Pregnancy changes a woman’s life in every way, including a woman’s body. Hormones associated with pregnancy can play the main role in the strangest changes in the body. Before finding that you are pregnant, the body begins to change. Hormonal changes begin from the moment then the egg is fertilized. Woman’s skin, joints, and hair change during pregnancy.
Why does your hair change during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, the concentration of hormones changes, which leads to various changes in the body and well-being. Since hormones determine a large part of how we feel and look, their changes during pregnancy affect also the hair. The change in hairiness is associated with an increase in the concentration of androgens and estrogen.
Every woman has a low level of male hormones, in other words, androgens in their body. Due to the increase in the concentration of androgens, body hairs grow thicker, longer, and darker, they even start growing in strange places: on the cheeks, on the chest, on the stomach, etc.
Due to the increase in the concentration of the female hormone estrogen, the growth cycle of both body and head hair changes: hair grows and stays in the resting phase longer.
During pregnancy, many women notice that the condition of their hair improves, but body hair also increases. True, there is a negative side to this – women also notice how new hairs start to grow in unwanted places. All hair grows thicker and darker. In many cases, pregnant women feel that their hair gets stronger and stops falling during pregnancy.
Hair growth after childbirth
After childbirth, it is natural that hair that grew during pregnancy, especially in uncommon places, falls out. However, women can still have healthy and thick hair after childbirth.
But not all women experience the same thing. For some, on the contrary, reactive hair loss may begin, hair thinning may worsen, or even areas of baldness may appear. Changes in hair growth occur due to changing hormones. At that time, the amount of estrogen in the body decreases. It is important to remember that this is a natural process. However, after giving birth, after 3 months, severe loss of hair can be felt for some women.
Increased hairiness during pregnancy is completely normal, but you should be concerned if abundant hairiness and very dark hairs grown in unusual places on the body do not fall out a year after giving birth. Increased body hair in women without pregnancy is associated with Cushing’s syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and other diseases.
Tips and tricks
As mentioned above, hormonal changes begin from the first day of your pregnancy. When you take a pregnancy test and it shows a positive result, you can expect changes in your body right away.
If during pregnancy you notice very strong shedding or even areas of baldness, you feel itching, it is necessary to consult a doctor immediately.
The most important thing is not to experiment at home. In such a life-changing period, the right selection of tools and procedures is especially important. Do not torture your hair with hairstyles – braids, dreadlocks, buns, and tight ponytails.
It is better to rub the head with mild shampoos, use brushes with boar bristles and avoid heat treatments for the hair.
The bottom line
Most women’s hairs grow faster and are thicker and darker during pregnancy. Later after childbirth, due to the effects of lower hormone levels, the hair falls out. Increased hair growth is due to the increased levels of hormones, especially estrogen, in the body. Unfortunately, some women experience severe hair loss after pregnancy. Of course, excessive hairiness after pregnancy can also be a symptom of other diseases.