The postpartum shedding curve
Pregnancy holds hairs in the growth phase; after delivery they shift to resting together and shed a few months later, all at once. The guide reports shedding beginning at 2.9 months on average, peaking at 5.1 and resolving at 8.1, with cosmetically significant regrowth by 12-18 months. The bars are the ranges reported, the dots the averages; the curve between the marked points is schematic. The guide reports the course as usually self-limiting.
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Every number printed on this figure, and where it came from
Each quantity the diagram prints, the sentence it was taken from, and the guide that sentence is in. The build refuses to publish if one of these sentences is no longer in the guide it names.
| Value | What it is, and the sentence behind it | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| 40-50% | Share of new mothers affected by postpartum hair loss “Postpartum hair loss affects 40-50% of new mothers” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 91.8% | Share of new mothers reporting at least some increased shedding in a 2024 study “91.8% of new mothers reported at least some degree of increased hair shedding” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 2-3 months | How long after delivery the held hairs fall “About 2-3 months later, these hairs fall out.” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 9 months | How much held-back hair the synchronised shed releases “the accumulation of 9 months” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 50-100 hairs a day | Normal daily shedding, the baseline band on the curve “Normal shedding of 50-100 hairs daily” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 200-400 hairs a day | Daily shedding at the peak, the upper band on the curve “May lose 200-400 hairs daily (versus normal 50-100)” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 2.9 months postpartum | Average onset of shedding, with the range reported “**Onset**: Average 2.9 months postpartum (range: 2-4 months)” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 5.1 months postpartum | Average peak of shedding, with the range reported “**Peak**: Average 5.1 months postpartum (range: 4-6 months)” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 8.1 months postpartum | Average resolution of shedding, with the range reported “**Resolution**: Average 8.1 months postpartum (range: 6-12 months)” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 12-18 months | How long cosmetically significant regrowth may take. A range only: no average is stated, which is why that bar carries no dot “cosmetically significant regrowth may take 12-18 months” | Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide |
| 3-4 months postpartum | A second guide in this corpus puts the peak earlier than W03 does, and the plate says so “Shedding typically peaks 3-4 months postpartum.” | Telogen Effluvium: Causes and Recovery Timeline |
Where this figure appears
Hair Loss After Pregnancy: Recovery Guide