Is breastfeeding causing my hair loss?

Throughout pregnancy and post pregnancy you will notice a lot of changes in your body due to a change in hormones. One thing that changes a lot both pre and post baby is your hair, and today we’re looking into breastfeeding and if it can cause hair loss.

As mentioned above, throughout your pregnancy and post pregnancy you can expect to see a lot of changes to your hair. When you are pregnant your body will produce more oestrogen, this helps to suppress the body’s immune system to help the growth and development of the baby. Oestrogen can also affect blood circulation, which is why you will notices changes to the skin and hair, hair can become thicker and overall look and feel healthier.

Post pregnancy is a different story, at around three to six months after giving bother mums can experience a sudden shedding of hair. Although normal to shed hair on a daily basis, after childbirth you might notice the hair coming out in clumps which can be quite a shock compared to the full, thick and healthy hair you had during pregnancy.

This hair loss happens as your hormones start to normalize and your oestrogen levels fall. Overtime, your hormones will return to normal and your growth cycle will return to as it was pre-pregnancy.

No, as mentioned above, it is completely normal to experience hair loss post pregnancy and many new mums worry that this could be due to breastfeeding but there is no link between breastfeeding and hair loss.

If you would like more information on hair loss you can find some informative articles on our news section here.

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