Why Do My Hands and Feet Itch So Bad?!

If you are in your second or third trimester of pregnancy, you may notice that you have itchy hands and feet. Not just an occasional itch but a constant itch where you get almost no relief from scratching. It may become much worse at night. What’s going on?

You may have something called ICP or cholestatis. Cholestasis of pregnancy is a liver condition that can cause intense itching. While largely the itching occurs on the hands and feet, you can also have severe itching on other parts of your body. You are experiencing the extreme itching because while normally bile acid levels from your liver flow into the digestive tract, excess bile acid spills into the bloodstream. These bile acids levels in the bloodstream stimulate nerve endings and cause severe itching.

Let your provider know right away if you are experiencing this extreme itching. They may want to order blood tests to check your bile acid levels and evaluate your liver function. Cholestasis/ICP is considered a very serious complication of pregnancy.

Along with itchy hands and feet, you may also experience other symptoms: jaundice, pale-colored stools, extreme fatigue, and upper rght-quadrant pain.

If you are diagnosed with cholestasis, your provider may prescribe medication to help your acid bile levels and medication to help alleviate severe itching. They will also want to do extra fetal monitoring of your baby. Most likely, your provider will schedule an induction for labor around your 37th week of pregnancy.

In most cases, you’ll be symptom-free after the birth of your baby but your provider will still likely check your liver function 6-12 weeks after the birth to rule out any additional complications.