3rd Trimester

Cholestasis anyone?

The past two days I've been itchy.  Can't hardly sleep itchy.  Dr appt tomorrow morning.  Someone suggested researching cholestasis.  I only have the itching, but oh man it is miserable.  Last pregnancy at almost the exact same week I got crazy itchy, too.  The OB prescribed me something and two days later i went in to labor.  Went in to labor at 37 weeks and meconium was in the fluid which appears to happen with cholestasis.  I'm wondering if this wasn't my problem last pregnancy and just want properly diagnosed.  Anyone had to deal with this?  Does it happen for each pregnancy?  What should I ask tomorrow at my appt?  Google has me freaked out!

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Re: Cholestasis anyone?

  • my OB tested me (aka did more bloodwork) for this because she couldn't decide at first if it was Cholestasis or PUPPS.

    She gave me a cream for the itchiness, which took the edge off, but didn't make it go away completely. 

    And I stated eating more leafy greens and high fiber veggies and it really seemed to help whatever was going on to clean itself out. 

    good luck!


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  • I've read in most situations they induce.  Is that the plan for you or just using the wait and see approach (if you don't mind me asking)?

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  • I was just diagnosed with it last week, 33 weeks along.  I have a scheduled induction at 37 weeks and the reasoning is due to an increased chance of stillbirth if you were to go past that.  Cholestasis is recurring with each pregnancy you have so it could be possible you had it last time as well.  I know for me it took almost two weeks for the lab to get results for my bile acid levels, which helps determine if you have it or not.  It would mostly be just your hands and feet that are itchy with no visible rash along with the blood work that determine if that's what it is or not.  If you have a rash, its more likely to be pupps.  I was prescribed ursidol(sp?) for it to help control the bile acid levels.  I haven't heard that the meconium in fluid is related to cholestasis so I'm not sure about that.  Good luck with the itching, it is very frustrating but before the meds, I found that taking a cool shower before bed gave a little bit of relief!  I'm not sure how far along you are but if they end up testing you for it and you have to wait for the results, ask the doctor to get the ball rolling with biophysical profile u/s and non stress tests until you get the results.  That way you will at least be monitored in the meantime.  Hope all goes well for you!
  • Here is one article that mentions meconium, but I read a few. https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholestasis-of-pregnancy/DS01033/DSECTION=complications 

    I will be 38 weeks tomorrow which is why I am more concerned.  I've seen that blood work takes a while to come back and I don't really have awhile at this point.  I've complained about right side rib pain for awhile, but nothing came of that.  My hands and feet have been itchy, but not horrible until the past week.  Now everything is super itchy.  Based on what I've read and been told on here I will make sure they don't just blow it off as dry skin or something "normal".


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  • Yeah I had it with my last pregnancy. No signs of it with this pregnancy so far, but MW is keeping a close eye on it. Sometimes the itching is the ONLY symptom we experience, but there are definitely others like fatigue and really dark urine to name a few. The only way I can describe how bad the itch was for me is an urgent need to strip naked and rub my back against a tree trunk. Textbook Cholestasis says women experience the itch on the soles of their hands and feet only. Not true. I had the itch everywhere. There is a blood test your OB can do that checks your liver bile levels to confirm if it is ICP (Cholestasis). The risk of stillbirth arises because your liver functions slow down dramatically and the bile (that we normally pee out) backs up. It can back up into the placenta and poison baby. That's why they induce. OB can give you med for it (Actigall) and that helps (it stopped my itching) but they still recommend early induction. I was induced at 38 1/2 weeks. I did not start to get symptoms until 36 weeks.
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