I had read before having my son that some women experience hair loss after having a baby. My son is almost five months old and and all of the sudden I AM SHEDDING HAIR. Has this happened to anyone else? How long is this going to last and is there anything that I can do about it? Thanks gals.
Hi B.,
According to my hairstylist.... you don't lose as much hair as normal while pregnant, so all of that extra comes out afterwards. 3 to 4 months after my daughter was born, it seemed like I was losing hair like crazy. It last a couple of months then went back to normal.
I'm also shedding lots and lots of hair in the shower. My daughter is 4 1/2 months. I planned to ask my endocrinologist if this is normal.
You don't completely stop shedding hair when pregnant, but the volume of hairs shed is dramatically reduced. Once the pregnancy hormones leave your system, you begin to shed the extra hair again which makes you feel like you're losing a ton.
I've lost almost all my hair during chemo, and it sucks! I'm 18 months out of treatment, and my hair just started shedding again a few months ago. I'd forgotten how much I hate cleaning dark, Italian hair off the floor of the bathroom and the sink.
The amount and time of your hair loss likely dependent on your body's ability to eliminate the excess pregnancy hormones. For me, it only lasted a few weeks with my son, but I was only 11 weeks postpartum with my daughter when I started chemo, so I don't really have a good point of reference.
Totally normal. Before you got pregnant, you shed a certain small amount of hair every day. When you were pregnant, your body stopped shedding hair. So now, when you are back to shedding, you are basically losing all the hair you *didn't* lose over those 40 weeks of pregnancy. It will stop eventually!
yes my youngest is 5 yrs old and I still shed.
Mine started at 3 months with both of my babies, and lasted months. Don't worry too much about it because while you were pregnant, your body didn't shed much hair, so you are losing the excess hair not regular hair.
Yes, totally normal. I was told that your hair doesn't really shed when you are pregnant. Shedding is a normal process and for whatever reason, your body holds onto your hair when you are pregnant. This is why many women say their hair was so thick when they were pregnant! So, after baby, your hair will shed all that extra it has been holding onto. So, no to worry. It will eventually stop. Speak with your physician if you get too concerned, but not to worry. :)
Completely normal, your hormones are just trying to even out again.
it happened to me a few months after I had both daughters. It lasted about three months. It's scary as ur hair gets thin. I'm pretty sure there's not much you can do about it. It is typically due to a change in hormone levels and an adjustment since most womens hair doesn't shed during pregnancy. I would check with ur dr. If you haven't already had ur thyroid levels checked. That could be the culprit. Although mine was fine it was just hormonal. I wish there was something that could be done.
I had a baby in November and starting shedding in February. It was crazy there for a while but now it is starting to slow down a bit. I'm not losing nearly as much as I was at first.
Me too! It lasted for several months as my body went back to "normal". Those prenatal vitamins were a dream and I had beautiful long hair and then poof- gone! There isn't much you can do about it, but avoid adding additional damage that will cause breakage. My stylist suggested that I reduce blow-drying and straightening, not "twist" my hair into a clip, use the non-damaging hair ties, etc.
OH yes -it's very normal, but not to the extent that you have bald patches or anything. If that's happening, call your doctor. My hair is normally pretty straight and fine, but during both of my pregnancies it thickened up a lot. Eventually several months after I had them -both times -I would find smallish "clumps" -numerous strands grouped together on my pillow or coming out in the shower. It only lasts a little while and should just kind of get you back to the hair you had before pregnancy.
Welcome to the club! I hope for your sake that your husband has a full, thick head of hair because my wonderful, amazing husband is pretty much bald and had absolutely NO sympathy for me as I went through this (twice, now!). I lost a LOT of hair not only in very noticable areas (right around my temples and in front) but also throughout my head. Don't worry, it'll (most likely) grow back. From what I can find, it happens because when you're pregant you don't lose any hair really, so after your hormones get back into some kind of normal balance you loose the hair that you should loose AND all of the hair you accumulated, too. Fun, right?
It can cause some annoying hair for a while as it grows back in, so be aware. It will also abate as your hormones continue to balance out. Good luck!!
It very well can be hormones, which is what I thought mine was do to. However, I ended up having bloodwork because of a second pregnancy and it showed up that I had hypothyroidism. My Dr. said that it's not that uncommon for women to develop this during or after a pregnancy. A close friend also developed it after her 1st child. She, too complained of excessive hair loss. It wouldn't hurt to have bloodwork done and rule your thyroid out. Thought I'd throw that out there, not to scare you, but to inform. Good luck and God bless.
Do not panic quite yet. It might be other things besides whatever it is you think is related to having baby. Do you color your hair? Have you been swimming lately, chlorine and fighting with brushes can do that. Step up on the vitamins (especially fish oil tablets seem to strengthen hair-I know it did mine).
Oh man I had so much hair when I was preggers, even on my arms and legs hair was thick and dark. Sadly it went all away after the baby. Totally normal. Not fair but totally normal.
Me too!!!! I've been losing hair like crazy since my baby was born 5 months ago. I thought something was wrong until I read just recently that it was normal after childbirth. No idea when it's going to stop, though.
I lost hair for a few YEARS after having my son. It does slow down with time. I was told not to pull it back and don't wash it every day. Good luck!
Could also be your birth control. I lost a lot of hair for 1 year after the borth of my daughter, from being on the depo shot.
Normal. I thought I was going to go bald - didn't happen though. I think I lost extra hair for a couple of months but I think everyone is different. Some loose hair much sooner, some later, some more and some less. But most importantly, all normal =)
OMG, I could have written Krista P's post. Never in my life was my hair so lush and wonderful as during my pregnancy (prenatals). But after I had my son, it fell out like mad. And no vitamins could stop it. The front of my hair was thinning so badly, especially on one side that if I didn't part it on the opposite side, I truly looked like I was balding. Thankfully, it did eventually start growing back, and is back to normal. Not pregnancy nice, just normal. This went on for about the first year after my son was born, I think. sigh
I haven't read your responses but wanted to say that yes, it is normal. I was frightened when I experienced it. I would almost come to tears every day in the shower when I would pul massive clump after massive clump of hair out. So depressing. Mine started a bit earlier than you and lasted about 2 months. A ton of my hair around the hairline literally just broke off at the same time...so, I have to wear headbands now if I want to wear a pony tail - otherwise, my hair just jets straight out. It is ridiculous. My daughter will be one the end of Aug and these baby hairs and only a few inches long now. It is a definite con of having these babies!
Same here!! What I have found that has helped me is continuing with a daily vitamin regiment. I'm still nursing, so I'm still taking my prenatal vitamins. It has helped curb the shedding, but once in a while, I'll still get a good handful.
Yes! I lost hair for about a year after our second child was born. I normally have very thick hair that I have to pay extra to thin out periodically. Didn't spend an extra dime that year because it seemed half my hair was on our floors!
