If you had obstetric cholestasis, how itchy were you?

[Murtette]

I'm 35+3 and for the last 3 or 4 nights have been kept awake for a couple of hours due to itching. I've done some "research" on the internet all of which implies that, for it to be OC, the palms of my hands & the soles of my feet should be itchy. None of them are but the rest of me is with my arms, shoulders & across the top of my back & lower legs being particularly bad. The itching gets a lot worse in the evening. I'm sitting here fidgeting as I type. Could it be OC? And, if so, can I wait until my next MW appt on Friday or should I try & see someone before then?

Obviously, I've already sat on the problem for a few days but that's because I hadn't realised it was something to worry about until earlier today when I mentioned it to a friend. I've had restless legs for ages and for the first part of the weekend I just thought that that had got worse... it took me a while to realise that the itchiness was different.
Thanks

hiya, I would give my midwife a call and see what she recommends, OC is quite serious and if you have it needs to be monitored closely so i would imagine they would you to go in so they can take your blood to be tested straight away. Good luck and hope everything is ok. xx

I had OC - wasnt really itchy at all, certainly not on hands and feet. GEt thee to the midwife for a check up asap. Please dont wait until Friday.

Thanks. Rang MW this morning who told me to make an appt with my GP which I have done for this afternoon. Somehow, this has made the idea of having a baby much more real so I am running around sorting out my hospital bag, washing baby clothes etc. I'm very glad I'm on mat leave!

I had OC and my feet and hands were the only places that were NOT itchy!

Wishing you well for your GP's appointment, a simple blood test will show if you have OC or not.

Even if the blood test today is -ve for OC and you keep itching please keep being tested. OC does not always show up on blood tests straight away.

I had the same itching you describe but from much earlier. My legs in particular were a real mess by the time I gave birth. My skin looked like I had been badly bitten. It was awful and used to keep me awake at night but kore often than not I would wake and be covered in dry blood. It turns out it was something called PUPPS (not sure what it stands for now) but related to pregnancy, have a look on net but the moment I gave birth the desire the itch disappeared. Good luck this afternoon though

i had OC and was lower leg/ankles/stomach which was the worst.Not so bad during day but only way I could sleep at all was by putting feet and hands under freezing water and getting them that cold I couldn't feel it! easily diagnosed with blood test!