Can hair loss be a sign of pregnancy?

Pregnancy begins at the time of fertilization of the egg. This lasts 40 weeks after menstruation or 38 weeks after conception. When the body changes, the woman feels tired, menstruation stops, nausea, vomiting, a feeling of tension in the breasts, hyperpigmentation of the nipples, hair falling out, many women think of pregnancy.

Of course this suspicion should be investigated. However, these are among the uncertain signs of pregnancy. Reliable signs should provide objective proof of a living child.

This includes the detection of an embryo from the 5th to 6th week of pregnancy in vaginal ultrasound. The heart action of the fetus is considered the safest sign, which is possible from the 7th week of pregnancy. From the 18th to 20th week of gestation the movements of the child are perceptible. Another sign is the fetal heart sounds, which are recorded by means of a cardiotocogram.

Does hair loss indicate the sex of the child?

Nowadays, the sex of the child can be determined very early, using ultrasound very precisely from the 20th week of pregnancy. From the 11th week, something protrudes in the fetus, but at this stage it is not easy to distinguish whether a boy or a girl is visible. Hair loss as such does not provide any indication of a specific sex.

However, the immune system reacts differently depending on the sex. A study from Ohio State University, showed a different immune response, in which 80 pregnant women had regular blood tests. In one expected girl, cells produced more pro-inflammatory proteins (cytokines) as soon as they came into contact with germs.This leads to an overall stronger inflammatory reaction in the body. In pregnant women this can be reflected as pain or exhaustion.

Duration of hair loss

The hair loss can generally continue for two to three months despite treatment of the causes, for example by taking iron tablets. The cause is that part of the hair has already entered the loss phase (telogen phase) and falls out after two to three months. Even in the case of pregnancy, the hormone balance needs months to regain its physiological state. This can last up to one year. If hair loss persists for a longer period of time, it is advisable to contact a doctor to clarify the cause.