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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

ICP

11 replies

dani07 · 15/04/2020 22:36

So I have been having symptoms of ICP since early pregnancy. I had a blood test and urine test which the the urine test came back positive but the blood test was fine. My itchiness has become worse, I'm having more symptoms so I went to get my blood test done today ( I am now 20 weeks). The doctor told my I'm fine, I look healthy and it's just the heat. She really made me feel like she wasn't taking me seriously. I know when I'm itchy due to heat or if I'm itchy and up all night due to something else. I now think if my results come back normal and I'm still having these symptoms she will dismiss it. Has anyone else been through this?

OP posts:

Jj2431 · 15/04/2020 23:15

No but I'm calling my midwife tomorrow as I'm worried I may have it. I'm 21 weeks and itching from head to toe in the evenings and at night. I have a rash on my belly and arms so thinking puppp not icp but I don't have a rash in other places I'm itching. I hope they listen to me and test me

Cardboard33 · 16/04/2020 08:10

It usually comes on in the third trimester, although it is possible to get it before then. It's also generally just on your feet and hands rather than all over, usually without an actual rash, just ridiculously itchy. Your bile acid counts from your bloods will be what they go on rather than anything you tell them, as it were, as that's definitive. Even if you do get diagnosed with it they just keep an eye on your levels (I had two blood tests each week) and then discuss possible induction with you once you get beyond 37 weeks, but I delivered naturally before then so I've got no experience of that "pathway". I also got some cream to help relieve the itching and some tablets to stop the levels from going crazy but otherwise until baby comes out there isn't anything they can really do and it then just goes away on its own.

Crackerscheesescabbyknees · 16/04/2020 08:51

I read this as insane clown posse and I can't see it as anything else.
I have nothing helpful to add.

Original poster

dani07 · 16/04/2020 09:59

I have itching all over including the palms of my hand and feet, no rash,dark urine no matter how much I drink, pale stools and some pain. I've had 3- 4 different creams and I'm on antihistamines at the moment. Its frustrating that she was just dismissive and blamed it all on the weather

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MilkNoSugars · 16/04/2020 10:07

It's also generally just on your feet and hands rather than all over, usually without an actual rash, just ridiculously itchy

This is not true- you can itch anywhere, my hands and feet were the only places I didn't itch and my ICP was so bad they had to induce me 5 weeks early.

Please insist on more testing, you certainly have a lot of ICP symptoms (urine, stools etc). The advice is to repeat the tests as ICP does not always show up in every test.

Have a look at the ICP support website for info to share with your Dr or midwife- www.icpsupport.org/

MilkNoSugars · 16/04/2020 10:10

Oops sorry, posted too soon!

If you do have ICP you will need regular monitoring, medication to try and get your bile acids down (urso) and an induction before 38 weeks.

Cardboard33 · 16/04/2020 11:04

@MilkNoSugars that's interesting to know, most people I've spoken to and most things online say it's generally only hands and feet which was definitely the case for me! And mainly at night. With me they said the exact induction week would be determined once I got to 37 weeks and entered the OC pathway, but that never came. I've still got loads of the tablets as they gave me enough until 39 weeks, need to remember to give them back...

Original poster

dani07 · 23/04/2020 20:54

So I got my blood tests back and they say all is fine and normal. My doctor said you can just get itchy because of hormones. But I'm kept awake all night with this, I'm just so itchy, can it really be just hormonal?

OP posts:

Original poster

dani07 · 02/05/2020 23:29

This sounds so stupid but I'm almost in tears with this. Im up all night with the itching, I get a few hours during the day but apart from that my itching keeps me up.
I spoke to a midwife tonight and she just said dont have the heating on, wear cotton clothing, have windows open etc. I do all of that, I just want to know what this is and if it is hormonal itching will this go away?
Just feel like everyone thinks I'm being stupid, it's just making me not want to go back to the doctors or the midwife.

OP posts:

FuckingDoneWithIt · 02/05/2020 23:31

@Crackerscheesescabbyknees same 🤡

Woop woop

Catlover10 · 02/05/2020 23:34

Apparently itching can carry on despite a normal liver function test and ICP doesn’t always show up on blood tests immediately so if you’re still itching after a couple of weeks then go back and ask to be retested. I’m 33 weeks and itchy a lot and was tested last month and it came back negative. I’ve now developed a rash all over my stomach chest and thighs so had to go back in again today to be retested, but rash isn’t normally associated with ICP so I doubt it is that but had to be done just incase, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t retest you again either. Citirizine helps with my itching a little, I take one a day. Also acqueous cream helps soothe the skin too, and calamine is supposed to help.

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