What should pregnant women do if their legs are severely itchy?

Pregnant women often encounter various special problems during pregnancy due to their physical constitution. These problems are enough to make people feel very distressed. For example, many pregnant women now often experience itchy legs. The itching of the legs is mostly caused by blood circulation and endocrine dysfunction in the body. If necessary, you can use Chinese patent medicine antipruritic ointment for treatment. If the condition is more serious, you need to observe the changes in the skin and go to the hospital for diagnosis in time.

What should I do if my legs itch badly during pregnancy?

A pregnant woman developed unexplained itching on her body when she was 7 months pregnant, but she didn't pay much attention to it at first. But later her body became more and more itchy. At night, her chest and abdomen were so itchy that she scratched her body. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went to the hospital accompanied by my family. I didn't go to the gynecology department but to the dermatology department. The dermatologist thought it was a common skin itching.

But when she was admitted to the hospital for delivery, the obstetrician and gynecologist found that her body was covered with scratches and she had no normal fetal movement. After careful questioning and examination, she was diagnosed with "ICP", or "intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy." Doctors rushed to take action but it was too late; the baby was dead at birth.

At present, the exact cause and mechanism of "ICP" are still unclear. It is generally believed that it is caused by abnormal metabolism of the physiological increase in estrogen in the pregnant woman's liver, leading to maternal bile acid stasis.

Gynecologists believe that among pregnant women who experience pruritus during pregnancy, approximately 4.2% to 5% suffer from "ICP," also known as "intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy." Skin itching is often the first symptom, 80% of which begin to appear at 30 weeks of pregnancy, ranging from mild itching to severe itching all over the body. It usually occurs first on the palms and soles, gradually extending to the limbs, chest, abdomen, and back. A few people are affected by the face. It is more severe at night than during the day. About 20% of pregnant women may develop yellow urine and scleral jaundice 2 to 3 weeks after the onset of itching.

This disease is very harmful to the fetus in the womb, but many pregnant women who suffer from pruritus do not pay attention to it. They always think it is a skin disease and go directly to a dermatologist. They realize that they have missed the opportunity for prevention and treatment when they are about to give birth. Therefore, when pregnant women find that they feel itchy, they must not take it lightly and should go to the hospital immediately.