Female pattern baldness involves a typical pattern of hair loss caused by hormones, aging, and genetic predisposition. It is believed to result from a decrease in estrogen, a hormone that normally counteracts the balding effect of testosterone.

The typical pattern of female pattern baldness is different from that of male pattern baldness. In females, the hair thins all over the head, but the frontal hairline is maintained. There may be a moderate loss of hair on the crown, but this rarely progresses to total or near baldness as it often does in men.