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I seem to be itching alot lately; its very mild, but extremely irritating. It can be anywhere on my body - including my arm pits! lol. Is this another joyful part of pregnancy; or should i be concerned and talk to my doctor? Anyone else had itching in the first trimester??
I know I itched a lot because of stretching skin with #1, and then itched all over with #2 - maybe hormones make you more sensitive - ask your GP/obst. if it's a prob.
I have heard that it is common, a friend of mine even got hives all over her body and they didn't go away until her bubs was born.
Some itching is quite normal, but if it is excessive PLEASE get it checked out. When I was pg with Master almost-9 I got itchy and it got worse and worse and it turned out that I had problems with my liver. That wasn't fun and it was potentially very harmful to myself and the baby.
For mild itching, try putting some oatmeal in a stocking and swish it through a lukewarm bath. If you can get over the mental image of being a huge piece of breakfast cereal, you'll find it rather soothing. You can use Pinetarsol too but that doesn't smell the best.
Lisa
I had this several weeks ago. If its only on your tummy its nothing to worry about. If you have generalised itching on your body, you should probably see your doctor. Itching can be a sign of cholestasis - however generally cholestasis develops only in the 3rd trimester, its very rare before then so don't worry too much about it - just mention it at your next visit? At 7 weeks I doubt it is this. Could it be heat/humidity? Cholestasis affects about 0.5-1.5% of pregnancies altho like I said, if you are 1st tri, its much less likely to be that.
I developed itching at about 35-36 weeks and after elevated LFT (liver function tests) and Bile Salt tests came back, was induced at 38.3 weeks as a "almost having cholestasis" case. All ended well though. And the itching stopped not long after birth.
Mumintaz above probably had cholestasis as it is a liver problem.
Anybody with all over severe itching (specially in the 3rd tri) should mention it to their doctor. A liver function test may or may not show elevated results in cholestasis cases, the test that is actually accurate is the Bile Salt test but this is slow (1 week). If there are hive or rashes its usually something else (PUPP?) rather than cholestasis.