Hair Loss After Pregnancy- An Explanation Of The Cause

Hair loss after pregnancy cannot be understood without learning hair's growth cycle. Every hair goes through a 3-stage growth process -- anagen, catagen and telogen. Anagen is the growth phase. When your scalp is "normal," large proportions of the hairs are in the anagen phase. Anagen determines the length of the hair and lasts from 2 to 8 years. Catagen is the involution phase. This is a short phase -- just a few weeks, during which the hair undergoes physical and structural changes. The telogen or dormant phase can last for up to 3 months. The hair stops growing and becomes inactive. The telogen phase ends when the hair falls out. The follicle, however, is already producing a replacement and the anagen phase takes over as a new hair pushes up through the follicle to the surface of the scalp. In normal situations, you would lose about 100 hairs per day as these hairs reach the end of the telogen phase.

During pregnancy, the level of the hormone estrogen increases. For reasons we don't completely understand, the action of estrogen effects the follicles, causing an abnormally-long anagen phase. Hairs that would normally fall out on a daily basis are maintained in a hormone-induced anagen phase during pregnancy. Many pregnant women report that their hair has never been more beautiful than during this time. After delivery, estrogen levels begin to return to normal. The excessively long anagen phase ends and hair begins to thin over the entire scalp, a condition known as telogen effluvium. Hairs that should have entered telogen phase but were induced to remain in anagen, now become dormant and eventually fall out. A large proportion of women report this type of hair loss after pregnancy.

Fortunately, the thinning and hair loss is temporary, because the follicles remain healthy. Eventually, strong healthy hairs will emerge and your hair will go back to normal. But what if it doesn't? Hair loss after pregnancy can have causes other than hormonal ones.

If your hair doesn't return to normal, be sure to see your doctor. You might be anemic, suffering from a vitamin deficiency, a thyroid imbalance, liver disease, kidney disease or sensitivity to the low levels of male hormone in your body. Be sure to see your doctor. Only an MD can order the tests necessary to properly diagnose your condition.

After the tests, the doctor might recommend some solutions. For example, you might be diagnosed with androgenic alopecia it means that your body is sensitive to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT attacks the hair follicles, causing them to miniaturize and produce finer and finer hair. Eventually these follicles will stop producing hair. What counters DHT is estrogen, so your doctor may prescribe an estrogen-dominant birth control pill to counter hair loss after pregnancy. Stress, depression and anxiety can also cause hair loss and the doctor might recommend antidepressants to counter your condition.

Hair loss after pregnancy can have a simple or complex cause. Fortunately, there are effective treatments available. But these treatments require a specific diagnosis. So consult a physician and get the necessary tests. Before you know it, your hair will be back, better than ever.