Conference moira::parenting

What I have heard (although I have no direct experience) is not that it is
harmful to the fetus but that, because of changes in your body chemistry, the
perm or color may not take in the same way as usual.  I have heard of women
having their hair permed where it did not take at all.  

ccb

    	The chemicals may not have affected you because you have greater
    body mass than a fetus. Conventional wisdom says to avoid any hair
    procedure using strong chemicals during pregnancy.

    			Wendy

    I have had perms and colorings during pregnancy. My doctor researched
    it a bit and found that the amount of chemicals absorbed through the
    skin if fairly minimal, and posed minimal risk to the fetus.
    
    I did notice, however, that perms took differently than when not
    pregnant. Hormones changed the texture of my hair considerably.
    

    My first pregnancy I had a perm near the third trimester - it didn't
    take.  During my second, I had a perm during the first month and BOY
    DID IT TAKE!  My sister was just told by her OB to wait until the
    second trimester before she colored (shampoo in) her hair - just in
    case.
    
    -sandy
    

My doctor also said that there is no evidence that a perm/color effects
the fetus.  My hairdresser, however said that he would not do a perm on me
until I was in my last trimester as most perms do not take (or they take but
fall out much faster), so I waited until my 6th month to get one done and 
its still there (starting my 8th month now).  I also had a temp. color rinse
done at the same time.  

Im happy that I got the perm done - at a time of so many changes to my body,
I felt as if I was doing something special for me and it made me feel good.

Maureen

    I called a support line for expectant mothers when I was pregnant last
    year, and they said no problem for colour.
    I do recommend though, that if you are going to a commerical location
    to do the hair work, that you go FIRST THING in the morning, as the 
    amount of fumes in the hair from all the work they do may be more 
    harmful to you by the end of the day, than the chemistry absorbed
    by your scalp. 
    I did that and was glad I did - the late day fumes at the hairdressers
    always made me sick even without being pregnant.
    
    Monica
    

 
    When I was pregnant with my daughter, my Dr. said absolutely no perms
    or colors.  He would allow color through a cap as long as the solution
    didn't sit on my scalp.  Bottom line from him: research isn't finished
    yet.  It takes years (literally) for research to get completed.  
    
    Myself, I'd rather be grey then hear 10 years from now that some 
    chemical they had in hair dye number ? is hazardous to you and your
    childs health.  Let's face it Nutra-sweet is marketed as the best thing
    in the world.  My ob/gyn told me that it can cause neurologically 
    disorders and the amount which causes the disorder varies from person
    to person. He has a nurse who had nerve damage from it.  Two of my
    family members (one over 50, one under 20) have had seizures and when
    the doctors told them to stop Nutra-sweet...well the seizures stopped!
    
    I'd call your doctor.  He/she will give you the advice your paying them
    for.
    
    Sorry for the soap box...
    
    Rose Marie  

    I had a perm when I was about 8 weeks pregnant.  I was told by
    one of the nurse mid-wives not to, but I did anyway.  I did read 
    what you had read in "What to Expect When You're Expecting", but
    I had to get a perm anyway.  I had a wedding two weeks from that
    time and my hair was gross.  Boy, that perm really took.  The curl
    was really tight!    
    
    My sister is a hairdresser and I had asked her about perms/colors
    when pregnant.  She says she gives pregnant women perms often.  In
    fact, she wasn't convinced of the effects it may have on the fetus.
    Only because she works with girls who work with the chemicals,
    given perms/colors and have had them themselves through their own 
    pregnancies and had perfectly normal babies.  
    
    She said that she can agree that they warn against perms/colors
    because the body may act differently to them.  One women had a color
    and it took terribly.  She also has had women come in for perms and
    the perms would not take.  
    
    Donna

re .8:

>    when pregnant.  She says she gives pregnant women perms often.  In
>    fact, she wasn't convinced of the effects it may have on the fetus.
>    Only because she works with girls who work with the chemicals,
>    given perms/colors and have had them themselves through their own 
>    pregnancies and had perfectly normal babies.  

Just because something is recommended against during pregnancy doesn't mean
"If you do this, something bad will happen to your baby."  It's much more
likely to be something like "If you don't do this, the odds of (some particular
bad thing) happening to your baby are 1 in 10000; if you do do it, they 
go up to 1 in 1000."

Thus, the reasoning quoted above is a lot like saying "I'm not convinced that
seatbelts are really necessary, because I know several people who don't wear
seatbelts, and nothing bad has ever happened to them."

Just because someone got away with something doesn't mean that it was a good 
idea.

	-Neil

    I had a perm done when I was 12 weeks and a color put in when I was
    36 weeks.   I had no problems with either.   In fact they took better
    then ever.   Maybe the fact I had both done earily in the morning
    helped.
    
    
    
    Bernie

    
    
    My hair takes very well to a perm.  I usually only need 1 perm per
    year.  I was about 6 or 7 weeks pregnant.  I got a perm, it was
    great but two months later my hair needed another perm (I didn't
    get another one), it was almost completely out. 
    
    Chris

     I had my hair permed @ 16 weeks when I was expecting Paris.
     I had it permed @ 39 weeks with Evan.

     In both cases, the perm "took" beautifully.  I spent $$ to get
      a mild, good quality perm. 
 
      Now, 6 months after having that perm, I need another one - but
      most of my hair is going down the drain!  

      Candace

    
    On both my pregnancies, I had perms.  The second time, because it came
    as a little bit of a surprise, my timing was off, I had perms at about
    17 and 39 weeks.  
    
    For me, the perm at 39 weeks was alifesaver; in the irst few weeks
    after delivering, I didn't have a lot of excess energy to devote to
    keeping my hair looking decent - the perm made it a 2 second job.
    
    Jamd

    I did my hair all through both pregnancies, the way I see it no
    problem.  I was doing a "two-step" process, which is lighten the dark
    roots first then put in the color.  I did ask the OB if this might have
    had anything AT ALL to do with AJ's birth defect and he assured me it
    had nothing at all to do with chemicals.  The doctor knew I wasn't a
    natural blond.  (Let's face it only your OB and hairdresser know for
    SURE!)  My hair is naturally curly, so I can't pass any opinion on the
    perms.
    
    My sister inlaw worked almost to term full time with her first
    pregnancy in a salon, and part time with the second one 20 months
    later, some in the salon some at home.  Both of her children are healthy, 
    beautiful children. 
    
    Lyn