Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK inhibitors) are medications that can help some patients with severe alopecia areata (AA) regrow hair. But because safety in pregnancy isn’t fully known, current recommendations are for all women stop treatment when trying to conceive. Unfortunately, this usually leads to hair loss. A nicely conducted new study set out to describe what happens to scalp hair when women stop JAK inhibitors for pregnancy — and what happens after restarting them postpartum.
Researchers followed 9 women with severe AA through 14 pregnancies. All stopped oral JAK inhibitors before or early in pregnancy.
RESULTS
Every woman experienced significant hair loss after stopping treatment. However, once JAK inhibitors were restarted — usually within 4 months after delivery — patients regrew their hair, often back to or better than before.
CONCLUSIONS
This study is great news for the many women with alopecia areata who want to become pregnant but are terrified to stop their JAK inhibitor.
Women with AA who must stop JAK inhibitors during pregnancy should be counseled that hair shedding is highly likely. The encouraging news is that restarting treatment after delivery (and after breastfeeding is done) led to meaningful regrowth in all cases. This study highlights the emotional burden these women face and the need for clearer pregnancy-related treatment guidelines in AA.
REFERENCE
Ogbutor C et al. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2025;11:e218
