You always have an itching skin during pregnancy, but you are not sure whether it’s a cause for concern or not, and it’s annoyingly uncomfortable.
It is common for pregnant women to feel the urge to scratch all over their body, especially around your growing belly and breasts as your skin stretches to accommodate them. Hormonal changes may also partly be the cause as well as changes in your liver enzymes.
When you are pregnant, you may discover that things that make you itch normally such as dry skin and tight clothes may make you even more itchy when you are pregnant.
If you have severe itching that spreads to your arms and legs, it could be pruritic urticarial papules and plaques during pregnancy (PUPPP). It’s a pregnancy skin condition where you get small, red, itchy bumps on your skin. And if you have PUPPP, you may notice itchy red spots on your skin. But don’t worry; after you give birth, it will go away. However, itchy skin can also be a symptom of allergies or cholestasis of pregnancy.
Although itching comes with pregnancy, if you experience severe itching, especially on your hands and feet, late into your pregnancy, and you also notice a dark coloured urine, nausea, loss of appetite, exhaustion, light coloured bowel movement, and vomiting talk to your doctor about these symptoms. They could be signs of Obstetric cholestasis (OC), also called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), a serious liver disorder that could affect the baby’s health. And this normally occur when bile fails to flow normally in the small ducts of the liver. As a result of this, bile salt accumulates in the body and can cause excessive itching. Some women scratch so deeply that they end up with small tears in their skin. Call your doctor or midwife if you think you have cholestasis because it may spell trouble for your baby.
How can you treat itchy skin during pregnancy?
The efficacy of this home remedy will be determined by the cause of the itching, if your body is itching because your skin is stretching or dry and the itching is mild, then these will work.
- Avoid hot showers and baths which can dry out your skin, worsening the itching.
- Moisturize a lot and go for unscented stuff, since it’s less likely to irritate
- Wearing loose-fitting cotton clothing, that’s less likely to irritate you
- Use mild, unscented soap as some scents can cause irritation and after your bathe, rinse off the soap very well.
- Try putting cool, wet compresses on itchy areas.
- If possible, avoid going out in the heat during the day, for heat can worsen the itching.
- Creams like calamine lotion, are safe to use in pregnancy and can relieve you of the itching.
But if it’s extremely itchy and severe, then this remedies alone will not make it go away so you have to consult your doctor. Tell your doctor about your symptoms.
Helpful? Mamalettes during your pregnancy did you itch? What did you do to treat it? Share your experience! Visit our forum or post your comments below.
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