Pregnancy and Hair Loss

Know about hair growth in pregnancy and hair loss post-delivery.

Becoming a mother is undoubtedly the most rewarding experience for many women. However, motherhood does come with certain challenges which might be challenging for many women. Pregnancy brings a lot of changes in a woman – biologically and physically and it does demands a mother to be patient, caring and tolerant.

Smita gave birth to a little baby girl and like many other young mothers, she too was enjoying motherhood. However, just three months post-delivery, she experienced something that she never knew that would be after-effect of becoming a mother, which is Hair Loss! But, now she is dealing with something that most women experience at some point during their pregnancy period or while breast-feeding. Post-pregnancy, she has noticed that she's losing more hair than usual, especially when she washes or combs her hair. Unsure how to solve the hair loss condition, she asked the doctor about hair fall control treatments, which are safe for her as well as her baby (as it was breast-feeding time for her!). Only after consulting the doctor, she came to know that losing hair post-pregnancy is nothing much serious – it happens with many women and it can be cured!

The most common period of hair loss occurs approximately three months after delivery. The rise in hormones during pregnancy keeps you from losing your hair. After delivery, the hormones return to normal levels, which allow the hair to fall out and return to the normal cycle. The normal hair loss that was delayed during pregnancy may fall out all at once.

Yes, you heard it right?

Many expectant mothers have gorgeous, healthy, luxurious hair on the scalp. Their hair literally blossoms like a flower during this time. It happens because oestrogen causes hair to remain in the growing phase. In addition, the hair strands also get stronger and grow longer. This gets all the more accentuated during the last trimester.

But, things change once the baby is born!

The oestrogen levels that were high during pregnancy come sharply down to normal — and, hair moves from the growing phase to the falling phase. This is normal. In certain cases, it’s this stark contrast between hair growth in pregnancy and hair loss post-delivery that often alarms some women.

Post-delivery hair loss may sometimes continue for 6-9 months. It does not need medical treatment — a good, nutritious diet that supplements the body with optimal amounts of iron, vitamins, minerals and proteins, is adequate. It can take up to a year to re- grow the hair lost after delivery.

So give yourself time till your little one turns one. Most likely, this hair loss episode should cease towards your baby’s first birthday. Meanwhile, you can always get a different hairstyle that will make your hair looks thicker.

Consultation with the doctor

However, if you think that your hair is shedding at a rate that is abnormal even for postpartum, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor once, especially if the hair loss is accompanied by other symptoms like fatigue, dry skin, insomnia and palpitations. All these point towards an uncommon condition affecting new mothers called postpartum thyroiditis. This is the result of inflammation in the thyroid gland and affects only about 5% of mothers in the first year after their childbirth. What you are experiencing could be most likely normal. But if you are unsure, there is no harm in checking with your doctor.

Prevention of Hair loss Post-pregnancy

You cannot do much to prevent it altogether. Fortunately, there are steps you can take for hair fall control and restore the lost shine and texture.

• First thing you need to remember is not to stress about the hair loss condition. More stress equates to more hair loss. Understand this is normal. And know that this phase will stop
• The next step is to understand if there are any other underlying causes of hair loss like iron deficiency, poor nutrition or poor circulation. If so, you might need to watch your diet, after consulting with your doctor. This might also help you - TOP 10 FOODS TO PREVENT HAIR LOSS
• Once you deliver the baby, you can take help of homeopathic medicines for hair loss. Homeopathy works gently and effectively to relieve discomforts related to pregnancy and motherhood. In fact, conventional medicine can possibly have side-effects on both the mother and child, whereas homeopathy effectively addresses pregnancy related problems without any toxic side-effects. For better results, it is advisable to take homeopathic medicines under the care and guidance of an expert homeopathic physician.