Postpartum hair fall: what to expect

During pregnancy, raised oestrogen keeps a larger than usual proportion of follicles in the growing phase. Hair that would ordinarily have shed stays put, which is why many people find their hair unusually thick and full through pregnancy.

After delivery those hormone levels fall quickly. The follicles that were held in growth move into the resting phase more or less together, and about three months later they shed together. What you are seeing is not extra loss; it is deferred loss arriving at once.

• Months one to two: usually little change.
• Month three to four: shedding begins, often suddenly and noticeably.
• Months four to six: typically the heaviest period. Handfuls in the shower are common.
• Months six to nine: shedding slows.
• Months nine to twelve: regrowth becomes visible, often as short flyaway hairs around the hairline.
• Twelve to eighteen months: most people are close to their pre-pregnancy density.

Breastfeeding does not cause this and stopping does not prevent it. The timing is driven by the hormonal shift at delivery.

Nothing shortens the cycle meaningfully, which is worth knowing so you do not spend money looking for something that does. What you can do is avoid compounding it and keep the hair you still have.

• Handle hair gently. Wide-tooth comb, detangle from the ends, be careful when wet.
• Avoid tight ponytails and buns, which is hard advice when hair is constantly being grabbed, but traction on an already stressed hairline is worth avoiding.
• Keep washing normally. Not washing does not reduce shedding, it just accumulates it for the next wash and can leave the scalp uncomfortable.
• Consider a shorter cut. Less weight and less length means less to manage and less breakage, and it makes regrowth look fuller sooner.
• Eat and hydrate as well as circumstances allow. This period is rarely one of ideal nutrition.

Postpartum shedding is normal, but this is also a period when deficiencies and thyroid changes are common, and both affect hair. It is reasonable to ask your doctor about them rather than assuming everything is hormonal.

• Ferritin, since iron stores are frequently depleted by pregnancy and delivery.
• Thyroid function, as postpartum thyroiditis is not rare and is easily missed.
• Vitamin D, which is commonly low.

Also mention it if shedding is still heavy beyond a year, if you are seeing distinct bald patches rather than diffuse thinning, or if your scalp is sore or scaling. Those are different problems and worth looking at properly.

Around nine to twelve months, expect a halo of short new hairs around the hairline and parting, standing up at their own angle and refusing to cooperate. This is a good sign, however it looks in photographs.

It grows in over the following months. A little oil smoothed over the hairline helps them lie flatter in the meantime, which is a cosmetic fix and entirely legitimate.