You may have heard horror stories about women who lose their hair in handfuls soon after giving birth. What causes this mass exodus of your once gorgeous, thick pregnancy hair? Say it with me: hormones!

Approximately 90 percent of your hair is growing at any one time, while the other 10 percent is entering a resting phase. Every two to three months, the resting hair falls out and allows new hair to grow in its place. Telogen effluvium is the term used for the excessive shedding of hair one to five months post-pregnancy. More than 50 percent of women experience this phenomenon, so you're not alone, and like many pregnancy symptoms, its effects are only temporary. Your hair will return to normal in a few months.

Is is normal to lose hair during pregnancy?

Not usually. During pregnancy, some of your hair goes into the resting phase, which is part of the normal hair loss cycle and should start to diminish 3 to 5 months after delivery. But if you are experiencing unusual hair loss while you are pregnant, you might have a vitamin or mineral deficiency.