The baby

Does heartburn mean the baby will have lots of hair?

Checked against the sources listed on this page. Not reviewed by a clinician. Last updated 5 November 2026. How we check.

Partly true

Surprisingly, there’s some evidence for it. One small study found a link, possibly because the same hormones relax the stomach valve and affect fetal hair growth.

In that study, most women with moderate or severe heartburn had babies with average or above-average hair, and most with no heartburn had babies with less hair.

It was a small study of 64 women. Heartburn is common anyway, because progesterone relaxes the valve at the top of the stomach and the growing uterus pushes upwards.

References

  1. Costigan KA et al. Pregnancy folklore revisited: heartburn and hair. Birth, 2006

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