Pregnancy and Hairloss

During and after pregnancy, the many changes that go on within a woman’s body can result in some unwelcome yet usually temporary side effects. In some cases, hairloss can be one of these.
The most common form of pregnancy-induced hairloss is Postpartum Alopecia. This condition may occur some time after a woman has given birth: generally between two and five months.  While the sudden loss of hair may at first be distressing for new mothers, it is in fact entirely natural and in most cases is nothing to be worried about.

Hairloss after giving birth

During pregnancy, levels of the female hormone oestrogen in the body generally rise dramatically, and this can have a noticeable effect on the hair. Many more follicles than usual may enter the growth part of their natural cycle, while less enter the resting or shedding part of the cycle. This increase in production and decrease in natural hairloss may lead to a temporary increase in the volume and fullness of hair.
However, after the birth, these hormones gradually begin to settle down again, and so the body slowly returns to equilibrium, and the state it was in prior to the pregnancy. Once the hormones which kept hair follicles in the growing phase are reduced, those follicles return to their normal cycle, and many which would have been normally lost as a matter of course during the months of pregnancy may begin to fall out at a rapid rate.
While this may be worrying, it is usually a simple case of the body returning to its pre-pregnancy state. Excessive female hairloss usually does not last that long, and hair should return to normal within a couple of months. This process of losing hair after child birth is a form of Telogen Effluvium, and is estimated to affect around a quarter of women at some point in the months after giving birth.
However, if the hairloss continues for more than six months after the birth, then there may be another cause for the condition.

Treatments for hair loss caused by pregnancy

In most cases, no treatment is required if hair returns to normal within six months after the birth. However if hair loss is experienced for longer than this then it’s a good idea to get assessed by a professional hair loss expert, who may recommend a treatment programme based around Minoxidil, with various hair growth boosters and clinical maintenance.
If you are experiencing postpartum hair loss and your baby is more than six months old, you are welcome to contact us at the Belgravia Centre for a no-obligation consultation, or fill in our online diagnostic form.
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