Where your DNA places you among other people, and the studies behind it.
Not tailored to your result, and not medical advice
Act Early If It Bothers You: Hair loss responds better to intervention when it is addressed early, because preserving existing hair is more achievable than regrowing what is gone. If thinning bothers you, seeing a dermatologist who treats hair loss at the first signs gives you the widest set of options.
Maintain Scalp Health: Scalp care does not override genetic programming, but a healthy scalp environment supports the hair you have. Use gentle shampoos, and avoid tight hairstyles that pull on the roots and can cause traction alopecia. Adequate protein and micronutrient intake (iron, zinc, vitamin D) supports normal follicle function, though supplements only help when a deficiency is present. American Family Physician
Address Psychological Impact: Hair loss is associated with reduced self-esteem and body-image distress in a meaningful share of affected men. If it is causing distress, support helps, whether through counseling, support groups, or exploring treatment options. Many people find that acting early, by treating or by accepting the change, reduces the anxiety around it. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (systematic review)
Monitor Cardiovascular Health: Some studies report a modest association between early-onset baldness and cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, though the evidence is mixed and does not show that baldness causes heart disease. Either way, standard cardiovascular care applies to everyone: regular exercise, a healthy diet, and monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol. PLoS One (scoping review of comorbidities)
How much of this is genetic?
Genetics explains 80% of why people differ in this trait. The rest is environment, daily habits and chance.
Heritability estimate: Yap et al. 2018, Nat Commun
Background and further reading
Male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) is the most common form of hair loss, affecting roughly 50% of men by age 50 and about 80% by age 70 in European-ancestry populations [1]. It follows a recognisable pattern of a receding hairline and thinning at the crown, often progressing to baldness on top while hair is preserved along the sides and back [1]. The trait is driven by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a potent androgen that progressively miniaturises genetically susceptible hair follicles until they stop producing visible hair [1]. Although it is medically benign, hair loss is associated with reduced self-esteem and body-image distress in a substantial proportion of affected men [1].
Genetic Basis: Male pattern baldness is among the most heritable common traits. Twin and family studies put heritability as high as ~80%, and a large analysis of 205,327 UK Biobank men estimated pedigree heritability at 0.62 [2]. That study detected 624 near-independent genome-wide loci, of which 26 sit on the X chromosome and together explain about 12% of the common-variant signal [2]. The androgen receptor / EDA2R region on the X chromosome is the strongest single locus, which accounts for the long-observed inheritance through the maternal line [3]. Hundreds of additional autosomal loci contribute, including the 20p11 region between PAX1 and FOXA2 [3] and variants in WNT10A, a gene involved in hair follicle development [4]. This polygenicity means both parents contribute to risk, not only the maternal side.
Beyond Cosmetics: Beyond appearance, male pattern baldness has been associated in observational studies with modestly higher risk of prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, and insulin resistance, possibly reflecting shared androgen-pathway biology [5]. These associations are weak and inconsistent: a meta-analysis found that vertex (crown) baldness, but not frontal recession, was linked to a small increase in prostate cancer risk, and they do not establish that baldness causes these conditions [5]. Established treatments such as finasteride and minoxidil can slow or partially reverse early hair loss [1], and hair transplant surgery offers durable results for more advanced cases.
The published research behind your score, and the variants it draws on.
11 published scores from 3 studies
The male pattern baldness score combines 11 polygenic scores drawn from 3 published studies.
Ho CH, et al. Androgenetic Alopecia. StatPearls (2024)
These traits are influenced by some of the same genes and variants as this one
Height: Adult standing height - one of the most heritable and polygenic human traits.
Content updated August 2026.
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