What causes post pregnancy hair loss and what to do about it

It is not uncommon to suffer hair loss associated with pregnancy, in fact it affects 40 to 50 per cent of post-partum women.

Hair goes through a number of phases during its lifecycle; the growth phase, the resting phase and the shedding phase. During pregnancy the increase in estrogen levels keeps hair in the growth phase for longer and most women love the new thicker hair they experience while they are pregnant.

But like most things associated with pregnancy there is eventually a return to normal. Approximately three months following the birth, when hormone levels have dropped, the hair that had been prolonged in the growth phase begins to fall out. For some women this is a sudden occurrence and it may all fall out at once, for others it can be more gradual.

This can be very distressing for an already stressed out mum to see great clumps of hair falling out and in some cases, leaving a visible thinning patch.

• Check your diet and make sure you are getting a balance of nutrients. It’s very easy with a new baby to forget to feed yourself properly.
• Some hair loss is associated with low iron, vitamin D and vitamin B levels, another important reason to keep your diet on track
• Don’t stress about it, in most cases it comes back
• Use a quick and easy cosmetic cover up like BOOSTnBLEND

For many women, post pregnancy hair loss triggers a genetic predisposition to hair loss which can then continue on for the rest of a woman’s life. Once the tendency for hair loss has been triggered a woman may find that other factors cause it to shed again.

These other factors include:

• Illness; sometimes just a bad bout of gastro can result in enough trauma to the body that hair loss is once again triggered
• Medication; there are some medications that can have a negative effect on hair and the contraceptive pill can be one such medication to be wary of
• Trauma or shock; Many women find that three months after a sudden shock or traumatic experience their hair loss is triggered once again

 If you are one of the millions of women suffering from hair loss, then the first thing to do is not to stress about it. You are not alone and now for the first time, there is an instant cover up so you don't have to live with the embarrassment any longer. Try BOOSTnBLEND if you want to hide your thinning while you wait for it to come back.