Gynecology And Obstetrics-

Hair Loss During Pregnancy - What Can You Do?

definition

Increased hair loss is said in Latin Effluvium called. Well-groomed hair is nowadays a sign of youthfulness and health. Hair loss worries many people. Hair growth disorders can have various origins. Physiologically, 60-100 hairs fall out per day. As long as the same amount of hair grows back, this is not a problem. But if more remains on the hairbrush, in the shower or on the sleeping pillow, it is called hair loss.

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What helps against hair loss during pregnancy?

There is no curative therapy against hair loss caused by pregnancy in a broad sense. Patience is required here. Because the body needs time to normalize the hormonal balance again. As a result, the hair regenerates itself again. In this phase, it is more important to allow the body to rest, to eat rich in nutrients, to use gentle shampoos, to avoid mechanical damage to the hair and to carry out a massage that promotes blood circulation in the scalp. If you have iron deficiency anemia, you should take iron tablets.
Thyroid dysfunction should be evaluated by an endocrinologist and treated depending on the cause of the disorder. Medication that promotes hair loss as a side effect should be discontinued or switched to other medication if the condition allows this. During menopause, hair loss is known as androgenic alopecia. This leads to a relative increase in androgens such as testosterone due to the decrease in estrogens, to which the hair follicles react sensitively. Oral antiandrogens such as cyproterone acetate and local estrogens are advisable here.

Read more on this topic at: Hair loss therapy

Schüssler salts for hair loss

Schüssler salts were developed by Wilhelm Heinrich Schüssler in 1873. These are 12 mineral salts in a very low dosage (homeopathic dosage) in tablet form. Hair loss can result from a lack of minerals and nutrients. Malnutrition plays an important role here. Like the rest of the body's cells, hair follicles need to be supplied with nutrients, vitamins and trace elements. Therefore, before resorting to dietary supplements, you should first observe and improve your daily diet. A balanced diet is essential for skin, hair and nails.

Homeopathy for hair loss

Homeopathy is an alternative method in medicine. The healing process is recognized in Germany and is partially covered by statutory health insurance companies. This type of therapy has not yet been scientifically proven. In homeopathy, it is recommended to take globules, sugar globules impregnated with homeopathic solution, tablets or alcoholic solutions.

Taking a higher dose of zinc tablets can be supportive of the actual therapy. Physician and patient should consider a risk-benefit analysis of the therapy.

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Can hair loss be a sign of pregnancy?

Pregnancy begins when the egg is fertilized. This lasts 40 weeks after menstruation or 38 weeks after conception. When the body changes, the woman feels tired, there is no menstruation, nausea, vomiting, a feeling of tightness in the breasts, hyperpigmentation of the nipples, hair falling out, many women think about pregnancy. Of course, this suspicion should be investigated. However, these are among the uncertain signs of pregnancy. Safe signs are designed to provide objective evidence of a living child. This includes evidence of an embryo from the 5th to 6th week of pregnancy in vaginal ultrasound. The heart action of the fetus is considered to be the safest sign, which is possible from the 7th week of pregnancy. From the 18th to 20th week of pregnancy, the child's movements are noticeable. Another sign are the child's heart tones, which are recorded using a cardiotocogram.

Read more on this topic at: These are the signs of pregnancy

Does hair loss give any clues about the child's gender?

Nowadays, the sex of the child can be determined very early, using ultrasound very precisely from the 20th week of pregnancy. From the 11th week something protrudes in the fetus, but at this stage it is not easy to distinguish whether a boy or a girl is to be seen. Hair loss as such does not provide any indication of a specific gender. However, the immune system reacts differently depending on gender. A study by Ohio State University revealed a different degree of immune reaction in which blood tests were regularly carried out on 80 pregnant women. In an expected girl, cells produced more pro-inflammatory proteins (cytokines) as soon as they came into contact with germs. Overall, this leads to a stronger inflammatory response in the body. In the pregnant woman, this can be reflected in pain or exhaustion.

Duration of hair loss

In general, hair loss can persist for two to three months despite treatment of the causes, for example by taking iron tablets. The reason is that part of the hair has already entered the phase of loss (telogen phase) and will fall out after two to three months. Even during pregnancy, the hormonal balance needs months to reach the physiological state again. This can last up to a year. In the event of long-term hair loss, it is advisable to contact a doctor to clarify the cause.

Concomitant symptoms

The symptoms that accompany hair loss are related to the underlying condition. An iron deficiency due to low iron absorption or chronic blood loss shows up as tiredness, paleness of the skin and mucous membranes, stress-dependent breathing difficulties and a feeling of tightness in the chest. An overactive thyroid can be associated with its enlargement. Typical signs are palpitations, high blood pressure, hand tremors, restlessness, irritability, diarrhea, insomnia and weight loss. During the menopause, sweating, dizziness, headaches, depressive moods and disturbance of night sleep can also occur. These accompanying symptoms are indications of the underlying disease, which the attending physician should examine carefully.

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diagnosis

Consultation of a doctor is not necessary in the case of low and symptom-free hair loss. If severe hair loss occurs with additional weakness and chronic fatigue, the cause should be investigated. Hair loss can be determined by a dermatologist using a hair root analysis (trichogram). In addition, they should address the topic in gynecology. In the case of iron deficiency, this can be substituted or thyroid hormones in the case of hypothyroidism.

causes

In addition to many other causes such as thyroid dysfunction, menopause, iron deficiency anemia, side effects of drugs such as valproic acid, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, heparin injections, adalimumab, a switch from oral anti-contraceptives, thallium or arsenic poisoning during pregnancy also play an important role. During pregnancy, women benefit from an altered hormonal balance. As increased estrogen levels ensure the growth phase, the life cycle of the hair is extended. Postpartum hair loss is more likely to occur a few weeks to months after pregnancy. The falling estrogen levels put the hair into a resting phase. After about 6 months to a year, the hair loss disappears in most cases due to normalization of the hormonal balance.

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