male pattern baldness

[Peter A. McGraw]

The first time I heard the term "male pattern baldness," it was to
distinguish it from another pattern of balding.  Male pattern baldness is
when the hair loss starts at the crown of the head and spreads outward,
leaving a surrounding band of hair of varying widths.  The other kind (and
I forget what it's called) is when the hair receeds on either side of the
forehead, leaving a "peninsula" of hair in the center. I never thought of
"MPB" as a euphemism--just a descriptive term for one of two common kinds
of balding.  I must say it doesn't seem a very logical term, since it
doesn't contrast with a *female pattern baldness, but rather with a
different kind of male pattern.

Peter