Extreme Hair Loss

Hi. My hairdresser told me to try Nioxin. It is really supposed to work well w/in 2 weeks you should see a difference. It is a shampoo and conditioner thing. It doesn't smell bad - no noxious chemicals or anything.
Good luck!

14 months is unusually late, but I guess it's possible. If you lose hair the follicle is dormant and hair begins to regrow after 3 months. After hair loss it takes about 6 months to really notice regrowth.

Possible other cause: hypothyroid.

If indeed there is a thyroid problem, The thyroid requires more vitamin A than other organs. The thyroid is required to convert the beta carotene-vit A into retanol-Vit A. Pregnancy and lactation can both deplete vit A. Telltale signs of vit A deficiency are tiny skin bumps called chicken skin on backs of forarms and on thighs. Advanced stages are chicken skin on more/all the body plus hair loss. Vit A can help with Anemia.(and anemia causes hair loss) Many thyroid tests are not very sensitive. A good check for your thyroid is to take your basal body temp in the morning. Shake down a MERCURY thermometer to below 95 and place by bed. (for menstruating females, do test on day 2,3,4 or menses) On waking, put thermometer under armpit for 10 mins.(dont move).Chart for 4 days. Your temp should be between 97.6 to 98.2 ....Low temp is hypo thyroid, above 98.6 is hyper thyroid.

Iodine is useful for helping thyroid problems, and the thyroid NEEDS adequate supply. Some doctors claim that most americans are deficient.Lactation and pregnancy depletes iodine. Chlorine in our tap water flushes iodine out of the body. Sodas block iodine receptors. Bromine in all baked goods, percholate in milk, and splenda can deplete iodine stores. Iodine in foods has decreased 50% in last 30 years. Thyroid problems can manefest as : cold hands and feet, cold intolerance, depression, hair loss, Fatigue, hoarse, poor memory, irreg. menses, weight gain/ vag. infections/ constipation/ swollen, puffy eyes. Online docs have written that 25-50 mg a day of Idoral plus 1000mg of L-tyrosine will make more thyroid hormones if the thyroid is LOW. Too many heavy metals and other toxins in the body can cause hyperthyroidism. Gluthathione removes heavy metals from our system. So does fulvic (not folic) acid.

Reducing SOY is a must for anyone with thyroid disease. It is a more powerful inhibitor of TPO than common thyroid drugs. Soy disrupts the endocrine system because it mimics estrogen. Soy protien, soy lethicin, soy extract, soy acetate, are forms of soy added to almost every processed food you can think of. We are bombarded with estrogen-mimicing substances.

ZINC deficiency caused hair loss.Low zinc can cause thymic atrophy. Zinc deficiency might look like depression, anorexia, loss of smell/taste/ deformed nails or white marks on nails, acne, irregular menses, boils, hair loss, cracks behind ears, hypertention, stretch marks in youngsters. If you take zinc, take copper too.

Iron deficiency-(some claim the most common deficiency) Anemia caused by the low red blood cell count causes hair loss.(vit A helps anemia)Iron deficiencies can present with breathlessness, dizzyness, chest pain, hair loss, can't concentrate, brittle nails, increased menses, increased bleeding, a desire to chew ice. Some iron deficiencies are caused by parasites, one that comes to mind is H. Pylori- the same one that causes stomach ulcers.But other bacterias and even intestinal worms can cause it. Heavy periods (with or without fibroids) can cause Anemia. Pregnancy can cause it. Taking lots of aspirin, antacids, Low vit A, Low vit C and even too much calcium can deplete it. Vit b9 helps prevent anemia as well as b12.

Some hair loss can be caused by the demodex mite or tinea (fungal)

Progesterone can improve hair loss in females when it is a hormonal issue. If I remember correctly, progesterone will be low when your estrogen is high, and since most of us have to much estrogen in our bodies because of food additives,progesterone may help.

Crash diets or low protien can affect hair loss.

Autoimmune disease can cause hair loss.

Try this for self diagnosis: (but still see a doctor)
http://www.diagnose-me.com/

Hi A.
I have read that when estrogen levels drop (perhaps perimenopausal?) your hair can fall out. You may want to check with your doctor to see if this is the case. 37 isn't too young, I do believe when I was 38 (I am 45 now) I began to see a change in my hair, I would wash it and lots of hair would be in the drain or on my pillow.. It did eventually stop. I have since changed my diet (I eat more nutrient dense food) such as GREEN smoothie drinks and large salads. I also began to track and chart my cycles to see IF I was ovulating , if you aren't it is possibly a sign that well, maybe one is menopausal and hence a drop in estrogen levels, which as mentioned could lead to hair loss..

It could be your thyroid, but it also could be a lack of folic acid. Also because of the hormone thing you had a high progesterone level until delivery and then it dropped so you may look on Syringa.com for a cream called Resolve which you put on your skin and your body changes the cream into progesterone if you need it and if you don't it is just a great moisturizer. As an experiment when my daughter was pregnant, we put Resolve on her skin and it just sat there, but if you are low in progesterone as she was after delivery, it absorbed it like a sponge. It is worth a try and can do both together. Good luck!

It could be a number of things. Your thyroid which I hear can be affected after having a baby. Have the dr run some tests including your TSH levels which is your thyroid. I on the other hand have had a thyroid condition many years prior to having children. when my hair fell out post pregnancy with my second my dr thought I was anemic, since we already had my thyroid under control years before my first child was born. Turns out I wasn’t so its not any of those things then it could be your diet and/or stress. I wasn't getting any sleep and im just now starting to get my baby sleeping through the night. He has had acid reflux since 4 motnhs. So I started taking b12 and an iron supplement anyway and in 3 days my hair stopped falling out. Be careful when taking iron. Only take it every few days. Space it out. I took it once every 2 days for 2 weeks. Feel much better.

Good luck. You have your hands full as I too have 2 boys. What a world it is.

SAHM/zombie with 2 adorable funny and loving little boys. 3.5yrs & 10 mos started walking at 7.5months. I just go and go. The Joys of Boys!

Get your thyroid checked. After childbirth it takes a little while for hormones to get back to normal, but you could be experiencing hypothyroidism. It is common to have hair loss with this condition. The good news is that if it is hypothyroidism, it is very manageable with meds such as synthroid. These meds are safe for breastfeeding moms.

Along with the other possibilities suggested, the hair loss could also be contributed to alopecia. You should see your doctor for a diagnosis.

A., thinning hair is pretty normal just with age, but if you're really concerned and you have other issues like weight loss or gain and fatigue, you should get your thyroid checked to be safe. All the best.

my hair didn't fall out until i stopped nursing... and then it came out in huge clumps. it took several months to start growing back. my youngest is 2 and i still have really fine baby hair. i had my thyroid checked to make sure there was an hypo-thyroid situation (symptoms of which include hair loss & fatigue).

on the funnier side of things, i hadn't gone to my hair stylist for about 4 months after I stopped nursing & when i finally did go, i forgot to tell her that my hair was falling out...she thought she had done something wrong when she was washing the color out !!! it took a while to finally calm her down!

Hi. Get your thyroid checked. Hairloss happens after a pregnancy with all the hormone changes but since it started only a month ago and your child is 14 months I would get my thryroid checked. It could just be an imbalance. Or you might have either an underactive or overactive thyroid.

You need to go to a dermatologists and have them test you for Androgenetic Alopecia and Alopecia Areata, also you could be premenapausal so having hormone levels checked is also good. For doctor referrals and to understand this better and what treatment is worth trying (because most are not) go to National Alopecia Areata Foundation www.naaf.org

Good luck

I had hair loss when I developed a tyroid problem. You may ask your doctor if you can have a blood test to see if there is a problem.

I would be very concerned! This may or may not be connected to your last pregnancy. Get your doctor to refer you to a dermatologist and see if you can stop the hair loss.

Hi A.,

I can think of a couple of thing may be contributing - first, hormone shifts, which would make sense. Next, if you've had stress, your adrenals may be shot -causes that 'burn out' feeling. If you support your adrenals and/or thyroid (not medication), it will help with the stress. Remember, if adrenals are burned out, the thyroid is picking up the slack, so it may appear it's the thyroid, but the adrenals may be the initial cause. And, do some things to help reduce your stress - listening to relaxing music, do relaxation exercises, do deep breathing, etc. If you have a chance when baby's asleep, put some headphones on with relaxing music or nature sounds and get lost in it. And, chances are this is temporary because of all the hormone stuff happening right now.

B. C., Holistic Wellness Coach
Certified Reflexologist
Emotional Freedom Technique Certified
Certified Applied Aromatherapy Instructor
Certified Newborn Massage Instructor
NSP Herb Specialist
www.BeverlysHeavenlyHealth.com

If you recently stopped nursing the hormone changed could be doing that or if you are still nursing you could be low on a few vitamins...

I am 38 - weaning my 20 month old and experiencing the same thing. Good Luck

Sometimes anemia can also cause hair loss.

Yes you can lose har after having a baby but 14 months after is a long time. Have you started any new Medications or new shampoo as that would be the most likely causes.It could also be a throid problem and your dr can do a blood test to check on that.

hi there! have you had your thyroid levels checked? this also happened to me several months after my first born.

I'd suggest a thyroid panel and seeing an endocrinologist.

GL

Get your thyroid checked out. Diet also causes hair loss or thinning.

Just a thought.

R.

I agree with many of the others. Thyroid is a big culprit. I would go into your doctor and ask them for a full check-up, including a complete blood count (CBC), check your electrolytes (like potassium/calcium/sodium etc-BMP), a thyroid panel and any hormones they will test, especially estrogen. Be your own advocate and tell them exactly what you want. Otherwise you'll get poo-pooed since they don't typically care about hair loss because it's not life threatening. What many doctors don't realize is it is essential to our self-esteem. So ask for what you want and don't give in until you get it! God bless.

That happened to me. I ended up having a thyroid problem (check your TSH, Free T3 and Free T4!) and a probelm with my B12 (make sure yours is AT LEAST 500 even if the dr says the low limit is 200!). Both can cause hair loss. I had lots of other problems becasue of my imbalances. Please get checked out!

Let me know if you want to know more. It took me forever to figure it all out and I don't want you to have to go through it too!

Take care~

Hi A.,
I would urge you to get your thyroid levels checked ASAP. Hyperthyroid also causes hair loss. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid/Graves Disease 24 months after my son was born.
I don't know what other symptoms you have, but here are some of mine: extreme hunger, exhaustion, irritable, night sweats, heart palpatations, stomach upset, anxiety, and wieght loss. I just did not feel like myself from the time my baby was born via emergency C-Section. I kept saying I felt better when I was pregnant!!! For almost two years I just kept telling myself it was my age and the fact that I was raising a very active little boy.
I would probably still be sick or (worse) if I hadn't had a blood test done at a health fair. My doctors didn't suspect anything was the matter with me and never ordered any blood work. In fact, when I told my OB about the fair's blood test results he said there must be some mistake and ordered another test. Within 24 hours of the blood test he was on the phone to me referring me to a specialist!!!
So, I guess what I am saying is "go with what your gut is telling you" If you think something is wrong demand blood work and if you aren't happy with that than get a specialist. I am seeing two endocrine specialists.
I hope it is nothing and everything works out for you!Good Luck!

A.,
I have had the same experience. Four years later I was finally diagnosed with Lupus (SLE). Loosing hair is one of the signs of it.
W. M.