Reasons for itching in pregnant women

In daily life, many pregnant women do not know how to take care of their bodies, especially in the late pregnancy. Otherwise, it is likely to be bad for the health of themselves and the fetus. Especially when you have itching all over your body, let us understand the reasons why pregnant women have itching all over their body.

main reason:

Some pregnant women experience localized or even systemic itching of the skin in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. People regard the symptoms that occur in pregnant women as special "pregnancy reactions", but they do not know that itchy skin in pregnant women may cause fetal death, premature birth, postpartum hemorrhage, etc. This disease is medically called "intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy." The main symptom of this disease is that pregnant women begin to itch their bodies after five or six months or seven or eight months of pregnancy. The itching is mostly in the abdomen, and in some cases it spreads throughout the body. Some cases are only mildly itchy, while others are extremely itchy. However, a skin examination showed no abnormalities. In addition to the itchy feeling, mild jaundice that is difficult to detect with the naked eye may be detected in a few pregnant women. Once the pregnant woman gives birth, the itching and jaundice will completely disappear within a day or two. If the pregnant woman becomes pregnant again, the same symptoms may occur. Clinical investigations have also found that if the mother has such symptoms during pregnancy, the daughter may also show the same symptoms after pregnancy, indicating that it may be hereditary. According to analysis, the cause of jaundice and skin itching is that the fetus compresses the bile duct, causing poor bile drainage, and bile salts cannot be excreted well, so they stagnate in the liver and accumulate in the blood, forming jaundice; the jaundice salts in the blood stimulate nerve endings, which manifests as itching symptoms clinically. Intrahepatic cholestasis during pregnancy can easily cause fetal intrauterine hypoxia, especially during labor, when the hypoxia phenomenon is more obvious, and can easily lead to premature birth and excessive postpartum hemorrhage in pregnant women. Therefore, pregnant women should pay attention and go to the obstetrics and gynecology department for check-up, especially during the delivery period. If any abnormality is found in the pregnant woman, supervision should be strengthened to ensure the safety of the pregnant woman and the fetus.

This is due to the disorder of bilirubin excretion caused by the massive increase in endogenous estrogen and progesterone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. The itching is diffuse, without primary rash, and occasionally severe. It occurs in the late pregnancy, but can also occur as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy. The itching often occurs 2-3 weeks before the onset of jaundice. After delivery, the itching and jaundice disappear rapidly. Some patients may have no jaundice. Except for elevated alkaline phosphatase and serum bilirubin, liver function is normal. There is no effective treatment for this disease. For severe cases of skin itching, antihistamines can be tried, which is safer. If they are ineffective, the ion exchange resin cholestyramine can be used instead.

The main reason for skin itching during pregnancy: the abdominal skin is stretched by the enlarged uterus, the elastic fibers of the skin are stretched, forming stretch marks, and the stretch marks will cause itching. This phenomenon is particularly common in the middle and late stages of pregnancy.

How to deal with this situation: Applying some calamine lotion on dry skin can eliminate the itching. Do not use shower gel or soap to clean your skin. Choose light-colored clothes made of natural fibers, and avoid wearing underwear made of chemical fibers. It is also important to note that sometimes liver disease can also cause itching, so if your skin is particularly itchy or yellow, you should go to the hospital for relevant examinations to rule out the possibility of diseases such as "intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy". Itching caused by cholestasis usually starts on the palms or feet rather than on the abdomen.

The above article gives you a detailed introduction to the reasons why pregnant women feel itchy all over their body. I believe everyone has a relatively preliminary understanding. Any symptoms of pregnant women’s bodies will have an impact on their fetuses, so you can’t be careless and must go to the hospital for treatment in time.