Hi guys,

I was just wondering if anyone currently has or has had this? I've had a pretty rough couple of weeks in & out of hospital since they discovered I had it (in-patient 3 times!). For those of you who don't know what it is - it's a liver condition that causes bile acids to leak into the bloodstream. It causes severe itching, poor appetite, tiredness & vomiting and of course I happen to have all of the above :roll: At the moment I'm on 6 different medications to try and keep it at bay and have to go to hospital for a check-up twice a week. On top of this I've got severe swelling in my feet/ankles/calves - so much so that I am shuffling like an old woman and can only fit my feet into flip flops which isn't ideal in December On the plus side, they are going to induce me early at around 38-39wks - thank god for that as I've really had enough now We had a scan today to check on the fluid around the baby, which was perfect and were told that our lo is already roughly 7-8lbs & has a little round belly - hopefully they induce sooner rather than later before he/she has a chance to put on much more weight :lol:

Apparently this all disappears when the baby comes, but it would be good to hear from anyone who has maybe had this before and how the hell did you cope with the itching? :lol:

Cholestasis effects the liver of a pregnant woman and is very dangerous however i like many other ladies had never heard of it before my health visitor sent me for the test which revealed dangerously high levels.
I think it is very important that pregnant woman are aware of this life threatening(baby) condition.
Also it would be good to share information and support eachother, i know that when i found out i had it i felt alone and a failure and wish to help others.

If you suspect you may be suffering from obstetric cholestasis then please seek medical attention asap!

The liver is in the upper right part of the abdomen. The functions of the liver include: storing glycogen (fuel for the body) which is made from sugars; helping to process fats and proteins from digested food; making proteins that are essential for blood to clot (clotting factors); processing many medicines which you may take; helping to remove poisons and toxins from the body.
The liver also makes bile. This is a greenish-yellow fluid which contains bile acids, bile pigments and waste products such as bilirubin. Liver cells pass bile into bile ducts inside the liver. The bile flows down these ducts into larger and larger ducts, eventually leading to the common bile duct. The gallbladder is like a 'cul-de-sac' reservoir of bile which comes off the common bile duct. After you eat, the gallbladder squeezes bile back into the common bile duct and down into the duodenum (the first part of the gut after the stomach). Bile in the gut helps to digest fats.
Obstetric cholestasis is a condition of the liver which occurs in some pregnant women. Cholestasis means there is a reduced flow of bile down the bile ducts in the liver. Some bile then 'leaks' out into the bloodstream, in particular the bile salts. These circulate in the bloodstream and can cause symptoms. Obstetric cholestasis is sometimes called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Cholestasiscan damage the baby's placenta causing stillbirth,there is very little research into this condition which is a very frightening thing when it can be so life threatening. After 37weeks the risk can be increased due to the placenta having to cope with so much,though the later you develope cholestasis the less chance you have of stillbirth usually, though still birth csn occur at anytime without warning and no amount of monitoring can prevent this.
Ursodeoxycholic acid should be used to help control the condition though there is no cure, your levels should return to normal within 8 weeks of having your baby.

www.ocsupport.org.uk


Please visit this web site, it is very good and full of up to date info.


I almost lost my daughter to oc, i was induced at 36wk+5 but they had threatened to induce around 31 weeks,my babies placenta ruptured and i ended up losing a lot of blood.

Nothing helped my itching-though my alts and biles were much higher than 'normal' oc and almost 6 months later i am still itching.

xxx

Symptoms

Nose bleeds
Extreme itching, especially hands and feet but can be anywhere.
Feeling more tired than normal, very drained.
Jaundice,being unusually yellow or pale.
Severe sickness and/or loss of appetite.
Loss of weight as a result of this.
Oc is more common in twins+ pregnancy,if a pregnancy has began as a multiply also.

A lot of websites will say that cholestasis is not usually serious however this is not always the case, to be safe the majority of consultants will induce before 37weeks to prevent stillbirth,though if you find out later they should induce immediatly.

[Modified by: Queen Bee on January 02, 2009 10:19 AM]

Hi honey, i had it too! I'm afraid nothing really helps with the itching, apart from cold baths and keeping as cool as possible which does seem so alleviate it a little bit. I was induced at 38 weeks and had a healthy little boy. Like queen bee i itched for quite some time after, but i am told this is very rare and that the majority of women will start to feel much better soon after delivering. I'm now 21 weeks pg with my third, and have recently started itching again. Sadly if you've had it once you are far more likely to have it again. But at least i'm prepared this time! All my blood results are coming up within normal limits at the moment, so thats good news! I will keep my fingers crossed they induce you soon and put you out of your misery! Keep us updated xxxxxx

Thanks for the help ladies. At hospital yesterday my test results look to be going in the right direction but obviously they're not within "normal" levels. Have another check-up (with bloods) on Mon when I'll be 37+4 so hoping that they can give us a date for inducing as they did say between 38-39wks. I hope they induce me soon as my body really has had enough now - the oc as well as aching pelvis/tree trunk legs & ankles/backache is starting to take it's toll. Will keep you posted xxx

Oh good luck! I only got induced because i cried and threw a tantrum, and demanded to see my consultant! He'd sent the registrar down, who insisted that my consultant had written in my notes to induce at term, which as far as he was concerned was 40 weeks, and that i was probably just experiencing normal pregnancy itching!! Actually what my consultan sadi to me was that they'd induce as soon as i reached term, ie 37 weeks as this was when it would be safest for baby. The consultant came up within 15 mins of me throwing my strop, and boy did that reg get a telling off once the cons had seen the state of me!!!! So that could always be worth a try if they try to fob you off. Wishing you all the best, keep us updated! xxxx

Hi, i got this too when i was 31 weeks pregnant with my daughter, i ended up in and out of hospital like you are now and was induced at exactly 37 weeks as my liver functions went up very high rather quickly. I had an epidural when i was in labour which only numbed one side and i had to keep gettin my MIL to scratch my foot and leg on the numb side as it was still sooo itchy but i couldn't feel her scratching it so it was driving me crazy!! As soon as my daughter was born the itching stopped. I had a few more blood tests and my liver functions slowly went down over the next couple of days, i ended up discharging myself though although my doctor told me my blood tests were still too high but i had been in hospital for a week in all and was so fed up with the way i being treated after i had Emma by some midwives on the ward i was on that i just went home.
When Emma was about 3 months old i did notice that i was a lot more itchy when i got hot (like in bed) than i used to be but that was the only side effect i've had from it.
I am now 31 weeks pregnant tomorrow and have had itchy feet for a few weeks but now it's terrible and so are my hands-to be honest the itching has spread all over a lot quicker this time than it did with Emma. I have an appointment to see my consultant on monday but i'm certain i have it again but i was told that i probably would. As long as they keep an eye on baby i'm not worried my care the last time i was told i had cholastasis was brilliant.

Good luck, I know it is so horrible itching all the time but just try cool baths and don't get hot. xxx

I really would keep on for induction asap, cholestasis is sooooo dangerous it really is.
i had my daughter at 37 wks nect if i get oc baby will be early as the risk of still birth increases, really dont want to scare u hon but i cannot stress how dangerous this condition reallly is! goodluck.xxx

I have been to hospital this morning for blood tests to see if I have this. I hav just found out about te condition (thanks Katie) and I have some of the symptoms but hoping its just coincidence.....mind you i want to rip my skin off right now :lol:

22 + 5

if they suspect you have oc they should rush your liver results through and check bile and alt and KEEP you in hospitla for the results-they will take about an hour or two get the results back,then depending on how high levels are they will either give ursy or not but they shouldnt let you go to wait for results!!!!! i am gob smacked!x

really? they said they would ring me tomorrow. tbh everything I have experienced so far at the hospital has been pretty shit so i am not surprised!!

The moment they got my resluts they admitted me pumped me full of steroids and argued over how soon to deliver. i was about 30 weeks,they wanted to keep me until baby was born as they should monitor 2/3 times a day,do daily bloods,scan you every 48 hours but i was allowed home but went in every other day until my induction.
The monitoring ect cannot prevent still birth though. . . nothing can and it can happen any time, it is scarey and really needs to be monitored care fully. they should send off two lots of bloods 1 to the hospital lab that takes an hour an another lot (i think has to go to london) where they check out other things.xxx

they did take a lot of blood but no mention of me having to stay at hospital, do you think its because i am only 22 weeks?

it shouldnt make a diff unless they are going by old rules that oc is only dangerous in 3rd trimester which is false. it is dangerous at any stage and the earlier you get it the more dangerous. my 12 wk bloods showed up high but no 1 said anything. . . which was wrong.

xxx

my legs are burning from the scratching....

Have u tried calomine lotion? if this helps i would say its not oc.
may i ask what other symptons u have?
i had nose bleeds
severe sickness
loss of appetite
weight loss
jaundice
severly tired
anemic
low bp
my itching was worse on my face,and lower legs. . .
hate to say it but i am still itching to this day. . . .x

I have tried the lotion but it doesnt seem to work. I looked at symptoms today but I am hoping just a coincidence as i have been sick all the way through pregnancy, appetite has decreased big time and i have lost weight (lighter than before i got pregnant). Always tired but thats just 'cos my legs keep me awake and the rest don't seem to apply. eek

i had a huge bump but was lighter at 25 wks than when i started. . i really hope u dont have it honey but if u do have it make sure u keep on to them to deliver asap(obviously not yet lol) because it really is sooo dangerous honey. i cannot stress how important it is to make sure they take it serios,
goodluck.xxx

hi there can i gatecrash this post pls just to ask a question?i have had really itchy legs and fingers and sometimes my belly for a few days now i wasnt goin to say anything to my midwife cos i think the itchy legs is down to shaving and fingers cos they are dry from me cleanin so much ,but after what u said queen bee about symptoms im a little worried now , i have been sick after nearly every meal for weeks , i have no appetite i just cant eat and i asked my m/w to weigh me last time i went as i feel like ive lost weigh(im in my normal jeans cos my mat ones are hanging off me)and i weigh 5 kg less than at my booking in so should i mention it to her tomorrow????i dont want to look like im attention seeking ??? thanks

lisa 37&1 xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lisa hon, if you think even for a moment you may have it please mention it! it is better to mention it be tested and be neg than to not mention it and put your baby at risk! really hon, dont think for 1 moment are you attention seeking-no way.
please please please get it checked out asap.xxxx