Pregnancy is usually a time for great joy. When delivery occurs without any problems, the woman may feel on top of the world. However, during this time, the woman may undergo some changes that may cause some discomfort. For example, she may start losing or shedding hair at an alarming rate.
If you notice that your hair is starting to fall out after pregnancy, do not be alarmed. You are not alone. All new mothers experience this effect. However, some new Moms experience more hair loss than others do. The experience can understandably be scary, especially if you do not know why it happens and what to do about it. Several studies have been carried out to understand the phenomenon of hair loss causes in case of pregnancy.
85 to 95% of your hair is growing. The remaining 5 to 15% is undergoing a resting phase. However, when you are pregnant, your hormonal levels change. The hormonal change enables you to lose less hair daily. This reduction occurs because the hormonal changes cause your hair to remain in a resting phase for a longer time. Therefore, your hair may seem thicker immediately after pregnancy.The most common period of hair loss occurs approximately three months after delivery. The rise in hormones during pregnancy keeps you from losing your hair.
The thinning hair nightmare starts about 12 weeks after you give birth. During this time, your hormones have settled down. This paves the way for more hair to undergo the shedding phase. Your hair will seem to be everywhere as it comes off at will.
Losing hair is a normal occurrence for every human being. However, the rate at which you lose hair every day in normal situations is so slow that you rarely notice. You normally lose about 100 to 125 strands of hair a day. When you give birth, that number jumps to about 500 a day. As much as this could be scary, it will not cause you to go bald. Therefore, it should not be a major cause for worry. After all, you cannot do much about shedding hair.
You will mostly notice hair loss happening when you brush or shampoo your hair. It is advisable to let your hair dry naturally or shampoo less frequently if you want shedding to be less noticeable. However, a time will come when you would not be able to forestall shedding of hair. If you forestalled the shedding long enough, you might start leaving a mess of hair behind because postpartum hair loss is inevitable. The sooner you get them off the better, because hair might come off at the most inopportune of times. Women who experience postpartum hair loss can mitigate its effects by applying a thickening shampoo to rapidly thinning hair.
When the resting phase ends, you will notice fine, new hair on your forehead. You might try to camouflage the new growth by allowing bangs on your forehead. Your hair goes back to its normal pre-partum thickness. However, hormones will continue to exert an influence over your hair for some time. This will make your hair to seem oily or dryer, or wavier or straighter than it was before you were pregnant.
You should only be concerned if your hair seems to continue shedding six or so months after delivery. This could be a symptom of iron deficiency. Your healthcare provider should be able to cool down your concerns by assuring you that many new mothers have iron deficiency, and he should give you a remedy. Iron supplements or a diet rich in iron can save your situation. Normally, hair loss affects 50 percent of women. This number takes a jump among pregnant women.