What happened to my hair?

by Katie
(Pennsylvania)

I am a healthy 30 year old female. At the start of June, 2007 I decided to go off of the BCP (Birth Control Pill) in order to start a family. By October of that year I began to be irritated by long hairs that had fallen out, tickling my arms, covering my clothes, and clogging my bath. At first I did not think there was a problem, having a pretty thick head of hair.

By the end of November my concern began to grow. In that time I found out that I was pregnant, YAY!!! My hormone pendulum swung back. Unfortunately, my hair health continued to decline. The diffuse shedding was at its worst end of December into January of 2008. It slowed throughout February, but by the end of March it was again severe.

Once I entered into the third trimester, summer of 2008, the problem seemed to slow. However, I did not feel that my hair had truly recovered. It was dry and my scalp was not in the best condition. Plagued with dandruff throughout the shedding experience and chronic itch/burn exacerbated the situation.

My beautiful baby arrived in August and the honeymoon phase of my hair loss story began. From Aug. until Dec. of 2008 I felt my hair was beginning to recover. The drop in hormone levels coupled with the trauma of birth did not have a positive impact on my recovery. By January of 2009 my hair began shedding once again. January into February were really terrible! My hair was falling out in large amounts, worse it had been! Thankfully, the rapid hair loss has stopped. I have gone two weeks without any abnormal hair loss. Best yet, new hairs are growing, rapidly and scalp health is back to pre-hair loss condition.

WOW! Overall, I lost 50% of my hair density. My hair is thin but not terribly thin. I don't feel that anyone takes a second glance at me wondering why I am going bald. I had been seeing Dr. throughout this experience, all of which assured me that TE was only temporary and that my hair would return. The assurance from the Dr. did not help and my self esteem suffered. There were dark days. The most dramatic hair loss period was post partum. Having the little one softened the blow and I was less stressed. I am not sure if that contributed at all to the shortened hair loss period or that my body was finally recovering hormonally.

Whatever the case may be, I am on the mend. I believe talking about the problem with my Dermatologist, OBGYN, and PCP helped. They felt the initial trigger was coming off of the BCP. The second trigger was getting pregnant. The third trigger was having the baby. I had extensive blood work done and am going to have my levels rechecked in March. I continue to take my prenatal vitamins (breastfeeding) and a variety of other vitamins for hair health. I eat healthy and exercise. Looking forward to a full recovery within the year. Good luck to all!


Editor’s Comments

Dear Katie,

Really glad to know you have recovered from your short ordeal with hair loss! Actually Postpartum/Post pregnancy hair loss is very common indeed and there is nothing to worry about! It’s just a temporary period for most cases and hair will grow back almost immediately.

I am also pretty certain that your initial hair loss was related to you stopping your BCP intakes. I honestly would recommend to everyone to avoid regular usage of BCP instead of using other non oral contraceptive measures like condoms because these medications can cause notable side effects to its users. Anyway, all the best to your new joy in life and stay healthy!