Itchy body during early pregnancy

After pregnancy, a woman's immunity will become much worse than usual, so the skin of pregnant women is more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections, resulting in skin diseases. Some pregnant women will experience itching all over their body in the early stages of pregnancy. If in addition to itching, there are no symptoms similar to rashes, then it can be considered that the discomfort is caused by pregnancy. Let’s find out what causes itching all over the body during early pregnancy.

Causes of itchy skin during pregnancy

Skin is stretched

After pregnancy, a woman's endocrine, metabolism and immunity will change, and her skin will also undergo corresponding physiological changes. The abdominal skin is stretched by the enlarged uterus, and the elastic fibers of the skin are stretched, forming stretch marks, which will cause itching in the area where the stretch marks are located.

Many mothers can't help but scratch the itchy skin with their hands. In fact, scratching is exactly what the itch bug likes; the more you scratch, the more active it becomes. This phenomenon is more common in the middle and late stages of pregnancy.

Warm reminder: Pregnant mothers with itching symptoms should not eat irritating foods such as bamboo shoots, mushrooms, clams, squid, eggplants and pig skin. They can eat more cool foods such as mung beans, loofahs, pears, or drink mung bean water, which have the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying.

Pregnant mothers can increase skin elasticity and prevent skin itching caused by stretch marks through diet. Don't eat too much sweets and fried foods. Eat more foods containing collagen fiber, such as pig's trotters, nuts, and more vegetables and fruits.

Gaining weight too quickly during pregnancy will cause the abdomen to expand too quickly, leading to excessive stretching of the skin tissue and causing itching. During pregnancy, weight gain should be controlled within 2 kg per month, and should be controlled within 11 to 14 kg throughout the pregnancy.

Pregnancy prurigo or eczema

About 2% of pregnant women may develop the disease, usually between the fourth and ninth months of pregnancy. Small red rashes appear on the skin, most often on the extremities, and look like insect bites. Some pregnant mothers think that it is caused by lice or fleas on their pets, but in fact it is caused by the pregnancy itself and has no effect on the fetus.

Prurigo is caused by the mother's rejection of the genes and chromosomes in the child's body that come from the father. In addition to the itchy belly, rashes and itching may appear on the thighs and even upper limbs, and some may also have pigmentation.

Eczema is common in pregnant women who sweat a lot, have a high metabolism, or are obese.

Warm reminder: Pregnant mothers with itchy skin can apply lotion to moisturize the skin. When bathing, avoid using water that is too hot or scrubbing hard with alkaline soap, as this will aggravate the itching.

Expectant mothers can choose lotions, olive oil, massage creams, etc. that are suitable for their body types. They should select mild and hypoallergenic moisturizing products to ensure that there is no irritation to themselves or their babies.