Please Read - Obstetric Cholestasis

hiya im 21 weeks second child, i had pre eclamspia in my 1st pregnancy, nut have started feeling really tired more then normal and im aking my iron supplements also feeling like im on fire. havent had any itchiness as 2 yet got 2 c my midwife in a few weeks am i best 2 wait till then or book in with the doctor
thanks

 

I have been itchy , actually very itchy, and have been having what I was thinking were hot flashes or something. A couple of times it had been on my palms and bottom of my feet, but it disappeared after a few minutes. And the itching hasn't returned to the palms of my hands or my feet, so maybe it was just a coincidence. I am going to talk to doctor about it tomorrow and see if we can get blood work done , just to check, but as I am military wife and going to Korea, I don't know how much they will want to do.

Thank you so much for posting this and taking the time to talk with women who are diagnosed and ease their fears.

 

Let us know how u get on xx push for the blood work and ensure they're repeated a week later incase things elevate xx

 

Doctor told me since the itching went away it was probally normal. Also just wanted to let everyone know this post is one of the first that come up when searched on Google. Thank you ladies !

 

I have a rash type thing on my hands - very itchy, wakes me up at night more uncomfortable in the shower etc but it's very dry and I am prone to ezcema. I see the doc in just under two weeks so will show him I think and see if he thinks it's anything to worry about.

 

Im 24 weeks with twins and was inching but not loads ( not evryday) so went docs they did a test for it and came bk borderline/high... so off up to day assesment today to see what they gonna do... ssoo glad I found this thead as i have no idea about it.... Thanks x

 

Laura - what was the itching like - did it leave a rash on your hand? My hands and arms are covered in little sore type things so I am thinking mine is ezcema. See the doc next mon so will check with him

 

I had OC twice and was very itchy but no rash.

 

I had OC with my first pregnancy (found out at 22 weeks)...elevated liver enzymes since 16 weeks pregnant. Then developed a mild form of preeclampsia at 36 weeks.
At the moment I am only 12 weeks pregnant with my 2nd baby, and very nervous to go through all of that again. Does anyone know what the chances are of getting it in other pregnancies??

 

I got it in both pregnancies and I think the chances are pretty high of getting it again. I had it badly in my first preg and my bile acid levels were through the roof but I didn't get it until 39 weeks the second time though and I had blood tests every couple of weeks the whole pregnancy.

 

OH really? ugh! Yeah my liver enzymes skyrocketed very early on, and I was going for NST's 2-3 times per week from about 23 weeks on. Not fun. So far(knock on wood) everything is normal for me...but then again I'm only 12+4 at the moment. So things could change quickly for me. Were you induced??

 

thankyou so much for your thread, ive read about this before and i was sure i had it but as i wasnt itching on my hands and feet i pushed it to the back of my mind and hoped i didnt have it. I was itching from my waist to my knees and sometimes after a shower a couldnt sit for hours due to this, after i read your thread i knew i had to get it sorted so last night my husband called my hospital and within the hour i was in having so many tests done for this which after a 4 hour wait for results came back clear, yes i did spend my new year in hospital but me and my husband seen in the new year listening to our babys heartbeat so in the end it turned out the best new year, so thankyou for giving me the push to get it sorted and i can now start to enjoy my new year

 

oh boy... so not sure if anyone is still on this thread, but i just need to put it down! I started itching uncontrollably about 2 weeks ago, finally, i googled itching during pregnancy, and i defo have all the classic symptoms of OC. Itchy palms and feet especially, worse at night, no rash at all, dark urine and bulky stools (TMI). So i went for my weekly OB appt yesterday, very nervous that he was not going to take me seriously. right away he said, oh itching during pregnancy is normal. I just about grabbed him by the collar and shouted "im going to have a freaking nervous breakdown with this itching!!!" so he took a closer look and said its either PUPPP or OC and sent me for liver tests which will come back today.

He also said, there would be absolutely NO harm to the baby, and early induction is just for the mom if she cant handle the itching any longer. No mention of repeated bloods or NST's or ultrasounds. Im a little worried about that.

Guess ill just have to see what my bloods come back like. I do generally feel "unwell", and i have actually lost 3 lbs in the last 2 weeks, which i would have thought would have stood out to my Dr.

Anyone have any tips for the itching??? i am currently slathering myself in deep cold icing gel every 2 hours just to get a few winks.

 

All right, im not sure if anyone is following this thread, but i thought i would put this experience down for future ladies. The last update i was getting bloods drawn to check if i had ICP. The Dr's office never called back on the friday so i figured everything must be ok. The weekend was tiring, had my baby shower and i was increasingly feeling bad. Really nauseous, i lost weight etc. Monday i woke up, and noticed a lot of mucous and a tiny tiny pencil line of blood. Every following day i noticed very watery discharge in the morning when i got up. I decided to wait till the following thursday as my Dr never called me back, but in the meantime i was increasingly feeling very uneasy with the situation.

At the app't he told me my liver enzymes were through the roof, but there is no treatment for cholestasis, and he could induce me at 39 weeks at the earliest. i started to cry. I am a healthy woman, a runner, eat well and really know my body. I just knew something was really really wrong, and it seemed no one was taking me seriously. So that is when my body decided to do something for me. At 33 weeks and 5 days, my water broke right there on the exam table. I was sent over the the hospital right away in labour. Miraculously, my labour stopped after about an hour and a half, and i was able to get a massive dose of antibiotics, and steroids for the preemie baby. Usually the babe is born 48 hrs post rupture of membranes, but my little guy decided to stay in there thankfully. I am now 34 weeks today, just got home yesterday after lots of care and monitoring. Im just waiting for next week (7 more days) till he is 35 weeks, then I will be induced and meet the little guy.

This post is not to freak anyone out if thy have obstetric cholestasis. The premature rupture of membranes may not be linked to the fact i have OC. My liver enzymes were so bad that i think my body just wanted to get the baby out. But not everyone will have such a severe reaction. I am just saying that i KNEW something was wrong, and because my Dr felt little for it, i didn't go seek a second opinion. I will never ever do that again.

 

I started having itchy palms this week (I'm 24w3d today) and have just had my bloods drawn to check for OC. I'm not worried at the moment, as it may be related to the cold and mild fever I've had this week, but will be reading this thread through from the start to see what other people have experienced. I'm really glad this is all here in one place, and fx my liver is still chugging along nicely.

 

And ... blood tests totally fine.

 

Hey Lola
I was reading ur posts!
Im hopin u and baby are well
xxBC

 

thank you for thinking of us.

went into labor on the day i was supposed to be induced, showed up 7 cm dilated! the delivery went really well, my son scored an APGAR of 9, he weighed just over 6 lbs and came out crying! which is all i could have hoped for with a 35 weeker.

He spend 3 nights in the special care nursery, for a total of 5 days in hospital. We are both doing really well, my cholestasis resolved pretty much right away.

I hope everyone who may have OC and reads my story has a safe and happy ending to their pregnancies!

 

Can you tell me more about what happened? I am 23 weeks and was diagnosed with this last week. Our Dr. is monitoring me closely, put me on medication, and told use we would deliver at 37 weeks. She also said there was little risk as long as it was managed and baby was delivered early. I am just curious to know what your situation was.

 

Hi. I am 23 weeks along and I was diagnosed a week ago yesterday. My hands and feet were itching so I went to my Dr. and she ran some blood work and it came back that I had OC. She referred me to a high risk Dr. who put me on ursodiol. I can tell that it is working because I am no longer itching. The high risk Dr. said that we would deliver at 37 weeks, and that if properly managed the risk is very small. The treatment plan she has is to continue taking the ursodiol, regular monitoring, increased blood work to make sure levels are dropping, and early delivery. Even with this plan, my husband and I are very worried. Can you share a little about your experience, specifically how your Dr. handled management.

Thank!