Pregnancy and Your Hair

Pregnancy is a life-changing event. It turns a couple into a family and brings people together. Along with this, during pregnancy a woman’s body changes as well. These changes are not in just the obvious ways such as the growing stomach and bulges in other areas. A pregnant woman will find her skin, joints and yes, even her hair will change as well.

Pregnancy hormones can cause many strange things to occur in a woman’s body. Before you even see that plus sign on the pregnancy test, your body has started to change. From the moment of conception, a large number of hormones are needed to help the fertilized egg implant itself and begin to grow. If these hormones are not there, the lining of the uterus along with the fertilized egg will leave the body.

Any woman who has experienced pregnancy and had morning sickness can tell you that there is an unmistakable feeling during those early weeks of being pregnant. Nausea, vomiting, and fatigue are all common. You may be sensitive to temperature and certain smells and pimples may appear. These are all effects of the increase in specific hormones of the body. If you are familiar with pregnancy, you are also familiar with prenatal vitamins. Before these vitamins became common, there were a large number of birth defects because of the lack certain vitamins in our diets. These vitamins not only increased the number of healthy babies, but the health of the woman’s hair and nails as well.

Some women will experience more rapid nail and hair growth; hair can be thicker and shinier. Unfortunately, some women have the reverse happen. Breakage, dryness, and losing hair are all common complaints of pregnant women. There is good news; you do not have to wait until your baby is born to get your normal, healthy hair back. Using a good conditioner can help combat dryness. There is not a lot to be done to prevent your hair from breaking, but there are products available that will hide these defects. Typically, hair will break about an inch or so from the root and it can be noticeable where you part your hair.

Hair loss is the last big complaint. This normally happens after you are pregnant. During my first pregnancy, my thick hair got thicker and grew at a faster rate. When my baby was about three months old, I noticed my hair was falling out at a very alarming rate. It seemed that my hair was even thinner than before, only because I was remembering the fuller, thicker hair I had during pregnancy. After awhile, my hair began behaving once again. So, if you have this experience, do not worry, it usually straightens itself out after a month or two. Remember, every pregnancy is different so this may or may not happen to you.

There are many differing opinions on whether or not you should color or perm your hair when you are pregnant. There is no evidence stating this can cause harm to your growing fetus, but most doctors recommend avoiding these treatments during your first trimester. After the first trimester, consult your doctor. If he says no, follow his orders; remember this is just vanity for you, but life for your fetus.

While there is not much you can do to control the effect these hormones are having on your life, such as crying during commercials or when listening to sad music, you can combat their effect on your hair. If your hair changes, do not worry about it. Remember, these changes are only temporary and your hair will be back to normal after a short time.

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