Mar 08 2010
Hair Loss in Pregnancy - What Causes Hair Loss Within 9 Months
Hair loss in pregnancy is also called postpartum thinning of hair. This is a common and natural occurrence that is temporary. You should not be very worried of a condition in which the hair thins during pregnancy. It is a temporary condition that no sooner does the women recover from the pregnancy induced conditions, does the hair growth recur.
Telogen Effluvium is a common terminology in hair loss in pregnancy, it refers to sudden loss of hair. One would wake up and notice some strands of hair on the bed or have some hair strands left on the hair comb. It is nothing alarming especially if you are pregnant. It occurs to many women and can self rectify after delivery. If the condition persists however, you need to seek advice from the hair experts.
Telogen Effulvium is best explained by the cycle of hair growth. Hair grows in a three phase cycle. This include anagen (growth stage), catagen (transition stage) and telogen (resting phase). Most of the hair (80-85%) are on anagen phase, 5% on catagen phase and 10% in telogen phase. The entire hair growth cycle can last between 2 to 8 years depending on the individual genetic and environmental factors. During pregnancy, most of the hair moves from the anagen to telogen phase. This results in death of most hair strands which are disconnected from the blood supply.
Hair loss in pregnancy may also be associated with the fall and rise in hormone estrogen. The condition is triggered by the conversion of the hair growth cycles from anagen to telogen as the hormone increases and decreases respectively.
Stress is the major stimulant in the hair thinning process. This is due to the decrease in the hormone estrogen levels. You therefore need to limit stress in pregnancy. It is encouraged that a pregnant woman takes lots of rest and eats well.
Other causes of the hormonal influx include short illness. When these occur during pregnancy, the effects are great and can lead to complete baldness.
If the stressful or medical conditions are not corrected, then the telogen phase may be prolonged leading to chronic telogen effluvium. This is condition that may require medical attention because it can lead t complete baldness.
A good and balanced diet during pregnancy is a good prevention mechanism. The pregnant woman needs to be provided with high protein diet that will contribute to replenishment of the necessary hormones. Other causes of hair thinning such as hyperthyroidism may also need to be controlled during pregnancy.
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