I'm currently being tested for another rare pregnancy condition called cholestasis of pregrancy, or ICP. Less than 1% of pregnant women get this condition. (Why can't I just win the lottery instead of getting all these weird medical problems?!) Anyways, the issue is that if I have this condition my liver does not process bile appropriately and the bile acid levels in my blood rise. This generally isn't an issue for me, but it can be bad for the baby. Up to 4% of patients with this condition have a stillbirth as a result, and fetal distress occurs in 20-40% of these patients. So needless to say, yesterday was very upsetting for me as I read through all of the information about this condition.
As I said before, I'm being tested for it and do not have a definitive diagnosis at this point. However, I have all the classic symptoms. I have intense itching all over my body, particularly at night, and particularly on my hands and feet. The itching is so extreme that I wake up at night scratching myself ferociously. Anti-itch gels and creams don't really do anything for it. I also have abnormal liver function labs. I'm going in this morning to have my bile serum levels tested. This will be the definitive test. Depending on the doctor, any number less than 10 or less than 14 is normal. Over that and up to 40 is considered mild. Over 40 is considered severe and that is when more problems arise for the baby.
The lab work takes a week to get back, so I'm going to beg my doctor to start me on the medication that is given for this condition NOW, so that I can get the itching under control. I will keep you all posted on what the results are.
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