Postpartum Hair Loss Screener
Losing alarming amounts of hair after having a baby can feel frightening — but up to 50% of new mothers experience it. This screener helps you understand where you are in the postpartum hair timeline, identify any factors making it worse, and know when to see a doctor.
Answer all questions for your personalised assessment
Think about how things have been over the past 4 weeks.
Postpartum hair loss (telogen effluvium) typically begins 2–4 months after delivery and peaks around 3–6 months. Knowing your timeline is the most important piece of context.
Breastfeeding increases nutritional demands and sustains elevated prolactin, which can prolong or intensify shedding in some women.
During peak TE, losing 200–400+ hairs per day is common vs. the normal 50–100. It feels dramatic but is usually still within the expected range.
Typical postpartum TE is diffuse — evenly distributed all over. Patchy, spotty loss has a different cause and warrants medical attention.
These include: constant cold hands or feet, unexplained weight gain or loss, persistent brain fog, heart palpitations, or feeling unusually anxious/depressed. These can signal postpartum thyroiditis, which affects 5–10% of new mothers and commonly accompanies hair loss.
Chronic stress and sleep deprivation independently extend the shedding phase and can trigger additional rounds of telogen effluvium.
What is postpartum hair loss?
During pregnancy, high oestrogen levels keep far more hairs in the active growth phase than usual — which is why pregnancy hair often looks fuller and thicker. After delivery, oestrogen drops rapidly, triggering a mass shift of hair follicles into the resting (telogen) phase, followed by simultaneous shedding 2–4 months later.
This is called telogen effluvium and it's not a sign that something is wrong — it's a normal hormonal reset. Most women regain their normal hair density by 12 months postpartum. However, nutritional deficiencies (especially iron) and thyroid changes can worsen or prolong the shedding, which is why identifying and addressing those factors matters.