First the baseline: losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Real loss falls into patterns - female-pattern thinning (gradual, crown and parting, genetic and hormonal), telogen effluvium (sudden shedding 2 to 3 months after a baby, illness, surgery, or severe stress - usually regrows in 6 to 12 months), medical causes (iron deficiency, thyroid, low vitamin D), and mechanical damage from tight styles and heat.
See a doctor for sudden loss, patchy loss (suggests alopecia areata), scalp itching or scaling, loss after a new medication, or shedding clearly beyond brush level - a few blood tests answer most medical causes. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you sort the pattern.
What to do
Common questions
What causes hair loss in women?
First, the reassuring baseline from the NHS: losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal - hair cycles constantly, and what you see in the brush is usually that cycle, not loss. Real hair loss in women falls into a few patterns. Female-pattern hair loss is the most common: gradual thinning over the crown and parting, driven by genetics and hormones, often accelerating after menopause. Telogen effluvium is the sudden shedder: a shock to the system - a baby (the classic postpartum shed), a serious illness, high fever, major surgery, crash dieting, or severe stress - pushes hair into its resting phase, and handfuls come out 2 to 3 months later; the good news is it usually regrows over 6 to 12 months. Medical causes worth testing: iron deficiency, thyroid problems, and low vitamin D. And do not overlook mechanical causes - tight ponytails, braids, extensions, and heat styling break and pull hair out (traction alopecia). See a doctor if the loss is sudden, patchy (which suggests alopecia areata), comes with scalp itching or scaling, follows a new medication, or is clearly more than the brush-level baseline - a few blood tests answer most of the medical causes. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you sort which pattern fits.