What to do if you feel itchy all over during late pregnancy

During pregnancy, many pregnant women will have their bellies grow larger as the baby in their belly grows. As the belly grows larger, the belly becomes tighter and the skin will develop stretch marks due to stretching. In the late pregnancy, you will often feel itchy in your belly and all over your body. So what should you do if you feel itchy all over your body in the late pregnancy? Let me introduce the best method to you below.

Pregnant women have itchy skin, which can be manifested by itchy belly, itchy body, itchy stomach, itchy whole body, itchy hands and feet, and itchy abdomen.

There are many reasons for itchy skin in pregnant women, such as skin diseases, rashes, toxic skin rashes, and papular dermatitis, all of which may cause itchy skin in pregnant women.

Causes of itchy skin during pregnancy

Skin itching is an unpleasant experience shared by many pregnant women. In the vast majority of pregnant women, there is no known cause for the itching - there is no liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, blood disease, no evidence of parasitic or fungal infection, and no allergic reaction to medication.

Some people think that itchy skin in pregnant women may be due to allergies caused by eating seafood. This idea is incorrect. In fact, the most common diseases that cause itchy skin in pregnant women are:

1. Pregnancy skin disease: More than 15% of pregnant women may encounter this skin disease. The whole body may itch, usually occurring during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy. There are no changes on the skin other than itching, and no rashes or blisters appear. The cause of the disease is generally believed to be related to the increase in estrogen during pregnancy and has no effect on the fetus.

2. Pregnancy rash: About 2% of pregnant women may suffer from this disease, which usually occurs between the 4th and 9th months of pregnancy. Small red rashes appear on the skin, most often on the extremities, and look like insect bites. Some pregnant women think that the problem is caused by lice or fleas on their pets, but in fact it is caused by the pregnancy itself and has no effect on the fetus.

3. Pregnancy-related toxic skin rash: The prevalence rate is about 1%, mostly occurring in short and obese pregnant women, and most often occurs when stretch marks appear. It is currently believed that it may be related to hormonal imbalance. The comforting thing is that this skin itching will not harm the fetus.

4. Papular dermatitis of pregnancy: The incidence rate is very low, and the disease may occur in any part of the body. When the disease occurs, rashes will appear on the skin all over the body. The cause of this disease is still unclear, but it may cause miscarriage or stillbirth, so you must be especially careful.

5. Pregnancy rash and eczema are also common causes of itchy belly in pregnant women. The former is caused by the mother's rejection of the genes and chromosomes in the child's body that come from the father. In addition to itchy belly, rashes and itching may appear on the thighs and even upper limbs, and some may also have pigmentation. The latter (eczema) is common in pregnant women who sweat a lot, have a high metabolism, or are obese. In addition to the above common reasons, some diseases may also cause itchy belly during pregnancy. Therefore, Director Jia reminds pregnant women and their families not to take itchy belly lightly, and it is best to report it to the doctor in time to find out the cause.

6. Itching all over the body may be caused by cholestasis. Bilirubin is secreted by liver cells, enters the gallbladder through the liver's bile ducts, and forms bile. After eating, the stimulated bile duct contracts, causing bile to be discharged into the duodenum. The main function of bile is to assist gastrointestinal digestion and absorption. The bile salts it contains can emulsify fat and promote the body's absorption of lipid vitamins. Cholestasis of pregnancy can be simply explained as a large amount of bile refluxing into the blood due to poor excretion, thus causing some adverse consequences. In medicine, cholestasis of pregnancy is caused by the placenta producing a large amount of androgen during pregnancy, which changes the permeability of cell membranes and weakens the function of bile excretion, leading to bile stasis and bile thrombus formation, causing bile acid and bilirubin to reflux into the blood, resulting in a series of clinical symptoms such as itching all over the body in late pregnancy.

It is best not to scratch the itchy belly of a pregnant woman with your hands. Applying some olive oil can provide some relief.

If your belly continues to itch, you should consider whether you have intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. It is caused by the synthesis and secretion of large amounts of estrogen and progesterone by the placenta during pregnancy. It can cause blood circulation disorders between the pregnant woman and the fetus, and affect the exchange of substances and gases between the mother and the fetus. The fetus is in a state of hypoxia, grows and develops slowly, and may even cause stillbirth. You should go to a regular hospital to check the bile acid.

In addition, you can also try non-drug methods to prevent or reduce mild skin itching:

Avoid sweating and wipe off sweat as soon as possible.

Wear loose and comfortable clothes, and try to wear cotton clothes that absorb sweat.

Some people like to scald the affected area with hot water. This practice is not only unhelpful, but may also aggravate the condition and should be prohibited.

·Try to avoid using chemicals such as disinfectants or soaps that irritate or dry out the skin.

Avoid scratching vigorously with your fingernails to avoid scratching the skin and causing infection.