Pregnancy and Hair Loss

You have just had your baby and nobody is happier on Earth than you, when you start noticing that your hair begins to fall. Don't worry, this type of hair loss is pretty normal and the best is that it is temporary, so after some months you will restore your normal hair. Many women experience this kind of temporary hair loss and the good news is that it is extremely rare to get bald spots and permanent hair loss due to pregnancy.

Typically hair loss starts a couple of months after the delivery but there are women who suffer from it even while still pregnant. The reason in both cases is a hormonal imbalance. When the imbalance is significant, then you have noticeable hair loss. When you lose small amounts of hair, which happens to almost all pregnant women, then you don't notice it, although you still suffer from hair loss. What is more, even the same women can experience different amounts of hair loss during different pregnancies.

Pregnancy causes a lot of changes in your body and hair loss is only one of the few side effects. Pregnancy causes your hormonal levels to alter dramatically and all this inevitably affects your hair. It is not uncommon that during one trimester your hair falls of, then during the next it gets thick and new hair starts to grow. But if you are aware of all these normal changes in your body, then you will not be worried by what is going on.

In any case, it never hurts to tell your doctor that you have hair loss. He or she might prescribe some tests, just to make sure that everything is OK. Actually your doctor will hardly be able to do much about your hair loss and it is not necessary either, but there is nothing wrong to mention the fact during one of your visits.

Taking medicines to treat hair loss during and after pregnancy is the worst idea that can come to your mind! If you are of the active and controlling type, it might be a bit difficult to accept that there is not much you can do but actually this is the case with hair loss. If you see bald spots on your scalp, depending on their location, a headband can be used to hide them. Also, if your hair is long, cutting it short generally helps, so you can consider this alternative as well.

On the contrary, there are ladies who get thick, fast growing hair during pregnancy. As you might have already guessed, the reason is the same – hormones, or more precisely increased levels of estrogen. Estrogen tells your hair follicles to grow faster. It also speeds up your metabolism and as a result of this your scalp receives more nutrition, which in turn stimulates hair growth. This estrogen frenzy might go on after pregnancy as well but be prepared that the most likely outcome is that after you give birth and your hormones return to their normal levels, you will experience hair loss.

Another hair-related issue that you might experience during pregnancy is texture change. Your hair might change from curly to straight and vice versa. Usually these are temporary changes but sometimes they can be for life.

Changes in texture and hair loss due to pregnancy might require time to heal. In most cases in takes several hair growth cycles to regain your pre-pregnancy looks, which means a year or more (especially if your hair is long). Again, the solution is mainly patience, rather than rushing to the doctor. Intaking a lot of vitamins also helps but you'd better discuss it with your doctor first.

To prevent hair loss during and after pregnancy, you can also start using special hair cosmetics that prevents hair loss but if you have never used such shampoos, it might be a very unpleasant surprise if all of a sudden you get an allergic reaction to it. So, the best you can do, is to wait till your hormones normalize and your hair starts growing normally.