PUBIC HAIR LOSS AFTER CHILD BIRTH

QUESTION:

I am three months postpartum. I also have existing thyroid problems, which I am being treated for. I know that hair loss is typical with thyroid problems and being postpartum. The thing is, I am not losing the hair on my scalp. My pubic hair has thinned out. I swear almost all of it is gone. The hair is not falling out in clumps, but is just thinning out. I do not understand what is going on.

Erin

ANSWER:

Hair everywhere on your body can be affected by pregnancy, or by thyroid imbalance for that matter. During pregnancy, large areas of hair may begin cycling together — all growing at once, then all shedding at once. This could explain the generalized thinning of your pubic hair. Usually, the hair will revert to the normal pattern — a few hairs growing here and a few hairs resting there and a few more hairs shedding — within six months of delivery.
If you notice this does not improve, you should have your thyroid retested; requirements for thyroid replacement can change as a result of pregnancy. If your thyroid levels are normal and the thinning continues, see a dermatologist; sometimes certain kinds of infections can lead to hair loss