Help! The itching is driving me mad...

[frangipani13]

I'm 14 weeks and have developed v itchy patches of skin on both legs which gets unbearable at night only... I've tried: calamine, e45, cocoa butter, bio oil.
Has this happened to anyone and can you suggest anything else that can be used in pregnancy? TIA x

Hello. It's worth ringing your midwife in the morning. Some itching is natural as skin stretches and blood circulation changes but there is a liver condition called cholestasis that needs checking out.

Get checked. I had cholestasis and it was awful. It has risks that need managing. But it can be managed so take heart if that's what it is.

Will do, thank you. Didn't want to appear like a neurotic ft mum bothering them with something trivial...

It's definitely not trivial.

Hope you get it sorted and have relief from the itching!

Try iron tablets, worked for me

I second ringing midwife first thing in the morning.

I'd get checked, but then I was quite itchy too and mine did pass!

I used Dream Cream from Lush (I had it in the house anyway). It has lavender and oat milk in it, so it's super soothing. And if you put it on at night it'll help you sleep. It's really good on itchy nipples too

I found cutting out caffeine helped majorly - I suffered terribly from itchy skin.

I spoke to the GP and he prescribed some creams for if the itching gets really bad but I've found Aveeno moisturiser and body wash have helped me as my first call.

At 14 weeks your midwife is unlikely to be willing to test for cholestasis. However you should ring. A friend of mine had similar and had to wear pressure socks. I can't remember why.

In meantime, I recommend some aloe Vera gel spread thickly, not rubbed in. Once it has been absorbed, reapply your regular preferred (non perfumed) moisterizer.

Obstrectic cholestasis tends to be severe itching on mainly the palms of the hands and soles of feet, worth getting checked though

Oatmeal baths : cupful of oats, in the blender until it's a very fine powder (very fine, you have to really blitz it) then put it in a bath.

I've also found monoi quite helpful as well.

Cholestasis for me was much more than palms. I was covered in blotches and really felt awful

It's rarely diagnosed this early Into a pregnancy though isn't it? I was around 30 weeks when my itching started, My Lord it was awful, I was going to be induced at 37 weeks but my DS decided he wasn't happy with that and came at 36, I didn't even make it down the stairs after my contractions started and within 20 minutes he was in my My petrified DP hands

Thank you ladies. I've got the Aveeno (on special at Boots atm) and will try the oaty bath too. Played phone tag with the midwife today but appreciate the advice from you all.

Mine was about seven months in. But worth checking nevertheless, as it's a condition that's still being researched and is a bit of an unknown quantity.

I use aveeno shower gel, bath oil and moisturiser. It's got oatmeal in and really stops the itching. It's likely to be hormonal rather than cholestasis which tends to occur in later pregnancu although there is no harm in speaking to your midwife.