Alopecia areata caused by pregnancy

[NinaC1975]

I have developed patchy Alopecia Areata as a result of getting pregnant.

My hair has fallen out from getting pregnant and I am now 14 weeks pregnant and it is still falling out. I can still hide the patches but they are getting worse and worse and I am finding it really distressing and as a result I am not enjoying being pregnant.

I cannot have any intensive treatment as I am pregnant but I have been precribed steriod lotion and I am having an integrated hair system fitted next week in the hope that it boosts my confidence - even though it costs a small fortune.

I have never suffered hair loss before getting pregnant.

I was wondering if anyone has had the same experience and if so how long it took for the hair to regrow.

Hi Nina,

Glad you hane a diagnosis. It is distressing but thankfully pregnancy is not a lifelong condition and you will probably see a big improvement a few months after having your baby. I have a friend who developed patches at the front of her hairline because of pregnancy and a year later she has a thick head of hair again. Out of interest where are you having your hair system done? I go through periods of having crazy hair loss and it is good to have as a back up plan. Im sure it will boost your confidence and enable you to get on and enjoy your pregnancy. Best of luck. The stress will all be worth it in the end. X

Hi there,,, Are you still suffering from Alopecia Areata? i am 31 weeks pregnant and have just been diagnosed with it.. I am absolutely gutted about it.. How is your hair growth now?? Jem xx

So the time has come to take the plunge and think about Baby Number 2. I am worried about my hair falling out again as it has now all completely regrown and I am used to having it again.

Tumbleweedblowing - thanks for your response - does your hair fully regrow after each pregnancy? I think I may be able to cope with it better this time knowing that it came back fully last time.

Does anyone else have any experience of developing alopecia during a first pregancy and whether it occurred during every subsequent pregancy. Was the gender of the baby relevant?

My first preganncy was planned but psychologically I wasn't prepared and I was shocked that I became pregnant so easily. I am much more prepared this time - this may be a factor?

Also does anyone have any tips on things I could do to prevent it? I recognise this is clutching at straws!

Thanks

That was me, I NC frequently!

Yes, completely. For me it does take a few months, and I even had one stubborn patch which took a couple of years (fortunately it was hidden). But definitely definitely all grew back. I'm really glad you know what it is. I wish MN had been around when it happened to me, then I'd have know it would all work out!

Good luck.

Thanks Jenny. Not sure what NC means?

Do you have more than one baby and did it happen each time?

I guess you are right - even if it does happen again it won't be quite as scary! Planning a tip to Andrew Collinge for wig advice before I get pregnant so I am prepared.

Nx

3 DCs, and worse each time (name change!)

I am 28 weeks pregnant and have just been diagnosed with AA.
I've lost about half of my hair but I don't need a wig yet yet and I hope I won't need one.
I'm so worried! :(

I am not pregnant, but am having hair loss, it's awful and distressing. The last time I had hair loss was after my daughter 9 years ago, I'm waiting for some hormonal blood tests to come, so they can rule out any hormonal problem, also had my thyroid and b12 checked, which came out normal.

Alopecia in pregnancy
I was treated last year for alopecia and it had flared up again has anyone used dermovate when pregnant. My doctor has said no studies have been made on pregnant women so can't say if there's any risk to use it.

I'm currently 16 weeks pregnant and have been diagnosed with alopecia areata (I also have Hashimoto's). My hair has started falling out since I got pregnant but I've now lost almost half of my hair.

How is your situation going? Have your hair returned after you gave birth? Did it stop falling out during pregnancy? How did you manage hair loss whilst pregnant? Did you go for a wig?

Any help would be much appreciated! x

Hi MrsHopefull88,

Saw your post and how recent it is and felt I had to reply...although I can’t really answer any of your questions I can say I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and have also lost at least 50% of my hair if not more in the space of 2 n half weeks.
I’ve not yet had a diagnosis as Dr states probably hormones n midwife says as it only started from 18weeks it won’t be hormones n probably alopecia 🤷‍♀️ Currently a 33 week wait on nhs in my area to see a dermatologist too 😢
Just thought I’d message you to let you know your not alone, I understand what your going through, and I am sorry this is happening to you xx

Hi Everyone,

I came across your posts recently as my hair started falling out in droves around 26 weeks and I then saw a doctor who thinks I might have a patch of alopecia on the back of my head and excessive shedding - not a great combination! I am now 34 weeks and have lost about 50% of my hair and it's still just falling out daily. Definitely very distressing and I am lucky that I started with very thick hair so it just about looks ok still but probably not for much longer. I wanted to ask how you are all getting on now? Did the shedding stop once you had baby and did it grow back over time? Did you guys use any products or treatments you'd recommend? It's so hard to come across anything online as most sites talk about lovely and thick your hair gets in pregnant so it was very reassuring to come across this thread! Any advice so welcome :-)

Hello! Like you all, I was also diagnosed with alopecia areata around 26 weeks, and am still shedding hair at 38 weeks. It has become rather distressing and is an added stressor on top of pregnancy, I also started out with thick hair but have a bald patch and also hair is thinning overall.

I'd really like to know how everyone else here did post-pregnancy? Did your hair grow back and if so, how long did it take?

I've been to see the dermatologist and there are some treatment options including oral steroids and a new-is JAK inhibitor, but I'd rather not choose these options if I know that the condition will improve when pregnancy hormones regulate back to normal. Doing treatment also means breastfeeding is out of the question!

It is not easy to deal with this and for anyone else in a similar situation, heads up and we can get through this!

Hiya, so I lost my hair about 18weeks pregnant with my twins and had them on 10th Dec 2020, almost immediately my head had little white hairs appearing and it grew back fully within 7months, however it was short lived and I only held onto my hair for approximately 6 weeks before it started falling out again, I then had the steroid injections (dermatologist will tell you you can’t whilst breastfeeding however I consulted with an online breastfeeding support group who are pharmacists) who advised it is fine to get these- I had an email print off which I took with me to enable the injections to go ahead, I have been struggling ever since to get all my hair back and purchased Jax off label back in l Jan 22 which are still sat in my cupboard as hard to get nhs in Uk to monitor you on them n lots of black box warnings for them, currently my hair has a few patches but seems to be going okay (at the min!) my twins are over 2 now so don’t know if my hormones are finally calming down.
it’s so hard to deal with at any point let alone whilst pregnant- here if you need to chat at all n just stay focused of growing that beautiful baby xx

Hi there,

I’m really sorry to hear this is happening to you!
a little post-partum update from my side (and I don’t want to be discouraging here, just telling you what happened to me): I went on to loose all my hair (on the head and body) and was diagnosed with alopecia universalis which is an autoimmune condition. I had another baby after that and had a tiny regrowth but it all fell off after I’ve given birth. I’m 8 months postpartum with my second one now. I’m wearing wigs and learned to do makeup so that I look somewhat like before but it completely changed my life and it’s something I had to learn to live with.
I also refused steroids and JAK inhibitors.

I’m here for support if you need me, you can also message me in private. Sorry I don’t have better news…

All the best xx

Thanks so much ToyD123 and MrsHopeful88 for your quick replies! It's really comforting to know that I am not going through this alone -- and like you mentioned, having an autoimmune condition means needing to get used to living with it. Congrats on both your babies and I hope they are doing healthily and happily! 😍

Out of interest, ToyD123 does this mean you don't intend to use Jax since the situation is somewhat controlled? I hope it gets better soon :) Are you still having a lot of hair fall or did it get a bit better?

Hello again! Thought I would give an update in case anyone else has this condition and was wondering how it turned out.

My hair continued falling after I gave birth and I think the worst point was the immediate weeks following birth where lots of my scalp was visible. It was emotionally challenging especially with a newborn and I went to get a wig !

My doctor gave me clearance for JAK and I started it 1 month postpartum. I've been using it for about a month now. I am seeing some hair regrowth though there are hairs still falling (she said these hairs are already "dead" though and just had not fallen out yet). I will continue to take the medication -- it may be long journey for the hair to regrow completely, there is also a chance that if I stop medication there may be a recurrence but hopefully the chances of this are low!

For anyone else dealing with this condition, sending lots of encouragement and support too! xx

Thanks so much for the update! Did the Dr say how long you’ll need to take medications for?

all the best x