Post-Pregnancy Hair Loss Can Happen to You

Hair loss is a prevalent side effect of post-pregnancies.  Giving birth to a child often gives way to temporary hair loss because of hormonal changes in the woman’s body.  There are very low levels of estrogen in a woman’s body after childbirth, and a decreased level of estrogen is one major cause of hair loss. 

During pregnancy, the chemistry and hormones of a woman’s body changes.  Pregnant women have a heightened level of progesterone and estrogen.  When these levels drop suddenly after delivery, this causes their hair to slip into the resting or telegen stage.  Once the child has been born, the “resting” hair follicles begin  to fall out.  Most commonly, hair loss after pregnancy occurs between three and six months after pregnancy. 

Another reason why hair loss is associated with pregnancy is that many women take oral contraceptives for some time until they wish to become pregnant, and then discontinue the birth control.  Discontinuing birth control also causes hair loss in women for the same hormonal reasons.  Since many women discontinue their oral contraceptives just before pregnancy, they associate this hair loss with pregnancy, when sometimes it is due to discontinuing birth control. 

There is no real cure for this hair loss because it is temporary.  But it is important to realize that in most cases involving hair loss after pregnancy, the new hair is already growing in while old hair is falling out.  Therefore, the situation is temporary and will remedy itself.