Obstetric Cholestasis

[kizzle]

I'm 32 weeks pregnant & have just been diagnosed with a severe case of OC (Bile acid levels are over 50)
I have been moved up to high risk, will be monitored weekly along with blood tests, liver tests, liver scans & growth scans to check all is ok.

Induction is definite now, I've been given acid tablets to try and get my levels under 40 - in which case they will induce me at 37 weeks.
If they stay above 50 then they will induce me at 35 weeks.
I understand that the baby is absolutely fine & won't be affected by this, along with myself. As soon as I give birth, this condition will go.

Just wondering if anyone else has been in this position?

Just for a bit of reassurance & handhold ☺️💐

Just feeding DS so will be a short one! Diagnosed with OC at 38+2 and levels were 279, I think I'd been too busy to take the itching seriously before then.

Induced straightaway and all was fine, OC disappeared immediately as had levels checked within two weeks and they were down to within normal range.

Great you'll be monitored and I know disappointing to go straight to induction but fingers crossed you can enjoy the rest of the pregnancy.

Hi TuliPot thanks for your reply ☺️.
I first put the itching down to sunburn!! As I read you burn more easily when you're pregnant etc..
Wasn't till I started to make my legs & feet bleed by itching so badly I decided to Google diagnose myself, as you do! 🙈.
Rang the midwife Tuesday morning, had me in straight away for bloods, results were back Tuesday night & had a hospital appt made for me on the Wednesday afternoon.

Obviously the baby coming out safe & sound is my main priority, just a bit sad that it won't make it to it's due date & it will be forced out.
I conceived through ivf so I'm aware this may be my only pregnancy, but hey what will be will be! ☺️.

Glad everything turns out ok in the end though! ☺️

I was diagnosed with OC at 34 weeks. Bile acids were at 47, but I was told from the start I'd be induced at 37 weeks (which I was). As I was under consultant care I felt extremely well looked after. The induction was awful as I reacted immediately to the pessary and still had to have the drip as I wasn't dilating, so 36 hours of non stop contractions, but the level of care was amazing. I had two senior consultants in the delivery room as well as three midwives. Sounds dramatic but it was eerily calm! Baby was back to back but I managed to have the birth I wanted (vaginally). Being hooked up to monitors isn't fun but as long as you focus your mindset on knowing it's the best thing for you and the baby it's fine (and epidurals help!!). I have been told as it's likely I'll get OC in any future pregnancies I'll be under consultant care again, but I feel OK about that! Good luck with your induction x

DC1 was diagnosed at 36 weeks with bile acids off the charts at 200+. I was also a fetching shade of orange ( I thought it was a tan ) and had been itching for weeks at this point and had ignored it as an annoying pregnancy symptom....durrrr....
Anyway...they wanted to induce immediately and I freaked out and begged for a bit more time to research and learn more about it before making such a big decision. I was given urso and that did help reduce the bile acids (but not the itching) and held out another week to 37 weeks before I was induced. I just mentally felt better knowing I'd reached 'term' although I'm sure a few days didn't make much difference.
Induction was fine, birth was fine, baby was fine. Am currently 33 weeks with DC 2 and have been waiting for the itching to start, but so far so good! Am hoping. it doesn't come back, but if it does, I won't beoverly worried. I think it is getting more and more common. I've since met a few people who had it and think drs are better able to manage it.
Good luck OP...wishing you a smooth delivery

Thanks for the reassurance ladies, I feel better knowing there's been others in the same boat & everything turned out fine.
I've been given urso also to try & reduce the bile levels, plus antihistamines & creams to help the itching.
I see the consultant next week to decide when to induce me, hoping to hold out until 37 weeks!

Aqueous cream gave some relief to the itch (for a few minutes...but was grateful for any respite!). I think it was prescribed because the pharmacy wouldn't sell it to me because I was pregnant

Hi OP

I was diagnosed at 32 weeks with bike acids of 90 (eek), I had the same meds as you and they got my bile acids down to 39 until 35 weeks when they shot up again and wouldn't come down even with the max dose of urso.

Now you've been diagnosed and will be closely monitored your baby is at no more risk than any other baby, it's undiagnosed OC that's risky.

At 35 weeks, your baby is well cooked and will be fine even if born soon. I was induced at 35 weeks and it was a very positive and easy birth, took less than an hour and he was 8lb.

Just beware that OC babies can come quickly, my consultant told me that and he was not wrong in my case!

ICP support have a great website with lots of information on it.

Bike acids wtf!! 🚴🏼

Bile acids obvs!

Hi OP, I also experienced this in my second pregnancy. Diagnosed with bile acids at 44 around 30 weeks. Very stressful but urso did help getting the levels down and antihistamines helped with sleeping.

I was induced at 36 weeks (that was standard with a severe diagnosis in our area). Induction kicked off very quickly and my uterus hyper stimulated which was horrible! Aside from that labour was ok but ended up with forceps in theatre which I wanted to avoid as my first labour ended the same. My doctors were really good on the run up to the induction and I had weekly appointments and scans which were reassuring. Agree the ICP support site is great and there is a Facebook support group too. Hope everything goes smoothly for you x

Forgot to add, my baby was a healthy 6lb and came out screaming! Paediatrician was on standby outside the delivery room too but was not needed. My DD is completely healthy and was a great feeder from day one, I was worried that breastfeeding would be harder to establish was she was early but no problems here.

BaffledMummy I have aqueous cream too. There was a note on my prescription saying 'cheaper for her to buy. £1 in £1 shop!' 🙄
Well while I have my maternity exemption card I'll have it for free thanks! I've paid for prescriptions all my life, I'm entitled to some free cream! 😂

SirNiallDementia sorry but bike acids made me lol 😂🚲
Wow 8lb at 35 weeks, he would have been a whopper if you'd got to full term!
I have a growth scan tomorrow where they'll give me an estimated weight even though I know they're widely inaccurate. I'll be 33weeks on Wednesday!

I think I was diagnosed at about 30 weeks in my first pregnancy. Sorry but I can't remember levels etc. My second pregnancy I was diagnosed at about 24 weeks because they were aware and were checking it. I was induced for both pregnancies at 37 weeks and everything went fine (well apart for the having to give birth piece :))
There were no complications around the OC, just limited how you can give birth because they have to monitor you so water birth is very unlikely.
Best of luck I hope everything goes well for you.