While daily hair loss is a regular occurrence, losing hair rapidly during pregnancy could signal underlying problems. Understanding what can cause hair loss in pregnancy will give you clues as to what could be happening.
During pregnancy, the majority of women have lustrous hair. Any hair fall they experience occurs after delivery. However, in rare cases, women may find themselves losing hair while pregnant. Here, we review what causes hair loss with pregnancy and the remedies one can explore.
Hair Fall and Pregnancy
Before finding a hair loss in pregnancy treatment, understand it’s natural to worry if you experience hair fall. Don’t worry much because this is mostly a phase that will pass. During pregnancy, women get more hair with a prolonged stay within the retentive stage.
High levels of estrogen hormone trigger this effect. The hormone freezes the hair in the resting phase.
Therefore, any hair that would have fallen stays in position and looks thicker. However, pose-delivery, because estrogen levels return to normal, resting hair starts falling out, which results in hair loss.
Is Hair Loss During Pregnancy Abnormal?
If you’re experiencing hair loss during pregnancy first trimester, it’s not abnormal. But this is less common compared to hair loss after delivery. Normally, pregnant women have thicker hair. The hair stays in a restive state due to a hormonal pregnancy change.
Depending on one’s health, hair may fall during pregnancy. It often happens because of hormonal fluctuations, which trigger hair loss. The hair may fall off from any part. It could start falling in clumps when you brush it or shower. Always keep a check on your hair growth from 6 months after delivery. If the fall intensity persists, it could be a vitamin deficiency.
Causes of Hair Loss During Pregnancy
To know how to prevent hair loss during pregnancy, find what causes the problem. Hormonal instability and physical changes can trigger hair loss during pregnancy. Here are some possible causes of excessive shedding when pregnant.
- Hormonal Changes: Hormonal changes are one reason to consider hair loss shampoo for pregnancy. Hormones interfere with the natural growth cycle of hair, resulting in excessive shedding. But this is a temporary condition that reverses after a few months. If it persists past four months post-delivery, consult with a doctor to know if there are underlying issues.
- Genetics: Also, hair loss in pregnancy can happen because of genetics. You’re likely to achieve this problem if your mother went through something similar during her pregnancy.
- Poor Nutrition: When pregnant, the body requires more nutrition. In addition, if you have nausea within the first trimester, a lot of nutrients are lost. You should maintain intake of nutritious food; otherwise, you might experience hair loss.
- Lack of proteins, iron, minerals, and vitamins contributes to the condition. Remember that taking vitamins in excess can also trigger hair loss.
• Illness: In other cases, pregnant women get illnesses such as gestational diabetes, or in rare cases, ringworm (fungal infection). These can lead to hair loss. Also, medications used to treat depression or high blood pressure can raise the chances of losing hair.
Remedies for Hair Loss in Pregnancy
There are many treatments you can try out for hair loss, including hair loss after pregnancy vitamins. If you see hair loss during pregnancy, it could be because of an underlying problem. Here are recommended remedies.
- Maintain a Healthy Diet: An expecting mother must consume food rich in essential nutrients that support her wellbeing and her baby. Pick a diet high in fruits and vegetables. This encourages hair growth and protects the follicles. Also, supplement the diet with Vitamins C, E, and B.
- Meditation: Stress is a prime reason for hair fall during pregnancy, as Gym Expert says. It’s natural for pregnant women to feel tensed about delivery. If you have negative situations, deal with the stress by focusing on the good things. Relax and meditate to clear the worries and tensions.
- Avoid Chemical Products: There are hair care products that claim to address hair-related problems. However, you are better at avoiding them. Such cosmetics are not ideal for pregnant women. They contain harmful chemicals, so use shampoos with silica and biotin.
- Warm Oil Massage: This is a well-known natural therapy. Massage your scalp with lukewarm oil to help control hair loss. Olive, coconut, almond, and mustard oils are wonderful solutions for nourishing the scalp.
- Aloe Vera Gel: Aloe Vera extracts are effective for treating skin disorders. You can apply it on the scalp to cure an infection or dryness, thereby reducing hair fall.
- Antibacterial Neem: If you’re wondering, “is hair loss after pregnancy normal?”, indeed, it’s a normal thing. But if you have hair loss because of bacterial infection, consider antibacterial neem. Apply a paste of fresh leaves on the scalp.
Conclusion
If you observe hair loss during pregnancy, remember that is is typical to many women. It is a normal occurrence due to the reasons highlighted. You can try out different remedies depending on the cause. If the problem persists, consult with a doctor.
Have you ever experienced hair loss during pregnancy? Share your experience in the comments below.
