Why do I lose a lot of hair after giving birth?

A lot of hair loss occurs after giving birth, usually within 1 to 6 months after giving birth. In fact, postpartum hair loss is a normal physiological phenomenon, which is mainly related to the physiological changes and mental factors of women after giving birth. In addition, studies have found that it is also closely related to lifestyle and diet. Generally, this condition lasts for about half a year at most and then it can be relieved, so mothers should not be overly nervous. Let us take a detailed look at the relationship between childbirth and hair loss.

● Changes in hormone levels

Medical research has confirmed that when estrogen levels are high, hair renewal slows down, and conversely, hair renewal speeds up. The amount of estrogen in a pregnant mother's body increases during pregnancy, which prolongs the "lifespan" of the hair that would normally fall out during pregnancy. When the baby is born, the estrogen content in the mother's body begins to decrease, and the hormone ratio gradually returns to the normal balance before pregnancy. Due to the "lower" estrogen level in the body, the "overdue" hair retires and falls out, and new hair cannot grow for a while, causing the hair to show a "gap" condition, resulting in thinning of hair and accompanied by itchy scalp and increased dandruff.

● Mental stimulation

Pregnant mothers are in a state of tension from the time of delivery to the time after delivery, and are easily fatigued. In addition, breastfeeding and taking care of the baby personally affect their sleep. These factors are all causes of hair loss. When hair falls out, the mother will feel anxious and uneasy, which creates new mental stimulation, and the cycle continues, causing more and more hair loss.

● Imbalanced nutrition supply

Since pregnancy and childbirth are extremely exhausting processes for women, postpartum body recovery and baby feeding require a lot of nutritional supplements. If the mother has poor digestion and absorption function after childbirth, or the diet is too monotonous, or she is picky about food, or even some mothers go on a diet to maintain a slim figure after childbirth, it is easy to suffer from nutritional deficiencies or unbalanced nutrition, resulting in insufficient supply of protein, vitamins or minerals in the body, thus affecting hair growth and metabolism.

According to traditional Chinese customs, women are not allowed to take a bath or wash their hair during the confinement period. In some places, they are not even allowed to comb their hair. This leads to the accumulation of scalp secretions and dust in daily life, causing the chance of scalp infection, thereby increasing the amount of hair loss. In fact, if conditions permit, mothers can still clean their scalp regularly as long as they do not catch a cold.