Managing Postpartum and Pregnancy Hair Loss

pregnant woman in front of mirror holding wooden brush
sad pregnant woman with hair problems standing in front of mirror in bathroom

If you’re experiencing or worried about post-pregnancy hair loss, don’t lose even more due to worry! Like many less-than-savory symptoms of pregnancy, hair loss after baby is both very common and temporary, and there are many steps you can take to alleviate it.

Read on to learn more about how you can manage postpartum and pregnancy hair loss.

What Causes Pregnancy Hair Loss?

If you’ve ever Googled a medical symptom, chances are, you’ve seen pregnancy as one of its potential causes. Pregnancy causes such drastic hormonal changes that can affect virtually every part of the body—and it affects everyone differently!

There are a few major underlying causes of pregnancy hair loss to understand.

  • Stopping birth control. If you’ve been on birth control for long enough for your hormones to significantly readjust, the absence of this hormone-altering medication can cause hormone levels to drop or spike. This, in turn, can often lead to hair loss and skin changes. You must simply wait for your hormones to readjust to mitigate this hair loss symptom, which may be several months postpartum.
  • One of the most common causes of excessive hair loss after baby is a condition called telogen effluvium. This causes you to lose about 30% more hair than you normally would—and since healthy people normally shed about 100 hairs a day, this is a lot of hair to be losing. If this is the cause, there’s good news: it goes away after about 1-2 months, and your hair will be completely restored to its normal vitality in under a year at the most.
  • Iron deficiency. Many women experience uncharacteristic iron deficiencies during pregnancy, which is a major cause of hair loss. A simple fix to this is to take iron supplements or ensure you’re consuming an iron-rich diet.
  • Thyroid disorders. Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism is a more uncommon cause of pregnancy hair loss. If you are producing too much or too little of the thyroid hormone, you could experience hair loss.

Pregnancy symptoms can seem never-ending, but you can’t blame pregnancy for everything! In addition to pregnancy hair loss, you should not rule out hair loss that comes as a result of other conditions:

  • Underlying autoimmune conditions, such as female pattern balding. This is less common than male pattern balding, but it certainly exists. Women start to experience balding around the same age as they commonly give birth.
  • Dry or damaged hair. Your hair may simply be suffering from an excess of heat tools or a lack of proper moisture. If this is the case for you, you may benefit from PRP Hair Restoration, otherwise known as platelet-rich plasma therapy. It’s an advanced method that helps stimulate hair growth using plasma extracted from your blood, and it helps restore vitality to your hair no matter the underlying cause.

As always, consult with your healthcare provider to ensure your hormones are at healthy levels for you and the baby. If your hair is shedding so rapidly that you have bald patches, see a doctor as soon as you can.

Come to Salameh Medspa for Pregnancy Hair Loss Rejuvenation & Relief

We’re here to help you achieve natural, full hair no matter the cause, whether it’s female pattern balding or hair loss after baby. We use advanced medical solutions for hair loss that revitalize your hair and give it new life.

If you’re interested, we encourage you to contact us to make an appointment at our Bowling Green, Kentucky location. We look forward to meeting you.

Leave a Reply