27 weeks - itchy skin

[Daniellalou]

Hi all,
just wondering if anyone has experienced this symptom? If so, what helps?
im 27 weeks and my skin is so itchy (mostly in the evenings), mainly my legs and stomach… I’ve been taking warm showers in the evening before bed, moisturising etc but its so irritating!

I have my MW appt next Tuesday, so will mention it then. It started a few weeks ago!

thanks! 💜

It can be a sign of a liver issue.
Definitely ask your midwife about it.

@Daniellalou I think itchy skin in pregnancy is a pretty normal thing as your skin stretches but it can also be a sign of a liver issue called Cholestasis (I think 🤔) so definitely something to be aware of and be checked out!

Yeh will mention to her next week and see what she suggests. Thanks

I had itchiness with two of mine and midwife said it was because they were boys and a reaction of my body to them.

@Chasingaces
What??

Thank you, yes I’m reading similar that it could be due to hormones / stretching etc.
Will definitely mention to MW on this point!
This is my second pregnancy and I feel like I’m experiencing so many different symptoms this time round x

Was she medically qualified?

As others have mentioned itching in pregnancy can be normal with getting hotter, stretching skin, hormone changes etc.

However it can also be a symptom of ICP (the aforementioned cholestatis / liver issues). Definitely mention it to your midwife, who may then do a blood test that can confirm the diagnosis. If is ICP, there's a great charity that provides advice and support:

https://www.icpsupport.org/

Get it checked out quickly, cholestasis can be nasty.

Thanks a lot for this.. will definitely follow up on it.

I had this with my second pregnancy, unfortunately there wasn’t much that I could take for it from what I remember, try and keep a fan near by tapping of the skin cool showers, doesn’t stop the itching just eased it a bit

@Ridingthespringwave 😂😂 I was about to ask the same!

@Chasingaces are you allergic to boys or something? 😅😂 thats ridiculous!

Obviously medically qualified as she was an NHS midwife and said same had happened to her, and was a reaction to the male hormones…🤷🏽‍♀️ I had it for all my boy pregnancies but not my girl ones… always disappeared as soon as I gave birth, and I did have a (negative) liver function test for cholestasis the first time

I had awfully itchy feet around this point. The blood tests came back normal for liver function so it was just one of those things and did stop after about 10 days. Menthol in aqueous cream got me through it, we had some in the house as have used it for mozzie bites.