estrogen and progesteron ( I'm pretty sure that's spelt wrong) affect hair but if sure you could look that up on google. Hopefully your body's still adjusting, even though it was 5 years ago.  Is this hair loss new or have you been experiencing it since the surgery?
If it's new then I would suggest that it's related to something else. Are you getting enough sleep? Maybe you're stressing out about something? THis would cause the blood to be diverted from your skin to your internal organ, thus increasing hair loss and slowing down hair growth.  If this is the case, obviously you need to figure out what's stressing you and if you can't get rid of it, figure out how ot deal with it so it dowsn't stress you out as much. I would also suggest scalp massages because they stimulate the hair follicle. I know this helps with hair growth, but I would think it would also help prevent hair loss. Excersie also helps get the blood flowing to your scalp which will help with hair loss and growth.
Has your diet changed? I'm sure you know eating less can can hair loss. Make sure your eating enough and taking a multivitamin so that your body has all the nutrients and protien it needs to keep the hair growing.
 Have you changed shampoos? Many shampoos have alot of chemicals in it like SLS's and such which increase hair loss. Maybe you could switch to all natural, or even the conditioner only method. There is a chance your hair would need the dimethicones and silicones ot keep it from tangling if it's very chemically damaged. But alot of peopple have had success with using only conditioner . I know it helped keep my hair strong and soft. And I have a really greasy scalp. The trick is you have to use a light conditioner, use alot of it and really massage it into your scalp. Then you have to leave it on for at least 10min to give the mild surctifants in the conditioner a chance to bind to the oil and dirt. Then make sure you rinse it out really well (at least1-2min). It should feel squeeky clean and look freshly 'pooed when it's dry. If not, your doing something wrong. YOu can alos use a deeper conditioner on the ends afterward if they still get dry, even a 'cone condish.
Another thing you could do to protect your damaged hair to to keep it oiled. Like with olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc. It doesn't actually mosturize your hair, it just helps keep the moisture locked in, as your natural oils would. So it might work better it you put it on already wet hair. And only on the length!
Also, never brush your hair when its wet, that's when ahir is it's weakest and that can cause breakage.
Brushes can also cause breakage. I'd stick with seemless combs. And try not to rip the hair out when you comb.
One more thing - you weren't sure if the loss was from breakage or not. look a the hairs you've lost. If the have a thick white-sih dot on one of the ends, that's the root where the hair was attached to the scalp. If not there's no thicker dot, then it is a broken hair.
I know that was a long post, but I hope it helped. If you have any more questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Please!!