Just as you thought that your life could not get any more difficult with an ever-demanding infant in your hands, you start noticing that you are losing hair – not in few hundreds, but in thousands (or at least that is what you feel like). Your lustrous, thick and shiny hair was one thing that was going in your favor throughout your pregnancy. But now, looks like your hair has had its joy ride. The bad news here is that you cannot quite stop this hair fall, as it is the result of hormonal changes. The good news is that (a) it will stop eventually and (b) you can do plenty to reduce the hair fall in the mean time.
Why Is My Hair Falling After Delivery?
Let us first look at what is “normal” for your hair. Under normal circumstances, about 80-85% of your hair is growing and about 15-20% of your hair is resting. The resting hair falls at the end of its resting period, usually when you bath or brush. A woman, on an average, sheds about 100 hairs (this explains the black coiled mess you notice everyday when your house is cleaned).
Now during your pregnancy, things change. The estrogen levels in your body are at an all-time high and this increases “growing stage” of the hair we explained before. This means that more of your hair remains in growing stage and in the resting stage, and fewer hair in the shedding stage. This leaves you with thicker-than-before and lustrous-than-before hair. You will probably love the way your hair are nice and there on your head during the gestation period.
But after your delivery, your estrogen level drops back to normal. Now is when your hair follicles start to compensate for the previous year, resulting in more hair follicles to be in falling. This, in turn, results in more hair shedding. Postpartum hair fall is normal and does not necessarily indicate any nutritional deficiencies.
I Am Losing A Lot Of Hair After Delivery. Will I Go Bald?
While you might be convinced beyond any doubts that you will go bald in a month’s time, fortunately, you are wrong. As we mentioned before, your hair follicles are only compensating, they are not over-compensating. This means that you are only losing those hairs that you would have in any case lost if you were not pregnant. So, relax. Even if you are losing hair from all over the head or some lumps are coming off while you take a shower, you will not spot any baldness any time soon. However, you may notice hair loss along the hairline, making your hair look finer from the front, making you feel as if you will be bald soon.
How Long Does Postpartum Hair Loss Last?
The excessive hair fall must have started after 2-3 months of delivery. In most cases, it will taper off and stop in another 3 months time. Worst case, it will continue for 6-10 months and then stop. So give yourself time till your little one turns one. Most likely, this hair fall episode should cease towards your baby’s first birthday. Meanwhile, you can always get a different hairstyle that will make your hair looks thicker.
What Should I Do To Reduce Postpartum Hair Fall?
As we said before, the hair fall you are experiencing now is completely normal. And you cannot do much to prevent it altogether. Fortunately, there are much you can do to minimize the hair fall and restore the lost shine and texture.
- First thing you need to remember is not to stress about the hair fall. More stress equates to more hair fall. Understand this is normal. And know that this phase will stop
- The next step is to understand if there are any other underlying cause for your hair fall like iron deficiency. If so, you might need to watch your diet or take diet supplements, after consulting with your doctor
- Now you can start trying many home remedies that can help return your hair’s strength. These include: applying hair packs containing eggs, methi powder and curd, massaging, not over-shampooing and using herbal remedies.
When To Consult A Doctor For Hair Fall After Delivery?
Most likely, no. However, if you think that your hair is shedding at a rate that is abnormal even for postpartum, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor once, especially if the hair fall is accompanied by other symptoms like fatigue, dry skin, insomnia and palpitations. All these point towards an uncommon condition affecting new mothers called postpartum thyroiditis. This is the result of inflammation in the thyroid gland and affects only about 5% of mothers in the first year after their childbirth. What you are experiencing could be most likely normal. But if you are unsure, there is no harm in checking with your doctor.
