As a woman, you've probably debated the following at some point in your life: Is all that hair clogging my shower drain a sign that I need a cleaning lady or a sign that I'm going bald?

We don't want to alarm you, but thinning hair doesn't happen only to men. A recent study by the International Society of Hair Restoration reveals that nearly 30 million women in the US are losing their hair. Before you stress (which could only make matters worse) keep in mind that some hair loss is normal. According to hair restoration specialist Dr. James Marotta, the average woman loses between 50 and 100 strands of hair per day, and even up to 150 in some cases. To quickly find out if that clog is something more than a reminder to clean the tub, Marotta recommends this trick: "Take about 60 hairs between your fingers (just a pinch, about half a centimeter wide) and pull, running your fingers through your hair. Usually between five and eight hairs will come out -- this is normal. An excess of 15 hairs, however, is not as common, and means you're losing more hair than you should be," he explains.

If you're staring down at a handful of strands, don't panic yet. There's plenty you can do to stop the shedding.

Would it help to know your hair loss may not be your fault all? Yeah, we didn't think so. Nevertheless, your family tree is the first place to look when dealing with a thinning head of hair. According to Marotta, genetic hair loss (what doctors call androgenetic alopecia) is the most common cause of a receding hairline. But before you go pointing a finger at your dad who's been sporting a shiny bald spot since his 30s, Marotta notes that the gene can be inherited from either your mom's or your dad's side of the family. And even if you slept through your biology lecture on Mendel's Punnett squares, it doesn't take much deduction to realize that if both your parents have a history of hair loss, you're more likely to be in for the same fate.

Solve It:
Dr. Robert Leonard, chief surgeon and founder of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, suggests seeking the services of a hair restoration specialist for the best results. "They can look back in your family tree on both sides to help predict the extent of hair loss -- it's very common to have mothers, aunts, or grandmothers with thinning hair, even if it occurred at a much later age than the woman with the concern."

From there, a specialist can reccomend the best plan of action for you to take. Standby medications like Rogaine and Propecia are helpful, though only temporary. According to Marotta, hair restoration surgery is "still the best and only way to fully reverse hair loss."

If, in addition to a breeze overhead, you're also feeling weak and tired all of the time, you could be suffering from low iron -- otherwise known as iron-deficiency anemia. There's a laundry list of things that can put you at risk, and unfortunately, just being a woman is at the top of it. Heavy periods (yes, yet another reason to love Aunt Flo), increased blood supply demands during pregnancy, and a diet lacking in meat and other iron-rich foods all make the fairer sex particularly prone to low iron levels. When you don't have enough red blood cells delivering oxygen throughout the body, it shows through extreme fatigue, weakness, pale skin, and hair loss. Researchers believe low iron levels inhibit an essential enzyme that is tied to how much hair you hold onto.

Solve It:
Have your doc test your blood levels to see if you truly are deficient in iron, then he or she can prescribe the proper dosage of iron supplements to get your red blood cell count where it needs to be. To help nourish the cells in your hair follicles in the meantime, Dr. Elizabeth Trattner of Miami Beach, FL, recommends working iron-rich foods into your daily diet: Look for black beans, red and orange fruits and vegetables, and greens like kale and spinach the next time you're shopping for groceries. But don't expect your hair to start sprouting the next morning -- you should start to see a change in a few months once your iron levels begin to build.

Remember those photos of Kristen Stewart's hair loss following her highly publicized break up with R Patz? The emotionally distressed actress was most likely suffering from a scalp disorder called telogen effluvium. "Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss or extreme stress," Dr. Marotta explains. Long-term emotional and physiological stress (of the can't eat, can't sleep variety) can disrupt the normal hair cycle, causing an unusual amount of follicles to hit the resting phase -- meaning, you shed larger amounts of hair by the day.

Solve It:
If you notice more hair loss when shampooing, styling or brushing, take a minute to reflect on your lifestyle three to six months ago. Anything from the loss of a family member to an unhealthy crash diet can trigger shedding months down the line. The good news is this type of hair loss is usually temporary -- assuming the stress is also temporary -- and hair will grow back as follicles get back on track with their usual growth cycle.

You know when someone goes on a temporary "cleanse" (read: doesn't eat solid foods to fit into that dress) and the starvation mode argument naturally arises -- i.e., when you don't eat, your body thinks you're starving and holds onto any fat it can find? The same logic can be applied to the relationship between your protein intake and your hair. When you skimp on protein, your body rations off any remaining sources of it in the body so that it can be used toward more essential bodily functions. That means your 150,000 strands (give or take) get pushed to the back of the soup line. A lack of protein tells the body to pull the plug on way more hair follicles than usual by pushing them into the "resting" phase.

Solve It:
That protein bar you had during your lunch break isn't going to cut it. Adult women need about 46 grams of protein a day, and if you're pregnant or lactating, the recommended intake jumps to 71 grams a day. For meat eaters, this means making sure you're getting an adequate amount of meat, fish and dairy into your meals. Vegetarians should make sure they're getting protein in the form of beans, whole grains, nuts and eggs.