Alopecia Areata and hormones

This started as a small patch on the back of my head but has recently spread to the entire of the back of my head. When I got pregnant seven years ago, the hair grew back perfectly, however, when I stopped breastfeeding it fell out again. A consultant that I saw says that the alopecia is not hormonal, but surely it must be considering the change during pregnancy. This is now causing me great distress, but it seems no one can help. 'Hormonal' is a also a word that means different things in different contexts - what the consultant probably meant was that it is unlikely to be caused by a problem with your female sex hormones - oestrogen or progesterone. That doesn't mean to say that another of the body's hormones might not be the problem. Specifically, you should have a blood check to make sure your thyroid gland is working properly, because malfunctions there can lead to hormonal changes which can cause alopecia.