Hair Falling Out - Anchorage, AK

Hi A.,

Not to concern you, but I had some constant hair loss a few months after I had my baby (8mo now). Lucky I had a lot of hair! Anyhow, I just found out I had hyperthyroid. My symptoms were fatigue and fast heartrate, increased metabolism (above the normal lack of sleep fatigue).

I had low B12 levels after my 1st and my hair was falling out like crazy. I had to have b12 injections for a couple months then I was fine.

We typically shed between 20 & a 100 hairs a day before we get pregnant...but it drops down to 0 to nearly none at all for the 10 months that we ARE pregnant. That's the whole glossy gorgeous pregnant hair thing. The downside is that it starts coming out practically in clumps a couple of weeks to a couple of months after our babies are born.

People with straight hair who wear it down tend to notice it less, because it can shed throughout the day...but if you have curly hair or wear it up...watchout! I used to look at the handfulls of hair in the shower and imagine chemo. Yikes. Any chance you've changed the length/how you wear it from #1 to #2?

If your hair loss seems extreme to you though, it's an easy blood test to check iron/hormones/thyroid/etc.

I'm curious though...I was told to STOP taking my prenatals when I was nursing, and while I could switch to a high calcium multivitamin, my docs recommended I really try and get everything I could from food sources. I have no idea of the prevalence of that thinking though.

If your really concerned there might be something else happening, I'd go see Dr. Ilana Gurvich, she is amazing at women's health. ###-###-####. Good luck!

Mine seemed to fall out more with baby #2 too, but I'd have your thyroid checked ASAP, hair loss is a common side effect of low thyroid. Make sure they test all three levels, not just your TSH!! I actually had a whole bald spot in the back of my head shortly after my hypothyroid diagnosis. Take care of it now if that's the problem!

I have to agree with the Thyroid thing. I have 3 kids and after all of them lost a LOT of hair, not until kiddo 3 did I find out I have a thyroid problem. Make sure that your doctor checks for thyroid antibodies. This is very inportant. All of my thyroid levels were normal, but the antibodies showed that my thyroid was not as happy as it seemed. I started to take thyroid medication early in my hair loss with #3 and did not loose half as much as the others. Plus I was dog tired and now I feel great, and I have 3 kids under 5. Well that is my two cents, I hope it helps.

I know how you feel. I lost a ton of hair after each of my kids. I honestly thought I was going to be bald! I am lucky because I have quite a bit to spare. I was told that it was just the hormone changes that make your hair fall out. I am not sure if there is anything you can do at this point. It will taper off in the next few months is my guess.

Hang in there.

Hi A.. I'm W.. I would suggest you consider this due to horomones. If you are interested in learning what you can do to support your endrocrine system (and who doesn't) let me know and I will send you information. I know of two friends who noticed after they took what their bodies needed in this area they lost less hair!! So that's my suggestion...

My sister had a terrible bout with her hair falling out and the doctor finally believed her when she went in with a quarter sized bald spot. It's normal to loose alot of hair after child birth because you don't lose much during pregnancy. If it continues and you notice that it's thinner than pre pregnancy, get a professional consult. My sister finally got referred to a dermatologist who told her that her iron wats on the bottom of the normal scale. He prescribed a pill that contained iron and some B vitamins (her cromagen was low??) and since she's been taking this her color is better (not pale) and her hair is growing back. Let me know if you have any other questions:)

As others have said, it's normal. If you're feeling extraordinarily tired (yeah, right - you have a baby!), it might be worth a blood test to check your iron.

I whacked off my long hair about 3 months after each of my kids was born because the shedding bugged me so much. My youngest is now 19 months, and my hair's been "normal" for about 6 months now.

Oh, and about the prenatals? My MD told me to keep taking them as long as I was nursing.

There's nothing you can do because it's a normal response for your body after having gone through something traumatic a few months ago. My hair fell out in hand fulls and eventually I just decided to have what was left cut off and I donated it to pantene beautiful lengths. Now my hair is very thick again and it's growing like crazy. Don't worry, unfortunately there's nothing you can do. I've also heard that for some people, with each birth it gets worse. Good luck!

first of all, if you have serious concern, ask your doctor. next, it's completely normal to lose plenty of hair following pregnancy. the normal shedding that occurs while not pregnant comes to a halt during pregnancy, then jump starts again a few weeks to a few months following delivery. it seems like more than it should be because you haven't really seen any coming out for a while. it will soon slow back to normal. your body is still changing everyday, getting back to it's normal state. but it won't truly be back to "normal" for a few months and after you stop breast feeding. my opinion is to keep up with the prenatals. i've take them myself for about five years now and will probably not change until i have need for something. i like the extra nutrition they lend and, since we don't practice any form of birth control, i keep my body in check and prepared in the event that i become pregnant again. also, i only take New Chapter Perfect Prenatal. it is the only 100% organic and whole food prenatal on the market. this way i am not over doing it with the mega amounts that can sometimes appear in vitamins. good luck!

I agree. Thyroid is a big culprit. So is low iron. See if your physician will not only check you for anemia, but also your ferritin level. That is your iron store and it is what gets low before you become anemic. Good luck to you. Try not to worry too much; this is a very common problem. It has happened to me more times than I can count. Every single hormone change seems to trigger this problem for me. Usually it starts getting better within about 4 months or so. Hang in there!

My hair has fallen out excessively after each baby too - eventually it stops and starts to thicken up again. My hairdresser recommended Nioxin products, I have used them but can't say for sure if it helped or not, but I say it's worth trying. Your hub can use it too if his hair is thinning. Hang in there, and have fun cleaning up hairballs.

I started losing my hair when my son was 3 months old and didn't stop until he was about 7 months, when I stopped breastfeeding. I was losing so much in a day I kept finding it everywhere around the house, and would have to clean the drain after each shower. The real telling point what my ponytail. I used to barely get the rubber band around 3 times, now it is 4+. I finaly cut my hair and got bangs to cover the short hair growing back around my hairline. I've been taking my pre-natals the whole time (was told to do so while breastfeeding). My doctor never suggested a blood test, always saying it was normal, but still sounds like a good idea. Best of luck!

Hi A. - I have a four month old - he's my fourth baby - and I agree with some of the other posts - it's normal and is your body's way of making up for lost time when you were pregnant and not losing any hair. It definately gets worse with each child, but with my older three it eventually stopped when they were about 7-8 months old. Good luck! K.

Ask your doctor if you can take a vitamin called Biotin while nursing. You can get it over the counter at any pharmacy. I am a hair dresser and I have seen this work wonders for people!