Need some advice for slowed growth

[mizsunshyne]

Hello everyone! I've really missed hanging out on this site. I've been so busy "neglecting" my hair, that the last time I was on here, I'd been impatiently growing my shoulder length to armpit length. Now it's at waist! I had a baby last July and the pregnancy hormones really helped my growth and thickness. Now he's almost 8 months and my hair is shedding and won't seem to grow anymore. I know the hormones might be responsible, but I was thinking about it...and I don't think my hair has *ever* grown past waist. When I was a kid, I started growing my hair and from the time I was 10 to the time I was 19, my hair never grew past waist. I trimmed, but not too often (that I remember, anyway). So I'm wondering...could this be terminal for me? I had one trim last December and she took off about an inch. So looking at my picture from last September and now, they look the same.

I know hair goes through some slow growing times. I remember back when I had the measuring tape out, my hair didn't grow for over 2 months between shoulder and APL. I'm hoping this is one of those times. So I'm looking for some experience here- what's likely? hormones? Terminal? Slow growth? All of the above? :D I'm crossing my fingers it continues to grow at some point. Anyway, good to be back seeing everyone's progress here!

[torrilin]

It's not unusual to experience a long stall. You can *start* to suspect terminal if your hair goes for a year or more with no gain in length. You'd need to do other confirming tests, like trim and see how much regrowth you get. And since you were pregnant and (presumably) breastfeeding, it'd probably take at least 2 years from when you stop breastfeeding to figure out whether you're at terminal. Pregnancy is very hard on your body, and it takes a lot of energy for your body to make milk, and when your body is doing that, it can't devote full power to growing hair.

If your doctor doesn't routinely check vitamin, mineral and hormone levels, it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask for those tests. You've asked your body to do a lot of hard stuff over the last year or so, and it might have bits out of whack. The tests are pretty cheap, and if it winds up you're short on something important, a vitamin pill is a pretty easy fix. It's a *lot* more likely that you're short on vitamins or you've got a hormone problem than you're at terminal.

[Allychan]

If your hair rarely grows then spurts through pregnancy I'd be guessing (disclaimer: an educated guess not a DR's diagnosis) hormones. Certain hormones during pregnancy can increase in levels and increase growth rate and seeing as that is the only differentiating factor I'd put my money on it. I'd ask for a hormone check from the DR