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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. A doctor can confirm postpartum shedding by video, check for low iron or a thyroid problem, and plan care that suits breastfeeding.
- Why it happens: high oestrogen in late pregnancy stops normal shedding; after the birth it falls, and many hairs move into the resting phase together.
- When: shedding starts about 3 months after the birth and usually ends 6 to 12 months after it.
- Recovery: hair is usually back to its usual fullness by your baby’s first birthday, though a few women find it a little thinner than before.
- Emergency: hair loss is not an emergency. Call 112 for thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or for swelling of the face, lips or throat after a new medicine.
Do not book a video appointment if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing, after a new medicine. Call 112 or go to an emergency department. Hair loss after a birth is not an emergency in itself.
Can an online doctor treat postpartum hair loss?
Yes, usually. Postpartum hair loss is recognised from its timing and pattern, which a doctor can go through by video with your photos. Most of it needs no treatment, but the doctor checks whether low iron, a thyroid problem or another type of hair loss is adding to it, arranges blood tests at a laboratory near you when they would help, and plans any treatment around breastfeeding. Patches, a sore or scarred scalp, or shedding that has not settled after a year need an examination in person.
How an online consultation helps with postpartum hair loss
- Reassurance you can trust: Whether your shedding fits the usual pattern after a birth, and when it should stop.
- Iron and thyroid checked: Low iron is common after pregnancy, and both it and thyroid problems can keep hair shedding.
- Care that fits breastfeeding: What is safe to use while you breastfeed, and what is better left until later.
- A look at your wellbeing: Hair loss in the first year after a birth can add to tiredness and low mood, and support is part of the plan.
What the doctor checks in an online postpartum hair loss consultation
The doctor asks about how you are first, then about the hair loss. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: feeling very low or hopeless, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or feeling very unwell.
- The timing: when your baby was born and when the shedding started.
- The pattern: shedding from all over the scalp, or patches, a receding hairline or thinning that started before pregnancy.
- Iron: heavy bleeding at the birth, low iron in pregnancy, tiredness, breathlessness or a racing heart.
- Thyroid: a thyroid problem before or during pregnancy, or new symptoms since the birth.
- Breastfeeding and medicines: whether you are breastfeeding, and any contraception you have started or stopped.
- Hair care: tight ponytails, braids or heat, which add to the hair you lose.
Before the call, take photos of your parting, hairline and crown in bright daylight. Note your baby’s date of birth and when the shedding started.
Why does hair fall out after having a baby?
Because of the change in hormones. High levels of oestrogen in the last months of pregnancy keep hairs in their growing phase and stop the usual shedding, which is why many women find their hair thicker while pregnant. After the birth, oestrogen falls, and many hairs move into the resting phase together. About 3 months later, they fall out at once.
Doctors call this telogen effluvium: shedding after a shock to the body, of which childbirth is one of the most common. Much of the hair you lose is hair that would have been shed gradually during pregnancy. A typical scalp has 80,000 to 120,000 hairs, and losing up to 100 a day is normal; after a birth, many women lose more than that for a few months.
Other things can add to it: the physical stress of the birth, broken sleep, low iron or other nutrients, especially while breastfeeding, a thyroid problem, and the genes you inherited for pattern hair loss. More on shedding in general is on the telogen effluvium page.
When does postpartum hair loss start and stop?
It usually starts about 3 months after the birth, lasts for several months, and is over 6 to 12 months after the birth. Hair is usually back to its usual fullness by your baby’s first birthday. Breastfeeding may make the shedding last a little longer.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| When | What happens to your hair | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Late pregnancy | Less shedding than usual; hair often feels thicker | Nothing |
| Birth to 3 months | Many hairs move into the resting phase | Nothing yet; gentle hair care |
| About 3 months after the birth | Shedding starts: hair on the pillow, the brush and in the shower | Gentle care; consider a shorter cut |
| The following months | Shedding continues, then slows | See a doctor if you are tired, breathless or unwell |
| 6 to 12 months after the birth | Shedding stops; short new hairs grow | See a doctor if it has not slowed |
| By your baby’s first birthday | Hair usually back to its usual fullness | See a doctor if it is still thin |
Is postpartum hair loss permanent?
No. The hair grows back, and most women’s hair returns to how it was. A few find it a little thinner than before pregnancy. Sometimes the shedding reveals a tendency to female pattern hair loss that was already there, with thinning on the top of the head that does not recover; that is worth a doctor’s assessment.
Why is my postpartum hair loss so bad?
It can be dramatic even when it is normal, because so many hairs fall out over a few months. It can be heavier or last longer when something else is adding to it: low iron, which is common in pregnancy and after heavy bleeding; a thyroid problem; stress and very little sleep; a restricted diet; tight hairstyles; or pattern hair loss showing through. If the shedding has not slowed after 6 months, see a doctor.
What helps postpartum hair loss?
Nothing prevents postpartum hair loss, and it stops on its own. What helps is gentle hair care, a good diet, treating low iron if you have it, and knowing that the hair will grow back.
- Gentle washing and combing: comb gently, and keep hairdryers and straighteners on a low heat.
- Loose styles: avoid tight ponytails and braids, which pull on the hair.
- Lighter products: a volumising shampoo and a light conditioner can make thin hair look fuller.
- A shorter cut: it looks fuller and is easier to care for with a young baby.
- A varied diet: with enough protein, iron and other nutrients, especially if you are breastfeeding.
- Iron, if it is low: iron tablets, usually for about 6 months, after a blood test confirms it.
Will vitamins help postpartum hair loss?
Only if you are low in something. There is not enough evidence that vitamins or supplements help hair loss when your levels are normal, and no shampoo regrows hair. Iron deficiency is the one most worth checking, because it is common after pregnancy and causes tiredness and breathlessness too.
A tip for your baby’s safety
Shed hair can wrap tightly around a baby’s finger or toe, which needs prompt attention. While you are shedding, check your baby’s fingers and toes when you change them, and see a doctor in person straight away if you find a hair wound tightly around one, with redness or swelling.
Which postpartum hair loss treatment might the doctor recommend?
Most postpartum hair loss needs reassurance and time. This is the framework the doctors use:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shedding all over, starting about 3 months after the birth | Reassurance, gentle hair care and time | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Shedding with tiredness, breathlessness or heavy bleeding at the birth | A blood test for iron, and iron tablets if it is low | Yes | For the blood test at a laboratory |
| Shedding with a past or new thyroid problem | A thyroid blood test | Yes | For the blood test |
| Shedding that has not slowed after 6 months, or thinning on the top of the head | Tests, and an assessment for female pattern hair loss | Yes | If the cause is still unclear |
| Round patches, or a red, itchy, scaly or scarred scalp | A different diagnosis | Partly | For an examination, often by a dermatologist |
| Feeling very low, anxious or unable to cope | Support for your mental health | Yes | If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: call 112 |
Worried your hair loss after pregnancy is more than normal shedding? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for postpartum hair loss
What you can do yourself
- Handle your hair gently, and avoid tight styles and high heat.
- Eat a varied diet with enough protein and iron.
- Sleep when you can, and accept help with the baby.
- Use styling to hide thinning at the hairline while it regrows, such as a different parting or a shorter cut.
- Take a photo every couple of months, so you can see the regrowth when it comes.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Most postpartum hair loss needs no medicine. If a blood test shows low iron, the doctor may prescribe iron tablets, and a thyroid problem needs its own treatment. Minoxidil is not recommended while you are breastfeeding, or if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, so the doctor talks through whether and when it would make sense for you. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Supplements when your levels are normal. Shampoos that promise regrowth. Tight ponytails and braids to hide the thinning. Starting minoxidil while breastfeeding without a doctor’s advice.
Special situations
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding may make the shedding last a little longer, and it increases your need for nutrients, so a varied diet matters. Minoxidil is not recommended while breastfeeding.
Feeling low after the birth
Hair loss can add to the strain of the first months with a baby. If you feel low, anxious or unable to cope, the depression in pregnancy and after birth page explains what helps. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call 112 or go to an emergency department.
Thinning that started before pregnancy
If your parting was already widening before you were pregnant, or the top of your head stays thin after a year, pattern hair loss may be the cause. The hair loss in women guide covers the causes and the treatments.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When postpartum hair loss is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: recognising postpartum shedding, arranging iron and thyroid blood tests, iron treatment, hair care advice, planning treatment around breastfeeding, and support for low mood.
In-person care: blood tests at a laboratory, patches or a red, scaly or scarred scalp, thinning that has not recovered after a year and needs an examination, and any emergency sign.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing, after a new medicine
- chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness
Get medical advice the same day for:
- hair loss with a high temperature, drenching sweats or feeling generally unwell
- a bald patch that is painful, boggy or leaking pus
- a hair wound tightly around your baby’s finger or toe, with redness or swelling: your baby needs to be seen in person
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your hair loss: say when your baby was born and when the shedding started, show your parting and hairline on camera, and mention tiredness, breastfeeding and any medicines.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s postpartum hair loss? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Telogen Effluvium can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about postpartum hair loss
When does postpartum hair loss start?
Usually about 3 months after the birth. The hormone changes happen at the birth, but the hairs that switch to the resting phase then take about 3 months to fall out.
When does postpartum hair loss stop?
Usually 6 to 12 months after the birth, and hair is normally back to its usual fullness by the baby’s first birthday. Breastfeeding may make it last a little longer.
Why is my hair falling out after giving birth?
High oestrogen in late pregnancy stops normal shedding. After the birth, oestrogen falls and many hairs move into the resting phase together, then fall out about 3 months later. It is a form of telogen effluvium, and it is temporary.
What does postpartum hair loss look like?
Postpartum hair loss shows as handfuls of hair on the brush, in the shower and on the pillow, usually from about 3 months after the birth, with thinning all over the scalp rather than bald patches; many women notice it most around the hairline and temples, where short new hairs then grow back as a fringe of baby hairs. The scalp itself looks healthy, with no redness, scale or soreness, and the shed hairs often have a small white bulb at the root.
Why is my postpartum hair loss so bad?
It can look dramatic even when it is normal, because many hairs fall out over a few months. It can be heavier or last longer with low iron, a thyroid problem, stress and lack of sleep, a restricted diet, tight hairstyles, or pattern hair loss showing through.
What is the best remedy for postpartum hair loss?
Time: postpartum hair loss stops on its own. Gentle hair care, loose styles, a shorter cut, a varied diet and treating low iron if a blood test shows it all help. Nothing has been shown to prevent it.
Can you prevent postpartum hair loss?
No. Nothing has been shown to prevent postpartum hair loss, because it comes from the normal hormone changes after a birth. Knowing it is coming, and that it is temporary, makes it less worrying.
Will vitamins help postpartum hair loss?
Only if you are low in something; postpartum hair loss itself is not caused by a deficiency. Iron deficiency is common after pregnancy and worth checking with a blood test. There is not enough evidence that supplements help when your levels are normal.
Does breastfeeding make postpartum hair loss worse?
It may make the shedding last a little longer, and it increases your need for nutrients, so a varied diet matters. Postpartum hair loss itself comes from the hormone changes after the birth.
Can I use minoxidil while breastfeeding?
Minoxidil is not recommended while breastfeeding, or during pregnancy. Postpartum hair loss usually recovers without it, and a doctor can talk through whether it would help later.
Is postpartum hair loss permanent?
No. The hair grows back, and most women’s hair returns to how it was. A few find it a little thinner, and sometimes it reveals female pattern hair loss, which a doctor can assess.
Is it postpartum hair loss or something else?
Postpartum hair loss starts about 3 months after the birth, comes from all over the scalp and slows by itself within a year. Shedding that starts later, keeps going beyond a year, or comes with tiredness, feeling cold, weight change or low mood points to low iron or a thyroid problem, both common after pregnancy and found with a blood test; round bald patches suggest alopecia areata; and a widening parting that does not recover suggests female pattern hair loss.
Can an online doctor help with postpartum hair loss?
Yes, usually. A doctor can confirm postpartum shedding by video, arrange iron and thyroid blood tests at a laboratory near you, and plan care that fits breastfeeding.
- Postpartum hair loss, Cleveland Clinic (US), reviewed 13 June 2022.
- Postpartum hair loss, Johns Hopkins Medicine (US), 2025.
- Telogen effluvium (hair shedding), DermNet, New Zealand, updated June 2024.
- Telogen effluvium, Cleveland Clinic (US), reviewed 1 December 2022.
- Iron deficiency anaemia, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 26 January 2024.
- Hair loss, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), reviewed 14 April 2023.
- Minoxidil for hair loss, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Dermatology, October 2025.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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