Itching (cholestasis) during pregnancy
Advice on remedies to soothe itching skin, cholestasis symptoms and when itching may pose a problem during pregnancy.
Mild itching is common in pregnancy because of the increased blood supply to the skin. In late pregnancy the skin of the abdomen is stretched and this may also cause itchiness. Wearing loose clothing may help.
Severe generalised itching, without a rash, particularly in the last four months of pregnancy may be the only sign of a more serious problem called obstetric cholestasis. This is a potentially dangerous liver disorder, which seems to run in families, although it can occur without any family history. It is important to contact your doctor if you have troublesome itchy because obstetric cholestasis may lead to premature labour, stillborn or serious health problems for the baby, and to an increased risk of maternal haemorrhage after the delivery.
If itching becomes severe, or you develop jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin), see your doctor. Itching which is associated with a rash may also need treatment if it is severe.
Severe generalised itching, without a rash, particularly in the last four months of pregnancy may be the only sign of a more serious problem called obstetric cholestasis. This is a potentially dangerous liver disorder, which seems to run in families, although it can occur without any family history. It is important to contact your doctor if you have troublesome itchy because obstetric cholestasis may lead to premature labour, stillborn or serious health problems for the baby, and to an increased risk of maternal haemorrhage after the delivery.
If itching becomes severe, or you develop jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin), see your doctor. Itching which is associated with a rash may also need treatment if it is severe.
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I was dianosed with intrahepatic cholestasis at week 29 and Doctor has advised to deliver the baby at 34 weeks that was actually due on 4 Oct'11. Treatment with ursodeoxycholic tablets and Vitamin K has been effective in reducing the itching eversince diagnosed. However due to the uncertainity in loss of pregnancy in later weeks beyond 37 weeks, how safe is to deliver the baby at 34 weeks? and what consequences the prematured baby will have?
Appreciate some solution from community members. Thank you.
I had severe itching when pregnant with my second child. It was not cholestasis related. When I was referred to a dermatologist I was told that it was an allergic reaction to the pregnancy hormones. I was put on oral antihistamines from 26 weeks and told to use excema creams for bathing and moisturising. The condition was relieved over time. It did mean that I was off work and very drowsy for most of my pregnancy.
This condition is very rare and it took several weeks to be treated after seeing many doctors. After weeks of sleepless nights and severe discomfort I demanded treatment. My advice is to ask for a referral to a dermatologist who has Obstetric experience. Most major hospitals should have someone you could see. Good luck.
I am 38 weeks pregnant and nealy at the end now, i can not wait, but what i have noticed during the past few weeks my belly has been itching me like mad to the point were it burns after ive been itching it so much, at first i did get an odd itch here and there and my mom just said its were my belly is streching so i just left it, but now i am getting really worried about it, it mainly itches by my stech marks which i throught could be the reason why, but i just want to make sure that its nothing BAD!!
it would be great help if you could give me some advise on what to do or what this could be.
thanks x
I am a 29 year old mother of 2. a 7 year old son and a 22 month old daughter. I had OC with both of mine. Now my younger sister who is 36 weeks pregnant has just been diagnosed with it too. I would say that if you are itching and you know because it's you that it is happening too whether or not it is normal or if somthing just does not feel right go straight to your midwife. Within the space of a week my bile acids with my daughter went from 8 to 72. I was induced at 37 weeks with both of my pregnancies and my sister is being induced on Friday which will be her 37th week also. It is a horrible thing to go through. At one point I was in the bath at 3 o'clock in the morning with the cheese grater trying to stop the itching on the palms of my feet. I suffered terribly but luckily my 2 children are healthy and happy. Although my daughter was born blue and rushed out of the room but brought back fine after about 10 minutes. If you feel in yourself that something is not right, push it, nag your midwife, your GP, find them an article and take it to them. This is a rare illness so I do know that not every midwife has experienced it. I was told with my second child that it was not oc but deep down I knew it was as the symptoms were exactly the same as they were with my son. Eventually I woke up on a Saturday morning to midwives banging my door down as my bile acids had jumped to 72 and I had to get to hospital there and then to be started off. That was my 37th Week. I am happy I pushed it like I did or I dread to think what might have been the outcome.
I'm 32 weeks pregnant(with my third child) and from about 28 weeks I noticed itching on my ankles. I also have lesser appetite than for my other pregnancies. Now I have the itching mostly around my ankles, my shins, behind my knees and inner elbows of my arms. Not much on my tummy, a little under the breast. I'm worried that I may have Obstetric Cholestasis. The scary part of my story is that I'm in India, so here they only do the Liver Function Test and the total bile acid test. They do not do the serum bile acid test. I took both the LFT and the total Bile acid test twice. The results are all normal, but the second time I had to take the tests without prescription because none of the doctors I'm seeing are worried about it. They said that since the LFT levels were normal the first time we can safely eliminate OC. Another reason to eliminate it
according to them is because I did not get OC for my other pregnancies.
I'm really worried and that's not good for my baby either. So far my urine looks mostly clear or light yellow. I did have a bout of diarrhea last week, but my stools are ok now, not pale.But the itching is definitely there, not
mostly at night though, it's also there during the day. I do not wake up scratching at night. My husband is not worried, he agrees with the doctors. I know that in case I do have OC and the results show elevated levels in the LFT test only much later in the pregnancy it might harm baby already. Do you people think I should leave the country, I do have the option of going to France (my husband's from there) but I have to decide quickly or I won't be allowed to travel. Am I being too pessimistic here, do you guys think I have the symptoms of OC?
Please advice!!!
Suja
It's so bad. My consultant has been great and I'm having fortnightly liver and bile acid blood tests so far they all come back saying I don't have oc even though ive been told it maybe to early in the pregnancy to diagnose but all my symptoms point to this! Night time is the worst im lucky to get 3 hours sleep as the itching is so intense! I feel I've tried everything from bio oil, e45 cream, eurax, piriton and mild seriod cream I feel I'm going out of my mind!! Has anyone else had anything like this this early???
We have read and researched the information about Dandelion Root Herb. We feel it may be the answer to the itching. However it contains natural vitamin A and is therefore not reccommended by doctors.
The problem here is that we cannot establish how much vitamin A there is in the average Dandelion Root Herb Capsule. We know that it is safe for her to take between 770micrograms and 3000 micrograms of Vitamin A daily. so the question remains - How much Vitamin A( micrograms) is there in a Dandelion Root Herb Capsule?
We would appreciate any information you amy have
God Bless You All
I'm worried since I am also retaining water and now have marks all over because of scratching so much when sleeping!
Has anyone been given URSOFALK tablets for OC? My bile acids increased rapidly the past two weeks, so I'll have to start taking two tablets a day..
Hi everyone just an update really. The blood tests confirmed I had cholestasis again!! My liver function test and bile acid had shot up really quickly, which resulted in me being admitted to hospital for 3 nights for monitoring. My consultant started me on medication (urso acid & vit k) which took about a week or so to kick in but it has now bought my blood results almost down to normal. I'm seeing my consultant once a week & having fortnightly scans so far everything is looking good, baby is growing above average. The plan is to induce at 37 weeks so only 3 more weeks to go :)
I am 37 weeks pregnant with twins and although I have had the usual itchy abdoment the past week with the heat is driving me mad, it has spread to the inside of my arms, ankles, legs, well everywhere that overheats really. Went to the doctor and am having the blood test tomorrow to rule out Cholestasis but she is convinced its heat rash / skin irritant which so am i as the blood is pumping 20% faster than the avaerage person being pregnant . Symptoms she was looking for was yellowing in my eyes, (jaundice), change in my waters (coka cola look alike) or stools, again yellowing, itching on the palms of my hands and soles of me feet, all of which I have none, she perscribed me with HC cream and Piriton if desperate.. I think its helping but certainly not a cure.. I have now gone and bought some aloe vera gel, kept in fridge and the dandelion root tablets so lets see what happens. I am due i for c sec in 1 1/2 wks so I think its a case of grin and bare it, mind over matter but its certainly not easy!
Since writing the above yesterday my sisiter has found this which sounds even more closer to the truth...
Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), also known as polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, is the most common rash in pregnant women. It normally occurs in first pregnancies during the third trimester with an average onset of 35 weeks. Thankfully, PUPPP does not usually affect subsequent pregnancies.
Appearance of PUPPP
The rash of PUPPP almost always begins in the stretch marks (striae) of the abdomen. It does not involve the belly button distinguishing it from other common rashes of pregnancy. The rash itself consists of small, red wheals in the stretch marks that grow together to form larger wheals on the abdomen. Sometimes the rash can include small vesicles. Over the next several days, the rash can spread over the thighs, buttocks, breasts, and arms.
I am 21 weeks pregnanat and get some mild itchiness around my tummy and abdomen. The main area for itching is my breasts and inbetween them which can be unbearable sometimes! Can anyone help me???
I am delighted to say that there is a happy ending and everyone is doing well (although I still have scars on my hands!)
doctor has already seen me once and prescribed steroid cream which is having no effect and i'm constantly applying moisturiser also with no effect
should i be worried?
* Keep the air conditioning cranked in the summer or the heat low in the winter. A nice, crisp, cold environment helps.
* Point a fan directly at you at all times and keep the blankets off of your itchiest areas.
* Go bare as often as possible on your itcy areas.
* Gold Bond makes a cooling lotion that comes in a green pump bottle. It has menthol in it. It helps A LOT! I tried every lotion on the shelves and this is the only one that helped at all.
* Try to scratch as little as possible. Believe me, the scratching isn't going to help the itch. It feels good while you're doing it, but as soon as you stop the itch will come right back anyway, so save yourself some major scarring (my legs are ruined) and try to resist the urge to scratch.
I stayed on strict bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. I made it all the way to my induction date of May 25th and went into labor on my own in the middle of the night before I was scheduled to be induced. If you have ICP, it is CRITICAL that you are not allowed to carry your baby beyond 37 weeks due to the increased risk of infant mortality. Your baby is safe until 37 weeks and then it becomes dangerous because your bile acid levels will increase rapidly at that point.
My son was born happy and healthy and gorgeous! He had no effects from the cholestasis. My itching was completely gone within 48 hours after delivery. About two months later I had one night where I itched just like I had during those final weeks of pregnancy and was up all night. Thankfully it was just one night and I had my liver levels checked and everything was normal so it was apparently just a fluke.
Good luck to all of you ICP mommies and if you ever itch and suspect it may be a problem, please be sure to see your doctor and demand to get your liver levels and bile acids checked! This is a rare condition so educate yourself because your doc may not really know how to treat it. Take control of your own treatment and you and your baby will be fine!
My advice is to go to your midwife and tell her about this itch.....ask them to check your liver function to rule out cholestasis. I have had this condition in every pregnancy (this is my third!) and it can really make you feel down and not enjoy your pregnancy like you should. Dont worry if it is this condition as you will be put on to the correct treatment for it and will feel much better - my itch is no longer troublesome and I can now sleep at night!!
Unfortunately nothing else really worked for putting the itch away, except to keep cool, wear loose clothing and drink plenty of water......
Good luck!!
xx
Good luck to everyone!
i am 37wks pregnant with my first child and i av neva ad itching like this in my life, i am awake most of the nite with it, i went 2 c the doctor last wk and e sent me 4 blood test, i av just got the results 2day and all they av sed is i av 2 discuss them wi my doctor on friday. i have tried al kinds of stuff 2 get rid of it but it just dont seem 2 go away.....
See your doctor and ask them to do a liver blood test to eliminate cholestasis.
Once that is eliminated, I would suggest you have a condition called PUPP (google this to find out more).
I suffered from this and tried everything from antihistamines, calamine lotion, talcum powder, oatmeal baths and nothing worked! Someone then recommended going down the holistic root and advised dandelion root tablets and flaxseed oil tablets. I started taking the tablets and noticed an obvious improvement after just 3 days! My skin is still a bit itchy but it's bearable. Hope all this helps.
I am 12 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and I have never experienced itching like this before. I am at the stage where I am tearing my arms and legs apart on a daily basis and cannot sleep with the itching. I have tried e45 nad vitamin e creams but nothign is helping me. I already went to my nurse who told me its one of those things but i'm worried. Is it worth a second opinion?
Also, when your initial bloods are taken at the hospital are they automatically checked for cholestasis or is there a special blood test for this?
Thanks
From around the 26th week of my pregnancy, I began suffering from the most horrendous itching, particularly on my lower legs, feet, abdomen and arms. At first, I could almost cope with the itching by applying E45 Itch relief cream and calomine lotion, and my midwife suggested that it was simply caused by raised hormone levels, in particular, progesterone. However, the itching became so unbearable that eventually I could barely function - I couldn't sleep and the only thing I could think about was the terrible itch which was driving me to the verge of madness! Blood tests were taken and a couple of days later the consultant from the maternity hospital called me to tell me to come to the hopsital immediately as my results were abnormal. Cholestasis was diagnosed and I was told that the count of bile in the blood should ordinarily be between 1 and 40. At this point, mine was around 140, and I was told that I would have to attend the outpatient department every day to have the baby's heartbeat checked. I was also put on ursodeoxycholic acid and vitamin K, and given steroid injections to promote development of the baby's lungs as it was suspected that I would not be allowed to go full term. My blood tests were taken every day and my readings were getting more and more abnormal, so at 34 weeks, I was admitted to hospital and told that I would be there until the birth. I was given an anti-histimine to control the itch and my blood was checked daily along with the baby's heartbeat.
By 35 ½ weeks, my readings had become so abnormal (440) that I was told that the baby really needed to be born sooner rather than later. I was induced at 36 weeks and 1 day and had a healthy baby boy weighing 7½ lbs - his size probably due to the fact that I was also suffering from gestational diabetes.
I count myself extremely lucky to have received such excellent medical care. The hospital staff were obviously aware that my condition could have led to a stillbirth, but the risk of this was alleviated by the constant monitoring and drug treatment.
The cholestatis did not present any other symptoms apart from the itch, and if I had not sought treatment for this, then the result could have been disastrous.