Postpartum Hair Loss: What It Is And How To Fix It

Childbirth can be an extremely stressful and overwhelming process for a lot of women. 

But what happens after child birth can be just as challenging.

For many women, postpartum, especially in the first few months after giving birth to a beautiful baby, can be an emotional roller coaster. 

There’s depression, stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, higher risk of infections, and… hair loss.

How could something like this possibly happen in otherwise healthy women? 

We’ll go over why some women experience the loss of hair postpartum and what they can do today to fix this confusing phenomenon. 

What Does It Mean To Be “Postpartum”?

Postpartum can be defined as a particular time period following childbirth:

“During the first weeks after giving birth, your body begins to heal and adjust to not being pregnant. This is called postpartum (or the postpartum period). Your body goes through many changes as you recover. These changes are different for every woman.”

Some of the more threatening conditions women face include (Source):

• Higher chance of various cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and artery blockage

• Increased susceptibility to infections

• Breast pain

• Constipation

• Chest pain

The postpartum period can be especially distressing for a woman’s mental state:

“...some women may struggle with their mental health as they transition to motherhood. Mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder may surface during or after pregnancy. Additionally, birth-related post-traumatic stress disorder or a severe but rare condition called postpartum psychosis can happen following childbirth.”

So where does hair loss fit into the picture for postpartum women? 

What’s The Connection Between Hair Loss And Being Postpartum?

Postpartum hair loss can be described as the unusual thinning and shedding of hair shortly following childbirth. 

The earliest mention of postpartum hair loss appears to date all the way back to 1963, when a published medical study described the phenomenon in a study of 98 women:

“...Few gave a family history of hair loss, suggesting that heredity is not a factor. In 88.7% of the cases hair loss began between 8 and 16 weeks after delivery.

The anterior scalp was involved in 59.1%, in 20.4% it was diffused over the entire scalp, and in 11.2% the frontal regions alone were involved… Four to six months were required for return to normal in 66.6% of the cases. With only two exceptions there was complete regrowth; in those two another disorder appears responsible for the failure to reach normalcy.

Later postpartum alopecia is likely if it has once occurred unless the new pregnancy is established very early in the postpartum period. Therapy consists primarily of reassurance.”

While there can be multiple factors contributing to postpartum hair loss such as nutrition and stress levels, the main culprit appears to be a hormonal imbalance in the form of declining estrogen levels:

“During pregnancy, your body increases the amount of estrogen it produces which signals more follicles to enter the growing phase than the resting phase of the hair growth cycle. During this time, you may experience fuller, thicker hair. 

You may also notice that your hair grows significantly faster during pregnancy than it did before you were carrying your little one. Following childbirth, estrogen levels drop (returning to their pre-pregnancy levels), prompting the hair follicles to enter the resting phase and fewer hairs to grow. After about 100 days in the resting phase, the hair begins to shed.”

For this reason, postpartum hair loss is referred to as postpartum telogen effluvium. 

This type of hair loss appears to be common -- affecting as much as 50% of all new moms -- and has been amplified by female celebrities such as Lea Michele of “Glee” fame. 

And while it may not have the rigorous scientific backing expected to clinically validate it as a disease, postpartum hair loss is indeed a real thing experienced by millions of women. 

How Can New Moms Avoid Hair Loss After Pregnancy?

The first thing to remember about postpartum hair loss is that it’s temporary.

Around the time your child has their first birthday, most, if not all your hair, should be fully restored to normal. 

Second, there are steps you can take to prevent further hair loss and increase the speed at which your hair returns to its normal growth cycle:

• Eat a healthy diet: Lean proteins, vegetables, fruits to get in minerals such as zinc and iron, and vitamins D + B12 + C (and more) will take you a long way

• Take good care of your hair: This means using volumizing shampoo only when necessary and avoiding unnatural intensive treatments to your hair such as chemical dyes, flat irons, and blow drying.

• Minimize your stress levels: Given what we know about over-stressed women and their greater propensity to unexpected hair loss, the last thing you want to do is freak out about any lost hair. 

• Seek professional help: A trichologist or a dermatologist can identify if any underlying health problems are further contributing to hair loss longer after your child has passed their first birthday. 

But even though you know your hair loss will eventually stop, perhaps you’re looking for a special “something” to speed up the return of your naturally luscious locks.

That’s where Auxano Grow V2 can be of great help: Thanks to the lack of disruption to your hormonal system and its zero-side-effect profile, you’ll be tapping into the power of therapeutic peptides to stop hair loss dead in its tracks. 

All you have to do is use it twice a day and live your life as normal. Once your hair is back to normal, you can stop using it. Easy as pie!

No matter what you do, just remember that postpartum hair loss is not a forever thing. And most importantly, remember that it does not define who you are as a loving and caring mother.