Are you carrying your first child, and are you unsure if hair loss is among the signs of pregnancy? The answer is yes; some women may experience postpartum hair loss while pregnant. How it is not assured that you will undergo hair thinning when pregnant. Hair loss in early pregnancy can be caused by stress, underlying health issues, or hormonal imbalance. This article has all the knowledge you need to know about postpartum hair loss and how to prevent it.
When pregnant, a woman may experience several changes in her body. One of the changes affects hair growth. While some may lose hair, others may grow shinier and stronger hair. The reason why this happens during pregnancy is that the body produces high levels of estrogen hormones. This helps to stimulate hair follicles. Women with curly hair may sometimes find their hair straight.
Postpartum hair loss is common in many women during pregnancy. During this time, some women may experience falling out of hair or thinning hair. This may start during pregnancy and continue even after delivering the child. Hair loss should not intimidate you during pregnancy since it will disappear once you give birth. However, it may continue after pregnancy which may be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
Hair Loss During Pregnancy
Usually, the type of hair loss that affects women during pregnancy happens after giving birth. Shedding of hair does not mean that you are pregnant. Most of the women who undergo pregnancy in early pregnancy may be due to hormones or stress. It is always good to understand how hair growth happens and functions. Hair growth has a lifecycle where 10 percent of your hair may be resting while 90 percent of it is in a growing phase. Room for new hair to grow is created when resting hair falls out every two or three months. This means that hair loss happens to everyone.
When pregnant, the first trimester is quite challenging to the woman because hormonal changes occur in the body to create the perfect environment for the baby’s development. This can cause stress which may lead to 30 percent of the hair going into the resting period. More hair will start falling out from the scalp since they are in the resting phase. This position is known as telogen effluvium, which may happen in the early stages of pregnancy or after childbirth in the second trimester.
You don’t need to worry about postpartum hair loss since it usually goes away after six months or less. It will also not cause permanent hair loss.
What Causes Hair Loss during Pregnancy?
Besides hormonal issues and trees, other reasons for hair loss during pregnancy are unaddressed health issues or underlying chronic or health issues. Low iron and thyroid disorders are the main culprits of hair loss during pregnancy. An overactive thyroid can lead to a condition called hyperthyroidism. This health condition has many symptoms, and hair loss is one of them. When your thyroid creates low levels of hormones, the condition is called hypothyroidism.
The condition can affect women in pregnancy or afterward. Up to 3 percent of women are affected by hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Among the many symptoms of this condition include weight gain, sensitivity to cold, intense fatigue, and constipation. About 5 percent of women who have given birth develop postpartum thyroiditis. You should consult a Beverly Hills Hair Restoration doctor if you suspect that you are suffering from an underlying thyroid condition. The doctor will have to carry out a few tests to establish the actual cause of the symptoms.
Another common cause of hair loss is insufficient iron in the body during pregnancy. The body needs iron even when someone is not pregnant. However, the amount of iron in the mother’s body is shared with the developing baby.
Getting rid of Hair Loss during Pregnancy
There is blank you can do to prevent hair loss caused by hormones or stress during pregnancy. You only need to go through it in about six mins or so. However, if the cause of the hair loss is due to an underlying condition, you will have to seek medical consideration from your doctor, who will examine you to establish the cause of the hair loss. Hair loss medications such as Minoxidil are not safe to be used during pregnancy. However, there are other medications, such as levothyroxine, that are used to treat hypothyroidism.
The FDA approves this medication since it doesn’t harm the fetus or increase malfunction frequency. Since there are different types of hair loss treatments, the best thing to do is approach a doctor who will get to the bottom of the hair loss problem and offer effective treatments.
How to Prevent Hair Loss when Pregnant
Although avoiding hair loss during pregnancy may be difficult, certain lifestyle changes may make a difference. One of these methods is maintaining a healthy diet. You can do this by including foods that are rich in all nutrients. While you do this, keep low proteins and increase vegetable intake. Make sure that you utilize foods that are rich in iron and other minerals. It is also good to go to your doctor to determine what is causing your hair loss before seeking treatment. Healthy foods are meant to keep you strong to counter any disease that may come your way, especially anemia.
Besides keeping a healthy diet, you should also exercise regularly to ensure that blood flows everywhere in the body, including the scalp. Have fun with friends and loved ones to relieve stress.
Conclusion
If you are suffering from a hair loss condition and pregnant, there is no need to worry. It is a common condition that will go away on its own. However, if you feel like the hair loss condition is not related to your pregnancy, you need to consult a Beverly Hills Hair Restoration doctor to find out what is causing your hair loss and suggest proper treatments.