My Hair Loss Stops and Regrows Whenever I’m Pregnant

I am a 48 year-old mother of four who has all-over gradual hair thinning that began when I began menstruating at 12. I recently went through menopause, and although I have not experienced any chance in thinning since then, I do remember that when I was pregnant, I did not have hair loss, and my hair grew in again to a normal thickness. Each time, over the course of the pregnancy, the hair would grow thicker, until about three months after the baby was born, at which time it would fall out rapidly (over a few weeks). Is it possible that that regrowth during pregnancy indicates that I have some underlying hormonal issue?

I do not have hursitism, and twice in my life I have been checked for low iron and for thyroid problems, neither of which showed any problem. My periods were severe early in life but became easier over time and were roughly regular. The hairs that do grow are very soft and somewhat easily damaged but not severely.

I would be interested to know if you think some underlying hormonal problem could be the cause, given the regrowth during pregnancy.

Thank you.

Many women lose hair with child birth/pregnancy, menopause, etc. It is well described and known and you are not alone! But the hair growth during pregnancy, isn’t something I’m familiar with. I can only assume along with you that it is hormonally related, as there are a number of hormone increases during pregnancy.

Here are a couple of links I found via Google that might explain more — Pregnancy-Info.net and PregnancyEtc.com.