+

Please confirm you are not a robot

What Causes Hair Loss After Pregnancy?

Pregnancy brings a lot of changes in the mother’s body. There are a lot of ups and downs in the hormonal levels of the body. One of the most dreaded outcomes of pregnancy is postpartum hair loss.

In this condition, new moms are seen to lose chunks of hair just after a couple of months from the baby's delivery. It is quite a common biological thing to happen to new mothers. However, most people drag it too far and reach the doctors' fearing a probable balding.

This happens due to a lack of knowledge related to postpartum changes in a woman's body. Once the issue is addressed properly, new moms will be able to remove this unnecessary fear of balding that has been haunting them lately.

In this article, we discuss the various issues related to postpartum hair loss to clear the fog over it and suggest a few remedies to cope with it.

Reason Behind Postpartum Hair Loss

Everyone experiences some kind of hair loss on a daily basis. This is because the percentage of hair that actively grows is 85 percent and the rest 15 percent is just in a resting stage. And it is this 15 percent that sheds off regularly.

But in the prenatal stage, the mother's body experiences a significant rise in estrogen levels which in turn stimulates greater percentage of hair to enter the active growth phase.

Estrogen improves the blood flow to the scalp region and causes the hair to get proper nutrition. Thus, the hair health seems to improve in the, soon to be, mothers. It adds more lustre and volume to their hair.

However, just after 3-4 months of the delivery, the estrogen level drops drastically in the body and a huge fraction of hair enters the resting phase again. This causes postpartum hair loss.

However, this is only a temporary effect and it is nothing to worry about. Though you may not get that extra lustrous hair that you developed during pregnancy, you will surely grow back your old natural hair.

How Long Does It Last?

As mentioned earlier, this hair loss is not permanent. It only lasts for about 6-8 months. In some extreme cases it may go upto the first birthday of the baby but never more than a year.

However, the intensity of hair fall may vary in different mothers. Some may experience it more than the others and the long haired ones may suffer more hair loss.

Also, if it is coupled with other health issues or any nutritional deficiencies, one might take longer to recover.

When Should You Visit A Doctor?

The first sign of postpartum hair loss is the site of bigger hair clumps in your comb. Frequent clogging of drains due to hair fall is another sign to observe. However, in most women it reduces by a year or even less than that.

But if one feels some alarming issues like patches of head getting bald or the condition lasting for more than a year, they must visit a doctor without any delay.

The doctor will determine if it is a simple postpartum issue or it has got a greater issue hidden underneath it.

Some Other Issues Leading To Postpartum Hair Loss

The mothers' body does not experience changes from only a single hormone 'estrogen'. It sees the same changes with a bunch of other hormones and nutrients as well.

Anaemia and postpartum thyroiditis are some other health conditions leading to the same. Thyroid levels get tremendously affected during the pregnancy months and this can also lead to hair fall.

However, these health issues are highly treatable and one must consult a doctor for the same.

Possible Remedies

Though this condition is not here to stay for too long, you might still want to cure it as fast as possible. Well, this can be done through certain simple changes in your regular diet.

Including Iron And Zinc In Your Diet

Iron deficiency leads to anaemia and this may add to your misery. Zinc on the other hand helps keep the oil glands intact and enhance their role in hair growth. Beans, lentils, sesame seeds, oysters and chickpeas can help overcome this deficiency.

Fenugreek Water Rinse

Fenugreek seeds need to be soaked overnight in water and the next day, the water must be applied on the scalp. This can promote faster growth of the hair and help restore the lost hair.

Oil Massage For The Scalp

Using a lukewarm natural oil to massage your head can serve really well in this state. It increases the blood circulation in the scalp and thus improves hair quality and growth.

Dry Fruits

These are rich in Omega-3 which includes beneficial proteins and nutrients for the hair follicle.

Hair Packs

A homemade hair pack made using egg whites and olive oil can be applied on the head. This can to a large extent improve the hair health after pregnancy.

Things To Avoid

While it is true that you cannot stop this postpartum hair fall, you can surely reduce the hair fall just by avoiding the few things mentioned below:

Frequent Combing

While it is a good way to activate the scalp for better blood circulation, at this stage you cannot afford to do so. This can lead to a maddening level of hair fall if done more frequently than necessary.

Using Shampoo Too Often

This leads to more hair clogging your drains. As the hair is more prone to breaking at this stage, you must be quite judicious with these and should avoid unnecessary hair wash.

Using A Conditioner

A conditioner weighs down your hair and makes it look thinner. It also leads to unnecessary pressure applied to the hair which may lead to even more hair fall.

Hair Blowers

As these create heat, it can aggravate the scenario and lead to greater hair loss. You Must avoid these and go for natural hair drying methods.

Tight Hairstyles

Tightly tying your hair at this stage might lead to easy breakage of hair as the hair is more brittle at this stage.

Stress

Stress can cause greater loss. Remember, this phase of hair loss is only temporary and you should try to lower your stress levels. Try meditation or drink chamomile tea to help with that.

Final Thoughts

For some people, hair fall could be a devastating thing. And it makes sense because it will completely change the way you look. But luckily, for women, postpartum hair loss is only temporary. So you don't have to worry too much about it. The only consolation in the case of postpartum hair loss is that it isn't to stay forever.

However, any unnatural symptoms to the hair fall pattern must be immediately reported to the doctor. This will help in detecting other underlying health issues early on, if any.

Most people do not need to worry as much, as chances of spotting any other underlying issue is rather rare.

Giving birth to a baby is a really great thing and such small issues accompanying pregnancy are nothing as compared to the joy of having a baby.

Moreover, postpartum hair loss is something that every mother goes through and you are not alone in this.

It is just a short phase post pregnancy and it shall pass soon. You must rather divert your attention to taking care of your little one and let the rest heal as naturally as possible.