#REASON FOR WHOLE BODY ITCHING SKIN#

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This page was last reviewed in April 2018. Make sure you avoid any strongly perfumed products as they can make your itch worse (NHS Choices, 2016c). You could also try having cool baths and applying moisturiser or lotion to help soothe the itching. You could help prevent mild itching by wearing loose clothes in natural materials like cotton to let air circulate. Make sure you talk to your midwife or doctor about this as they can decide whether you need any further investigations (NHS Choices, 2016c). But if you’re notice itching more during the evening or at night, it could be a sign of a more serious condition. Mild itching is not usually harmful to you or your baby. Evening or night itching could ring alarm bells Obstetric cholestasis affects 1 in 140 women pregnant women in the UK and it needs medical attention (NHS Choices, 2016c). Obstetric cholestasis can also cause your wee to be dark and your poo to be pale (RCOG, 2011). Obstetric cholestasis is often different to a normal itch as it affects the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Itching can be a symptom of a liver condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), also known as obstetric cholestasis (OC). Itching in pregnancy can be a sign of something more serious Severe itching can lead to poor sleep, exhaustion and can really get you down (Rungsiprakarn, et al, 2016).

While friends and family may not take itching as a symptom seriously, a severe itch can be more than irritating. It is normal for severe itching to get you down If you usually get eczema, it can get worse while you’re pregnant (Ambros-Rudolph, 2011 NHS Choices, 2016b). Your hormones changing can also make the itch worse (British Association of Dermatologists, 2018).

#REASON FOR WHOLE BODY ITCHING SKIN#

That’s why you’ll find you have dry and itchy skin that’s often worse on your tummy and legs (Kenyon et al, 2010 NHS Choices, 2016a). Your growing uterus causes the skin around the belly to stretch yet the oil glands cannot meet their normal moisture requirement. That super-irritating itch is caused by your skin stretching.

Reason for whole body itching