postpartum hair loss

[aspeneyes]

Anyone else out there had issues with postpartum hair loss?

I had a UC 4 months ago and have been losing gobs of hair everyday since about 1 month postpartum. I brush out a good two handfuls everyday. This same thing happened after my son was born 4 years ago, so normal for me I guess, but I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what, if anything, can be done about it. I believe I read on here one time that someone felt that eating her placenta helped her not have this problem which she had had other times. Too late for that, but any other advice or things to try next time?

:::::e c2::

[Sailor]

I have had a similar problem. I found out I was pregnant, and then around ten days later my hair started falling out by the fistfuls. My ND said sometimes this happens, though most women get the opposite effect.

There was nothing I could do. I just waited it out. The falling out seems to have lessened to a more normal amount. But, I've lost ... way too much! I'm hoping it will grow back after I give birth.

For the record, I have read that having a lot of hair fall out after birth is very common and normal. It should stop all by itself.

[love4acr]

I've had these happen after each of my 3 pregnancies as well. It is an enormous amount of hair that I lose for months and months after the birth. I will say, however, that it does grow back. I typically wear my hair past my shoulder, and at the beginning of the summer I had a TON of hair that was about 4 to 5 inches long, much shorter than my "regular" hair, I assume that is the hair growing back after my last birth in 7/06, so it takes a while, but for me at least, it does correct itself over time.

[jljeppson]

Here's an excerpt from an article that does a good job of explaining the reason for postpartum hair loss.

Here's what's going on. Normally, about 85 to 95 percent of the hair on your head is growing and the other 5 to 15 percent is in a resting stage. After the resting period, this hair falls out — often while you're brushing or shampooing it — and is replaced by new growth. An average woman sheds about 100 hairs a day.

During pregnancy, increased levels of estrogen prolong the growing stage. There are fewer hairs in the resting stage and fewer falling out each day, so you have thicker, more luxuriant tresses.

After you give birth, your estrogen levels take a tumble and a lot more hair follicles enter the resting stage. Soon you'll have more hair coming out in the shower or on the brush. This unusual shedding will taper off and your hair will be back to its pre-pregnancy thickness about six to 12 months after you give birth.

By the way, not all women notice dramatic changes in their hair during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Among those who do, it tends to be more obvious among women with longer hair.

[nashvillemidwife]

Originally Posted by aspeneyes

I believe I read on here one time that someone felt that eating her placenta helped her not have this problem which she had had other times.

Um... no, because it's not a "problem". That hair is supposed to fall out; it's the hair that would have fallen out normally over the last 6-7 months but didn't because of pregnancy hormones. It seems freaky and it takes you by surprise because it seems no one talks about it so you don't know it's coming, but it's not abnormal.

[Kidzaplenty]

Perhaps for some it is a "normal" thing. But not for me. I lose half of my hair pp. However, I do not stop losing it while pg, so it is not the "fall out that should have happened".

For years this has happened. I look like I thinned my hair. It does grow back, though, which I am very thankful for.

I have found out, recently that I am borderline hypothiroid. And that hypothiroid issues can get much worse for several months right after having a baby. One of the signs of that is hair loss.

So, I am hoping that this time, if I take care of my problem I will not lose my hair!

[Sailor]

I'm hoping I'll not be losing more hair after birth! That makes me really nervous. I'll be bald if that happens. In my case - I've been checked across the board for everything, and have had blood work done. Everything is perfect. Except, sadly, I'm in the statistical minority whose hair actually falls out during pregnancy as opposed to staying in. Or so says my doctor.

I am encouraged by the responses that say their hair grew back. I used to have thick hair. Could just towel dry, and go and it'd be perfectly fine. Now ... yea, let's just say I need to wear it up all the time. Very disheartening.

[gabeyho]

I have just learned to live with it. With a new baby every other year, it seems like I am always going through some new stage of hormones that messes up my hair. Not just hair loss either, but I have gone from straight hair my whole life (like as if I was very old anyway!) to hair that has gotten totally curly and more so after each kid since my second. Not a soul in my family has curly hair.....go figure! I chalk it up to hormones and good nutrition, but it still hasn't slowed the hair loss. eh, what are you gonna do?

[just_lily]

I had a huge shedding period right around the end of my first trimester, then again after my baby was born. My poor DF was cleaning out drains every day!

It did grow back. I had to get bangs for a while because I had these 1-inch frizz-its standing out from the top of my head, but it has all settled down now, and my bangs are growing back out.

[LiamsMommy]

I lost a ton of hair after I had ds. The explanation by one of the previous posters makes complete sense and seems to apply to me.
While I am pregnant I hardly shed any hair with ds and this one. I am pretty much counting on the hair loss after this baby.

[Peony]

I didn't lose that much after DD1, but after DD2, the hair loss was bad. I lost probably half my hair, I have thick hair as well, and it took a year for the hair loss to stop. DS is 4 month old now and I've been losing handfuls for at least a month now, I'm just hoping this won't go on for another year like last time.

[KariM]

It happened for me after both DD1 and DD2 were born. Good news was that it also grew back in! :

[KariM]

Oh, and I consumed the entire placenta after DD2's birth and that didn't stop my hair loss. So at least for me that didn't have any impact.

[Jacksonmom]

Hair loss and placenta

Originally Posted by nashvillemidwife

Um... no, because it's not a "problem". That hair is supposed to fall out; it's the hair that would have fallen out normally over the last 6-7 months but didn't because of pregnancy hormones. It seems freaky and it takes you by surprise because it seems no one talks about it so you don't know it's coming, but it's not abnormal.

Um...yes, because it was me. And for me, it IS a problem. For my 3rd and 5th birth I actually had large softball-sized bald spots at the FRONT of my scalp. So, yeah, that's a problem! What happens (for some of us) is that the extreme amount of hair growth during pregnancy combined with a dramatic drop in estrogen production makes for unsightly hair loss.

After birth #4, I consumed encapsulated placenta for weeks. I am convinced that the gradual weening of my body off of those pregnancy hormones caused the hair loss to be much more manageable...instead of baldness. I'll look around - I probably have photos from after baby number 5. In fact, you can still see now where my hair is growing back - but it's not nearly as dramatic. I can pull my hair back again finally YAY!

[Jacksonmom]

Originally Posted by Jacksonmom

I'll look around - I probably have photos from after baby number 5.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12118757@N02/3919401584/

[aspeneyes]

Jacksonmom,
Thank you sooooo much for replying and posting a picture. My hair loss pattern is exactly like yours! It's so interesting....the night before we buried my daughter's placenta, I dreamed about eating it...guess I should have! I'll think seriously next time about encapsulating the placenta like you did.

[Jacksonmom]

No problem. Glad my baldness helped SOMEONE. lol!!

[mommyfied]

I lose it in that same spot! The part I hate most is when that starts growing back in and I have awkward uneven growing-back-in bangs for 6 months!

My hair stops falling out during pregnancy and gets thick as described by the information jljeppson posted. Around 3 mo PP it starts falling out in handfuls and by 6-7 mo PP it starts growing back in. I'm at 8 mo PP right now and I have tiny hairs about 3/4" all over my head, esp. at the temples. This no loss/loss/growing back cycle also happened with my miscarriage. For most people it is related to the hormones and completely normal.

[prancie]

I had pp hair loss and now that I'm pregnant again I'm starting to notice that I'm losing more now. It never seems to make a difference in how I look but it is a little disconcerting.

[mwherbs]

so I have 2 things to relate -
we had a teen mom live with us for a while she had many bald spots and her hair would come out in clumps. when she was living at home her mom had insisted she drink milk because she was making milk- well we don't drink milk so when she moved in no more milk drinking- oh and i forgot when she was moving her things her mom made the comment like good luck she will fumigate you all- because she had lots of gas... well it turned out for her that the milk was causing the problem with her hair and with the gas. I don't know if it was allergy or just lactose intolerance.

the other thing is that my grandmother- lost all her hair after one of her births- it was after my mom enough that my mom talked about it so maybe her 8th or 9th kid- it grew back in. for the longest time I thought it could have been some degree of Sheehan's from hemorrhage and I do know that she had ended up taking thyroid meds, and had troubles with blood sugar, and had 15 kids in all so who knows - also if you are iron deficent enough you can have hair loss from that...

so we expect to see moms to have lots of hair falling out but I don't really expect to see bald patches