Hair Loss After Pregnancy

Many women are worried when they experience hair loss after pregnancy.  This usually begins to happen within the first few months after the baby is born.  However, this short article will explain that hair loss after pregnancy is, in most cases, entirely normal and nothing to fret about.

During pregnancy a woman’s hormones undergo immense change, primarily increasing. Ordinarily our hair falls out regularly but during pregnancy this process slows and the hair enters a resting phase.  Hair loss during pregnancy is therefore a rare occurrence, and in most cases a woman’s hair will become much thicker.  As well as becoming fuller, hair often undergoes unexpected changes too during pregnancy, becoming wavy where it was straight, for example.

After the birth of your baby, your hormones start slowly returning to their previous levels, although this can take some time.  The excess hair that was retained throughout your pregnancy now starts to be released, which of course makes it seem as though the hair loss is more pronounced than usual.

If you don’t expect it, it can be alarming to find clumps of hair in your brush or on the drain. Many women worry that because of hair loss after pregnancy, they will get thin patches on their scalp.  But, since you have more hair to begin with, that doesn’t happen.  You are simply releasing hair that was held during your pregnancy.  The rate of hair loss will slow down, but you should allow up to a year for your hair to return to its normal rate of falling out a few strands at a time.

Similarly, it may take a year for your hair to revert to the way it was pre-pregnancy, its thickness or straight or wavy form.

So, don’t worry if you notice hair loss after pregnancy.  It’s caused by your hormones readjusting and reverting to the way they were before you were expecting.  In time, your hair will be back to normal.