Hair and Nails
February 2009
in “
Springer eBooks
”
TLDR Pregnancy can cause more body and scalp hair growth and make nails brittle, but these changes often revert after giving birth.
The document from 2009 discusses changes in hair and nails during and after pregnancy, noting that many pregnant women experience hirsutism with excessive hair growth that regresses postpartum, although some coarse hairs may persist. Scalp hair often becomes fuller due to more follicles being in the anagen phase, with Lynfield's study of 26 women indicating an increase from 85% to 95% anagen hairs by the second trimester. Postpartum telogen effluvium, a shedding condition, typically starts 1–5 months after childbirth and can last up to 2 years, but full hair regrowth is common. Male-pattern alopecia during pregnancy is rare and usually resolves on its own. Nail changes are uncommon in pregnancy but can include brittleness and other conditions, with treatment for hirsutism generally delayed until 6 months postpartum.
