I'm pregnant and my legs are itchy

During pregnancy, the body will undergo many changes due to changes in hormones. During this period, pregnant women should not only pay attention to their own health and safety, but also the healthy development of the fetus. However, many pregnant women experience severe itching on their legs during pregnancy, but they cannot use medications indiscriminately at this time. Therefore, at this time, you need to understand the reasons why pregnancy causes itchy skin on the legs so that you can prescribe the right medicine.

1. Why do pregnant women have severe calf itching?

This situation often occurs after the second trimester of pregnancy, and the chest, abdomen, and lower limbs are particularly sensitive. In severe cases, a rash may appear - red papules. Due to severe itching, they are often scratched, oozing blood and forming scabs. This is called prurigo gravidarum. The cause of this is that the burden on the liver of pregnant women increases during pregnancy, bile stasis, and the excretion rate of bile acid decreases. In severe cases, in addition to skin itching, there are also jaundice, mild liver damage, etc.

In addition, due to cholestasis, the intervillous space of the placenta becomes narrower, affecting the material exchange and oxygen supply between the mother and the fetus, causing intrauterine growth retardation of the fetus and a lower birth weight than that of newborns of the same gestational age. If intrahepatic cholestasis occurs, you must not take it lightly and must seek medical attention immediately. Of course, the rash and intrahepatic cholestasis will naturally subside after delivery. However, the chance of recurrence is still high during subsequent pregnancies.

2. What should pregnant women do if their calves are itchy?

During pregnancy, you should wear cotton underwear. Chemical fiber clothing will irritate the skin and aggravate the symptoms. At the same time, you should pay attention to skin cleanliness. You should not use alkaline bath soaps and never scratch the skin to prevent secondary infection. If the itching is severe, you can use appropriate medicated lotions to relieve the itching.

This article introduces in detail why pregnant women have severe itchy calves, and also introduces what to do if pregnant women have severe itchy calves. If you are a pregnant woman and find that your calves are very itchy, then you'd better carefully refer to the contents of this article so that you can take timely measures to actively treat it and avoid serious consequences.