does anyone know if breastfeeding is linked to hair loss?

Heather - posted on 04/18/2010

Nope, but it's definitely normal. When your pregnant your hair stops shedding as much, a few months after birth your hair starts shedding in excess. It's just a normal part of giving birth. Here's an article explaining it.
http://www.pregnancy.org/article/pregnan...

Tori - posted on 04/18/2010

When you're pregnant your gets thicker and after the baby is born it takes a few months before you start to shed it off and it falls out. The same thing happened to me but my OB said it was normal.

Angela - posted on 04/18/2010

According to my midwife and doula, it's completely normal and nothing to worry about. It's not breastfeeding that does it, it's just a normal part of your hormones readjusting after giving birth. You may not have realized it, but you actually stopped losing hair while you were pregnant, which is why people often talk about how full and beautiful pregnant women's hair looks. Once you have the baby, your hormones begin readjusting and all of that "extra" hair that you didn't lose during pregnancy starts coming out. We all lose some hair every day -- it just seems like you're losing a lot now because you didn't lose any for awhile. Unless you're seeing bald spots or having some other issues that would indicate thyroid or other health problems, it's probably just the normal readjustment. No worries!

Laurie - posted on 04/18/2010

Absolutely not! You can do some research online after hair loss after birth and it's actually fairly common. It's all related to hormones. My sister, who did not breastfeed, experienced some hair loss after childbirth. It stopped when her son was 6 months or so. Her hair actually came back thicker.

Patty - posted on 04/18/2010

I have had 4 kids. It happens with each of them. It is from your hormones changing from having a baby, not from breastfeeding.

Tonia - posted on 04/18/2010

NO breast feeding does not lead to that. You need to have them run a test on your thyroid. After having children your thyroid starts to ware out. It happens to every mom. You need to go to a chiropractor that is a DABCI certified and have them run the tests. They will get you the things and piece of mind that you need. I have two kids and the same thing happend to me and now I am fine. My husband is a Chiropracitc Physician.

Tracey - posted on 04/18/2010

I've never heard of this but I am 26 and breastfeeding also. My son is 6 months old and I noticed my hair falling out around 2 months ago in huge clumps. My younger sister however stopped breastfeeding at 2 months but her hair was falling out in huge clumps after she stopped feeding so it could just be the hormones as it takes a couple of years for them to get back to normal.

Liza - posted on 04/18/2010

I have never heard of breastfeeding causing this. But - it has happened to me twice. Two things - you body during pregnancy holds on to all of the hairs you would normally shed, then after you are done being pregnant they all come out at once, making it seem like you are going bald. Stress can cause the same thing to happen. Unless the dr. has found some other serious condition, I really wouldn't worry, and keep breastfeeding as long as it works for you and your baby! It is so good for you and for baby. Good luck!

Emma - posted on 04/18/2010

and breastfeeding wont MAKE your hair fall out either.

Emma - posted on 04/18/2010

Its from the hormone change that your body is going though, your doctor should have explained that. It is scary but you wont go bald. I am still loosing heaps of hair and my youngest is 19 months and hasn't breastfed for over 2 months now.
Dont stress.

Melanie - posted on 04/18/2010

i am 33 and my baby is 6 1/2 months old and i lost my hair around the temples at around 3 months. initially i was shocked and embarrassed but after a visit to the hairdresser, she told me this was very common and is usually caused by a decrease in our hormones. She also said if you can see the hair growing back, it is a good sign. I am also still breastfeeding, (just at night).

Jodie - posted on 04/18/2010

Not sure if it is linked but I too had the same hair loss problem after all my pregnancies. I did not BF my first for very long so I think it is more related to the hormone changes that happen after a pregnancy has ended. I am pretty sure we get hairier during pregnancy due to hormone changes and as these hormones ease of after giving birth, the extra hair also starts to disappear.

I was really worried to start of with as well when I started seeing so much hair in the shower and one my hand after shampooing but it does/did settle down and I am now back to normal after having my last baby 20 months ago. So unless it starts to become visable to other people that your hair is getting thinner I would not worry at this stage and just give it time. But rest assured that is not the breastfeeding doing it.

Colleen - posted on 04/18/2010

Losing lots of hair after having a baby is VERY common !! After my 1st, I lost TONS of hair ~ it's because you don't shed as much (if any) during pregnancy, just like the other moms have said. Of course, I saw both my OB/GYN and a dermatologist about this ~ and they both said the same thing. The dermo. still ran tests, just to be sure it was not anything else & everything came back "normal". Breastfeeding should not have any link to it directly since this occurs in those who do not BF. It's more the change in hormones from being pregnant to not being pregnant. And yes, mine became noticeable ~ at first just to me, but then to my husband, mom, etc (could also have been to the fact that I was pointing it out to them.) GOOD NEWS ~ it doesn't last forever and you will see it growing back after a few months ~ I'd say 4-6 months after giving birth. My suggestion is to not take anything for it or put anything "chemical" on your hair ~ besides taking vitamins ~ especially if you are breastfeeding. One because it's not good for the baby ~ but 2, if it's hormonal related, it won't make ANY difference ! Hang in there !!!

Fern - posted on 04/18/2010

it is not connected, the hair would be falling out anyways. when you are pregnant you grow more hair, and a few months after you have baby it falls out. go to a salon, the hair dressers can tell you the exact term for it. its totally normal there is nothing wrong with you and is not linked to the breastfeeding!!! keep up the good work on breastfeeding , it is the most wonderful gift you can give yourself and your child

Naomi - posted on 04/18/2010

Your doctor is shockingly ill informed!

Hair loss is totally normal postpartum whether you breastfeed or not.. in fact breastfeeding will probably speed up new growth. Your hair as along with many other things are retained during pregnancy, and your current hair loss is due to the hair you WOULD have lost during pregnancy, finally coming out. I breastfed til my DD was two and a half, but the hair loss only happened between about 3 and six or seven months postpartum. It often seems more alarming than it is, just because you've lost next to no hair during pregnancy and are no longer used to seeing a full plughole or hairbrush!

No blood tests required, unless you are actually getting noticeable bald spots; I suspect you're not.. if it were me, I'd print out the links from kellymom and babycenter posted above by Ink Ette and show them to my doc..

Nyree - posted on 04/18/2010

Yes, it is linked. You may have noticed that during pregnancy you lost less hair than usual and you have noticed that you are now losing more hair than usual while breastfeeding. These are both well known and well documented and it's nothing to be concerned about. I am an accredited practising dietitian and I can tell you that it is highly unlikely to be linked to any nutritional deficiencies. If you would like seome more reassurance sought out advice from a qualified lactation consultant. :-)

Stephanie - posted on 04/17/2010

I don't know if it's necessarily because of breastfeeding- I breastfed both of my kids and lost some hair, but I think it may be due to the pregnancy and all the hormones. My hair loss was very noticeable. It's totally normal to lose your hair- I talked to many doctors about it and it shouldn't take too long to grow back.

Jessica - posted on 04/17/2010

while we are pregnant due to hormones we don't lose our hair. When our hormones start going back to normal we lose all that hair that we had been keeping. It's very normal to lose all that hair, even though it's scary. It's not fun to watch all that hair in the shower, but very normal.

Geralyn - posted on 04/17/2010

I totally agree with the other moms. Its post partum change of hormones... not breastfeeding. It'll stop once the hormones go back to normal. It was alarming how much hair I was losing...

Jennifer - posted on 04/17/2010

it's not the beastfeeding. This is normal postpartum. During pregnancy, normal hair loss stops (normally, you loose a certain amount of hair each day, too little to really notice.). A few months after baby is born your hair catches up and you will notice a significant amount of hair loss for a little while (a few weeks to a few months), then it will return to the normal rate of loss, that you don't notice.

Guinevere - posted on 04/17/2010

Your hair starts to thin after your baby is born because your hair grew extra thick due to hormones while you were pregnant. A certain amount of shedding is considered normal.

Megan - posted on 04/17/2010

I had the same problem - when my son was about 3 months old CHUNKS of hair fell out (and it was mostly from the front!!!) Basically you start to lose a lot of the extra hair you grew during pregnancy, but in some cases it's more than that. My boy is 6 months now and I've already noticed the bare spots filling back in. Of course, i now look like I have a really horrible bang job on one side of my head, but oh well!

Boo - posted on 04/17/2010

HWew-I am glad to hear these replys-I thought I was going to be bald from stress. I had really thick hair-no thicker during pregnancy-but now I hardly have any. It is everywhere. I am hating this but glad to know it will stop-my little one is 4 months-

Kristin - posted on 04/17/2010

It's not the breastfeeding. While you are pregnant you don't lose a lot of the hair you normally would. After you give birth, you start to lose what you didn't and then lose what you normally would. It seems like you are losing a lot more hair. Sometimes major physical stress (child birth) can cause you to lose hair at a faster rate. All you can really do is get a great hair cut and take the best possible care of yourself (healthy food and exercise) and it will come back.

Allison - posted on 04/17/2010

I have also heard that after pregnancy, many women lose hair due to hormone changes, whether breastfeeding or not.



My hair didn't fall out, but turned CURLY after pregnancy (before it was 100% sleek and straight) Weird...

Wendy - posted on 04/17/2010

I think it has has to do with changing hormone levels. Everyone's body will react differently with breastfeeding since your hormones are still adjusted to making sure your body is nourishing the baby. I noticed my hair came out more while I was breastfeeding too. Are you making sure to take your prenatal pills still?

Nyssa - posted on 04/17/2010

I think it totally has nothing to do with breastfeeding. I actually think it is dumb that your doc. even said that. It is very common for women to loose hair after a pregnancy. Some just loose a lot more than others. I have nursed 5 babies, and never had that kind of problem.

Carmela - posted on 04/17/2010

I know that my hair fell out during and after breastfeeding. I breast feed for over a year and my hair shed like crazy. I know that a lot of my girlfriends and family also had the same issue. The ones that breast fed and the ones that did not. It all has to do with your hormones breastfeeding should not have anything to do with it.

Jessie - posted on 04/17/2010

my hair stopped falling out around the time my baby was 6 months old

Meri - posted on 04/17/2010

Have you had your thyroid checked? They don't run that on a normal blood test. Thyroid problems are linked to pregnancy and when my son was 5 months old they finally found that my Thyroid had completely died because of my pregnancy. It was called Hashimoto's Disease. It's not too uncommon either. But it makes your hair fall out and can make you tired and have skin problems. I experimented some pigment loss from a small part on my arm before the doctors figured out what was wrong. They ran blood tests 3 or 4 times before someone thought to run a thyroid panel. Try it and good luck.

Ink - posted on 04/17/2010

It's totally normal.......
http://www.babycenter.com/0_postpartum-h...
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/...

Jennifer - posted on 04/16/2010

Never heard of that but I lost a ton of hair about that age. Also, I started to loose hair after birth. Could be age, could be hormonal. I haven't heard about it being related to bf'ing

Jennifer - posted on 04/16/2010

I never noticed hair loss, but I found that breastfeeding made my hair thicker and faster growing. I didn't wean my daughter till she was nearly 3. Normally, my hair is pretty average, but when she was 3, my hair was so long and thick that I couldn't put a ponytail up on the back of my head because the weight pulled enough to be really uncomfortable on my skin. I had to put the elastic at the nape of my neck.

Hannah - posted on 04/16/2010

I also have the same issue. I have to clean out my shower drain and comb every day because it gets so packed with hair. I heard it's typical after pregnancy but mine is still bad after 6 months.

Tameka - posted on 04/16/2010

No I haven't heard of this. But it can be that you might have low Iron levels and if your brestfeeding you might be low on this, so get it checked and ask your doc about taking a brestfeeding multi vitamin.

Jessica - posted on 04/16/2010

I breastfed my son and lost alot of hair, but my hairdresser told me before I him that I would. It's just the hormone changes in your body from having a child, mine only lasted tuntil my son was about 7 months and then started growing back.

Amanda - posted on 04/16/2010

I've never heard of losing hair having anything to do with BFing. Many women lose quite a lot of hair after their baby is born however. This is because many women's hair follicals skip their rest period durring pregnancy. people lose 100 hairs off their head per day on average but durring pregnancy some women hardly shed any hair at all so once the baby is born a whole bunch of the follicles have a rest period all at once so a lot of hair falls out then. HTH

Jeramie - posted on 04/16/2010

I don't know if it has anything to do with breastfeeding, or just having a baby in general. I had the same problem after I had a baby. For about six months I was losing a lot of hair. Not enough to be noticable to anyone else, but I definitely noticed lots of hair in the shower drain and in my brush. It got better on its own after about six months. This was also when I started to introduce solids to my daughter, so maybe there is a correlation.

Melissa - posted on 04/16/2010

This happened to me as well, if you are not taking your vitamins then maybe you should try that it helped me! It did stop after a few months but I felt like I would be bald by the end of it. LOL I have stopped taking the vitamins and my hair falls out at a normal rate. Good Luck and glad you are able to breastfeed!!

Vanessa - posted on 04/16/2010

It's just your hormonal changes post birth. No worries. I lost crazy amounts of hair. Clogged the drains, and my hair felt thin, but good news, it grows back! I think it began about 3 months after birth, lasted several months then grew back. It's very normal.

Marie - posted on 04/16/2010

no its not breast feeding its just what happens sometimes not even sure it happens to every one... but it happened to me and my sis. i used to lose lots of hair in the shower before i was preg then it stopped when i was about 4 months preg and my hair got really thick, then started falling out again with a vengence when little one was about 4 months old! its calmed down now, and i can see where the new hair is growing back. so don't worry x

April - posted on 04/15/2010

When you are pregnant, your hormones work to slow down the 'refresh rate' of your body, meaning you hold onto your hair longer (which is why so many pregnant ladies look the picture of health-- full lovely hair, rosy complexion, long fingernails etc...) and then after the baby has departed the womb, there begins the hormone drop off. The first 'crash' is immediate, and often associated with post-natal depression. But then there is the second wave, where your body is attempting to reset to a non-pregnant you-- hormones rage and leave you sometimes spotty with acne (such as I was) and copious loss of hair! I did not have bald spots as such, but you would not believe the volume of hair I lost-- my hair felt thin and brittle. This was at its peek around 3-4 months, right about where you are now. By about 6 months, it seemed to me my hair was filling out again, but to date it has never been as thick as before pregnancy and it is now baby fine to boot. Oh and I did breastfeed on demand for the first year and as part of a mixed diet until 18 months. I saw no difference from the bf before or after so I ma inclined to say it is nothing to do with it. Best of luck to you and hang in there! ~April

Katie - posted on 04/15/2010

pregnancy hormones make your hair stay in your head.

so after we have the baby, and those hormones have decreased, we can experience more hair loss than normal.

it is normal. I am not sure if a doctor can prescribe anything for it.

I try not to worry, but I get a decent clump of hair fall out when I wash my hair.

Maybe see a nutritionist if you are worried.

Jennifer - posted on 04/15/2010

That's normal post-pregnancy hair loss probably if your thyroid and other hormones are fine. Your doctor has no clue. I think also a deficiency of iodine can cause hair loss. Do you eat plenty of seafood?

Hillary - posted on 04/15/2010

yep my hair lady and midwife both told me it's connected due to hormones. Once I slowed down on nursing (less feedings) I was loosing it slower. Now that I am done (not happy about that) my hair loss is WAY better... not loosing any more then I did before birth :)

Jo-Ellen - posted on 04/15/2010

This happened to me. Not with my first two, but with my other three. The first time I thought I was very sick, but learned that it was totally normal when baby hits about 4 months for all the hair you didn't lose to start to fall out. It will start to slow down. Be prepared for years of bad hair day though as that hair slowly grows back and gives you little tufts.

Tara - posted on 04/15/2010

wow thats so weird i cant remember this happening with my first but that was almost 8 years ago lol my memory sucks

Ingrid - posted on 04/15/2010

What most of them said! It's totally normal - I can't believe that your doctor wouldn't just tell you that instead of ordering blood tests! During pregnancy your hair thickens, and I actually found that I shed less every day in the shower while pregnant (way less). So, hormones shift after birth and the hair comes out. No big deal - just extra time in the shower for a while until your hair goes back to normal. I'd look into a new doctor:)

Jamie - posted on 04/15/2010

When you give birth your estrogen drops pretty dramatically and all the hair that hasn't fallen out when you were pregnant (because of the hormones) is now falling out... Many women also have skin break outs. This typically happens three or four months after you have your baby. It has nothing to do with breastfeeding unless you're not getting enough vitamins in your daily diet. You should continue your prenatals after you give birth to ensure you're getting the right vitamins.

Dana - posted on 04/15/2010

jessie, are u saying that it will stop after the sixth month after birth