Does Hair Grow Faster During Pregnancy?

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shruti Chavan, MBBS Dermatologist
April 22, 2021 by Sucharita Mishra

Are you noticing your hair getting thicker as your pregnancy progresses? Pregnancy can influence several bodily factors, and your hair could be one of them. Does this mean your hair grows faster during this period? Why would that happen? Here, we discuss the various ways pregnancy can affect your growth. Keep reading.

Table Of Contents

How Does Hair Change During Pregnancy?

Your body experiences dramatic hormonal changes during pregnancy. The first hormone that increases in your body in this period is human chorionic gonadotropin (also known as hCG) (1). This is the hormone standard pregnancy test measures to determine pregnancy. Other hormones like estrogen, oxytocin, and prolactin also increase in this period (1). These hormonal imbalances could have an effect on your hair.

There also is an increase in blood circulation during pregnancy, and this may accelerate hair growth. We will further understand this phenomenon in the following section.

Hair Becoming Thicker During Pregnancy

Our hair has a natural growth cycle. Individual hairs grow on the scalp over 2 to 3 months and are pushed out by new hair strands afterward. However, this cycle changes during pregnancy (2).

You might experience your hair growing thicker around 15 weeks into pregnancy. However, in reality, individual hairs do not grow thicker. They instead stay longer in the growing phase of the hair cycle, leading to a thicker appearance. This change happens due to an increase in the estrogen hormone.

But it is important to note that not all women experience thicker hair during pregnancy.

Hair Becoming Thinner During Pregnancy

Some women may experience increased hair fall during pregnancy due to decreased estrogen hormone. It is believed that a decrease in estrogen could be caused by hormonal imbalances during pregnancy or the discontinuation of contraceptives. However, more research is warranted in this regard.

Why Does Your Hair Fall Out After Having A Baby?

Pregnant women will also experience an increased hair loss after delivery. This happens when their estrogen levels normalize, sending the additional hair from the growth phase to the resting phase. This is when more hair falls out than usual, until around 3 to 4 months after the child is born.

While you may observe your hair falling in clumps, you do not have to panic. This is just normal hair loss that happens all at a time. Post-childbirth hair loss can happen any time after delivery. It usually may last for a year before subsiding naturally. However, consult your doctor if you experience hair loss even after a year since childbirth.

Conclusion

A womanâs body goes through several changes during pregnancy, and any changes to her hair are normal during this period. Most of the hair will re-grow with time. We believe this article has helped you get a deeper understanding of the changes your hair may undergo during those beautiful days preceding childbirth. Should your hair fall persist beyond a year, visit your doctor and consider the treatments suggested.

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Sucharita Mishra

Sucharita Mishra has a Master’s degree in Biotechnology and specializes in writing on Health and Wellness. She has worked on determining various heavy metals present in green tea for her Master’s dissertation at CSIR- CFTRI, Mysuru. After completing her degree, Sucharita decided to pursue her passion for writing. She is addicted to all things black and aspires to become a bat one day.