Struggling with Hair Loss After Pregnancy

Unfortunately, Some Things Must Come to an End

I know I'm not the only one wondering what happened to my thick hair.  Well, while you are pregnant your hair actually goes through a growth phase, limiting your daily hair loss.  Within twelve weeks of giving birth, your hormones have settled back in, and you start to go through a shedding phase (also know as telogen effluvium).  It can be alarming to find your hair coming out in clumps, especially when shampooing or brushing.  

Typically, you loose between one hundred hairs a day, however after childbirth it is likely to reach up to five hundred hairs a day.  This can be startling for some women, in worries of becoming bald, or sick, but rest assured that this will not happen.  

Although not all experience hair loss to this extent, all new mother's will encounter some hair loss.  Unfortunetly, there is not really anything we can do to control the amount of hair we do loose, but be patient.  You can also try using a thickening shampoo if your hair is becoming too thin.  

One alarming find is that you may be actually growing baby fine hairs along your hairline, towards the top of your forehead, once the shedding phase is complete.  Some women find that having bangs does help to hide these fly aways until it's grown out.

Studies show that your hair should be back to it's normal pre-pregnancy thickness within six months or so.  The texture of your hair, however, may never be the same.  Chances are it could appear to be wavier, straighter or even drier than it was prior to your pregnancy.  Reason being, hormonal changes caused by pregnancy.

If you are concerned with the amount of hair you are loosing, it is always best to contact your dermatologist or family health care provider.  It is not uncommon for new moms to be low on iron, and hair loss can be a sign this.