Itching and Obstetric cholestasis
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If possible please stop reading the online materials as it is very scary. I was constantly anxious as my weekly blood test reports showed continuous increase in bile acid and LFTs. There is a Facebook ICP support group and talking to them actually helped me a lot. If possible, do follow and reach out to them.
Currently in a very similar position! Just waiting for my blood test results. Hope everything goes well for you!
@Vinaya thanks for your lovely messages. Super helpful and I was delighted to get a good nights sleep and wake up feel more positive. My Bile Acid results came in over night and they are all normal so despite raised readings on other elements they have told me on a call this morning that they don’t have any great concerns and just want me to have more bloods taken on Monday 🤞🏼 Wishing you well for the rest of your pregnancy x
@Kay thank you and I hope you get some positive news with your results x
Hey! Yes at 33 weeks I got a bile reading of 71 and LFT of 442! I originally freaked out and read a lot online but since then it’s been fine. I’ve been given medication and antihistamines to reduce the itching and bile levels. And have had weekly tests just to monitor me and baby. They take it very seriously so you’ll be under a great team making sure that you’re doing what is best for your baby. Even though my bile acids are now down to 11, I will still be treated as my highest reading (71) so I will be induced at 38 weeks. They have guidelines on this that they have to stick to and advise on. But ultimately, when you have your baby and if you want to wait longer is your choice. Try not to panic. It is a very common health issue that many people develop during pregnancy and the drs know what they’re doing☺️
@Lauren I am glad to hear that your bile acid results are normal.Rise in LFTs are quite common as long as bile acid is in control, there is nothing to worry They might ask you to provide bloods for the next couple of weeks just to ensure that everything is okay and since you already have one booked , it should be fine. Thank you and hope everything goes well with your pregnancy too xx
I had this with my last pregnancy. Got diagnosed at 35 weeks with a reading of 21. Had a liver scan and monitored twice a week and had my little boy at 39 weeks all was fine but I got scared by reading too much into it. Urzo brought the reading down and I don’t think there is too much to worry about unless your reading is consistently over 100 but they will just bring you early. Having itching this pregnancy but my readings haven’t gone over 5.1 yet so don’t think it’s guaranteed each time x
I had been diagnosed with cholestasis at 31+3 and bile acid readings were as high as 30 where the expected range is below 10 or at the max below 19 incase of pregnancy with abnormal LFTS. The itching was so severe and I used aqueous cream with menthol to reduce the itching. Though it was not very helpful, at least I was able to sleep well during night. After my diagnosis, I was asked to provide bloods once/twice a week as it would take 3-5 days for the results to come. During my every consultant appointment, they told me that I would be induced at 37 weeks and at one point of time, they even referred me for a liver, pancreas and kidney ultrasound. I think around 34-35 weeks, I started on Urso tablets and surprisingly my results became normal. Their original plan of inducing me at 36-37 weeks is dropped and currently I am 37+5 days booked for a section at 39 weeks due to a breech baby.