Itching on face, jaw and hands

[Maria2007]

Hi,

I'm Maria, I'm 22+4 weeks pregnant (this is my first pregnancy). For about 2 days now I've noticed that my face has become a bit red & I have itching mainly on my jaw (which has also become very red) & my face, but also some on the palms of my hand & wrists. I'm wondering if this is simply a reaction to some kind of cosmetic, or perhaps an allergic reaction to something I've eaten? Not sure if allergies can occur for the first time in pregnancy... Is it worth calling the antenatal clinic at the hospital to ask? Or is it making too much of a big deal out of it?

Many thanks
Maria

Definitely phone your m/w.

I started a thread a few days ago becuase my bump was v itchy and loads of people warned me about getting tested for obstetric cholestasis which is a liver condition during pg. Itching on face and hands is one of the first signs.

Get a blood test done. Better safe than sorry as thy say.

hope all is well

Please do ask your midwife for Liver Function tests and Bile Acids to rule out Obstetric cholestasis. Do you actually ahve a rash, or is the redness just where you have itched so much?

OC is not dangerous to your baby at 22 weeks, and if properly managed is no more dangerous than a normal pregnancy (though you may have to deliver early and the itching can be horrible) If it is diagnosed there are dugs that can help. Good luck

Thanks ladies for the info. I'm now getting a bit worried & will call the hospital. I don't have a rash, it's just the redness from my itching... I'll call the antenatal clinic at my local hospital (St Thomas in london) because my midwife is useless.

Don't get worried. Just get informed. There are other reasons for itching as well - it could be a simple allergy. Have a search on here for me and OC - I've posted lots of useful links in the past - would do it for you but about to go out and I'm on dh's pc so don't have my favourites saved.

I was advised to contact MW at the first sign of any itching on hands feet and face which MAY be a symptom of that liver condition I can't spell. V difficult for me as I have eczema on hands and feet and V sensitive skin everywhere else, so I'm itchy most of the time anyway - but getting more so as pg progresses. As a result, MW Keeps a very close check on me & my skin at each visit (31 wks now and will see her every wk now). No problems so far, but even tho I'll see her every week I still wouldn't hesitate to contact her or the hospital immediately, rather than wait for next appointment. Get it checked out. On the other hand, these pregnancy hormones play havoc with your skin, so perhaps its more likely to be increased sensitivity? Lets hope so.

Hi,

Well, I went to the day assessment unit at the hospital & they did blood tests for all these liver-related things, plus they did all the other routine checks (BP, urine sample etc). So it was very reassuring & tomorrow I'll have the results. They said exactly what you ladies are saying, that any itching in pregnancy needs to be checked out asap... just to rule out things.

Thanks again, will let you know how it turns out. I do have sensitive skin in general so I'm hoping it's something simple & straightforward.

Maria

Just to let you know- my liver function seems to be ok, there was no problem in the blood results (phew!) But the bile test will take one week to come back. Other than that, I'm now wondering whether I've had some kind of allergic reaction? In any case, the itching is not so severe, so I'll just keep an eye on it...

Thanks again girls for all your help, you've been very reassuring.

Maria

Glad you got it checked out, it is better to be safe than sorry. Have you changed your washing powder, soap, perfume or cosmetics?

No, I haven't made any major changes that I can think of, other than using a facial spray (a toner kind of thing) on my face and neck these days. It's supposed to be 'natural' & good quality, but who knows it may have caused an allergic reaction... will try it out on my hand to see if its gets red & itchy.

Hope you find out what it was