Hair loss after pregnancy

In pregnancy, the body has to endure many changes due to the fluctuation of the levels of different hormones. After the childbirth, the woman’s body once again has to undergo many changes since the levels of the hormones tend to normalize as they were before the pregnancy. One of the consequences of pregnancy even in 75% women is the hair loss.

Causes of hair lost in women after pregnancy

It is estimated that every woman loses between 30 and 100 hairs every day while brushing the hair or while washing the hair. On the other side, in pregnancy, a woman tends to lose even less hair and for that the hormonal changes are responsible. About 10 to 15% of hair in every normal woman is in the telogen phase, which is the resting phase, or the last phase of the hair growth when the hair tends to fall off while we are washing it or brushing it. Another 85 to 90% of the scalp hair is in the growing or anagen phase, or transitional or catagen phase. In the growing phase, the hairs grow, while the hairs are transiting from the first phase to the resting phase in the transitional phase.

When a woman is pregnant, the elevated levels of progesterone and estrogen prevent the hair from falling off and the hair that is in the telogen phase transits to the protected phase, becoming thicker than it was previously. However, once a woman delivers her baby, the levels of the hormones return to the normal levels. Since the metabolism of the woman is stabilized now, the hair from the protected phase transits to the telogen phase and starts to fall off. The hair loss after pregnancy usually lasts from a month to six months and this losing of hair is not severe enough to cause noticeable baldness. Other possible causes for the occurrence of hair loss after childbirth are poor nutrition, unhealthy diet and stress.

How to stop hair loss after pregnancy?

Every woman after pregnancy should pay more attention to her hair while washing or brushing it. It is advisable to use a wide-toothed comb and to avoid using of harmful chemicals on hair. Furthermore, the hair should not be tied up tightly since it can break very easily. The diet should include foods rich in proteins and iron and the scalp should me massaged with various oils like castor oil or olive oil, for example.